Search Server Updated, Free Version Added

A forthcoming update to Microsoft’s enterprise search servers, which enable business users to search a wide variety of resources on internal and public networks, could make it significantly easier for users to find data locked up in corporate applications, such as business intelligence and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Microsoft is also lowering prices dramatically—even offering a free version called Search Server Express—in an effort to counter Google’s Search Appliance. The improvements could spark demand for the product and provide partners with opportunities to help customers customize the server, particularly its user interface and connectivity to secured resources.

Enterprise Search as Product Category

Enterprise search tools help organizations (including small and midsize businesses—not just enterprises) find information in a wide variety of data sources, including file systems, e-mail systems, and corporate business applications. Although these tools often employ a user interface similar to Internet search engines, such as Google or Microsoft’s Live Search, enterprise search tools must understand many more types of data (e.g., information in ERP systems) and must provide access control to ensure that searchers do not see information they are not authorized to view. Enterprise search tools also rank search results differently and generally give customers programmable control over the relevance rankings of results.