Exodus inks huge hosting deal with Covisint

In what could be one of the largest Web hosting deals in the business-to-business sector, Covisint is expected to announce next week that Exodus has been picked to host and manage its North American and European Web operations.

Executives from both companies said that Exodus will run all of the auto exchange's Web operations globally, including facilities, security, storage and network services, in three data centers in Chicago and Amsterdam in what they believe will save the auto exchange millions of dollars.

The exchange is expected to be a central marketplace for parts auctions and project collaboration among as many as 40,000 companies doing business with the automobile industry, from paper clip manufacturers to multinational chemical conglomerates. Covisint executives say that when fully operational, the exchange will handle up to $750 billion in annual purchasing. --Erich Luening, Special to ZDNet News