Enterprise Search Roadmap Overview

The FAST products will play a more prominent role in Microsoft’s enterprise search strategy. FAST ESP, acquired in 2008, will be followed by FAST Search for Internet Business (a code name). That product, like FAST ESP, will run on both Windows and Unix systems and receive annual updates. The FAST technology will also power a new, lower-priced add-on for SharePoint Server customers, code-named FAST Search for SharePoint, that can replace the built-in enterprise search engine of SharePoint Server and that will ship on the same schedule as SharePoint Server. FAST Search for Internet Business is intended for search on external-facing sites (such as e-commerce sites), while FAST Search for SharePoint is intended for internal sites and databases; however, each will have licensing options for other uses. Both FAST Search for Internet Business and FAST Search for SharePoint will probably appear in test versions in the second half of 2009. Both will probably be available in the first half of 2010, although Microsoft has not announced availability dates.