Microsoft Tries Giving It Away
Hoping to get a little more competitive in both the enterprise and Web search
markets, Microsoft announced plans to
give
away a brand-new product called Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express. The
product is designed to allow users to view a collection of search results spanning
external Internet-based databases as well as internal computer systems.
Not everything associated with the technology is free (this is Microsoft, after
all). The company also plans to deliver a paid version that will be the functional
equivalent of the free product. Company officials said they'll announce pricing
for that product when it gets closer to launch some time next year.
The move appears to back up Microsoft's promise to fight Google's dominance
in the enterprise search area. In October, Google delivered an update to its
enterprise search appliance that permits "social" search. The search
giant has also invested in enterprise search, as have much smaller firms such
as Autonomy, Fast Search & Transfer and Endeca.
Microsoft will deliver a test version of the Express, or free, product this
week with plans to also deliver the finished version early next year.
Posted by Ed Scannell on November 08, 2007