Enterprise Search Offerings Postponed

Two enterprise search offerings planned for late 2006 have been postponed and may be cancelled or released in drastically different forms. The first, a desktop client with a unified interface for desktop, enterprise, and Web search, has been postponed indefinitely and may become a feature of Windows. The second, a SharePoint Server (SPS) 2007 feature that helps users find experts in particular subjects, will be released as an unsupported add-on and may eventually become part of other Office products. The changes highlight Microsoft’s fragmented search offerings and uncertainty about how to compete with search specialists like Google and Autonomy.

Unified Search Client

In mid-2006, Microsoft said that it was building a desktop client, code-named Casino, that would allow users to conduct simultaneous searches of data stored on corporate networks (including file servers, intranet sites, and corporate applications), their local PCs, and the Internet. (Microsoft has used several names when referring to Casino externally, including OneView, Windows Live Search for the Desktop, Windows Search Center, and Windows Search 4.)