Introduction to Enterprise Search
Information retrieval and online search has been available since the late 1960s. However, until the popularization of the Web, search and retrieval was a discipline with a loyal but relatively small niche in the overall range of information technology.
The interest in enterprise search spiked upwards, largely as a shock wave from the Internet explosion. "Enterprise Search" became an attempt to make certain types of content available to authorized employees, partners, or contractors to an organization. With popularization and the enormous effect of Google.com has come the realization that enterprises could benefit from the increasing amounts of digital data on personal computers, in company Web sites, and on departmental servers.
Enterprise search vendor messaging speaks directly to these opportunities, but the prospective technology buyer should be forewarned that many of these expectations may well go unfulfilled. Unfortunately, the ease of use of public search services has contributed to a widespread but mistaken perception that search is a "no-brainer" or a slightly puffed up desktop application.
Enterprise search, however, is not yet as reliable as electricity or as trouble free as running water. Indeed, the typical enterprise search system does not contain all the organization's content. Limitations on available information include considerations of security, inability to integrate specialized content, difficulty reconciling structured and unstructured content, and the sheer cost, time, and difficulty required to incorporate diverse content repositories.
An enterprise search system may have to acquire, process, and index dozens of types of documents as well as data residing in proprietary file systems or middleware repositories in servers scattered throughout the organization -- including offices in other countries.
Nevertheless, enterprise search systems can make immediate and direct contributions to the financial health of an organization. But -- and this is an important caveat -- careful planning, project management, and budget controls are needed. Enterprise search, like a handful of other organization-wide applications, is always complex and often more expensive than planned.
To learn more about enterprise search and review an independent evaluation of 28 search vendors, consult the Enterprise Search Report.