An ICE syndication server runs in tandem with a content management system, from which content is extracted for distribution, and into which incoming content is integrated. Syndication describes a variety of potential network-based partnerships that involve the exchange of information. According to Brad Husick, vice president of business development for Vignette, network partnerships are business opportunities that have been hard to take advantage of. Content syndication, which is well known in the publishing industry, has been difficult online because it has required setting up a unique process for each partner, which is costly. ICE helps to establish a standard interface between the syndicator and all its partners, and thus makes it easier for a syndicator to support a large number of partners.
Syndication is a way to find additional audiences and new revenue for their content.
ICE will allow us to focus on content creation and avoid the costs of building our own content distribution infrastructure. Originally, sites traded links. Seldom did this informal relationship have a business agreement behind it, although its goal was to generate traffic. ICE helps sites exchange content with each other, instead of just links, and it establishes a mechanism for building a business relationship around content distribution. Ultimately, this will lead to new distribution channels on the Web, and help all kinds of online businesses succeed.