Google: Enterprise search needs to focus on users

China Martens   Today’s Top Stories    or  Other Business Intelligence Stories  

Driving BI Value with Data Integration: Overcoming the Thorniest Challenges Survey: Business Intelligence Maturity and the Quest for Better Performance BI @ The Speed of Business Computerworld Custom Publishing: Bright City Lights Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts

April 24, 2006 (IDG News Service) -- For the enterprise search market to grow rapidly, vendors should focus more on meeting the needs of end users, according to Dave Girouard, vice president and general manager for Google Inc.'s enterprise business.

"Enterprise search software is so clearly bereft of soul," Girouard said today at the Search Engine Meeting conference in Boston. "Enterprise search has not been useful to users. It's not simple, comprehensive or reliable."

He contrasted enterprise search usage with that of consumer search, where Google and its competitors' search engines are used as "the default interface to anything" on the Web, he said. "Enterprise search is used as a last resort, not as a starting point" and suffers from underutilization, Girouard said.

Topping Girouard's prescription to improve the health of the enterprise search market is his advice that software vendors think of employees and consumers as the same people. That means concentrating more on providing simple keyword searches as offered in the consumer world, he said.

"Search has an opportunity to be the human interface to all corporate information," Girouard said. He noted that the knowledge worker of the 1980s and 1990s who focused on learning and applying a couple of software applications is turning into "a self-directed innovator" who needs easy access to tools -- including search -- to help in their work, ultimately providing their employer with a competitive edge.

Google's announcement last week of the OneBox feature in an upgrade of its Search Appliance is part of the drive toward putting enterprise search at center stage in a user's palette of tools, according to Girouard. The feature enables users to carry out real-time searches on business applications from the likes of Cognos Inc., Oracle Corp. and Salesforce.com Inc. to access information such as contacts, calendar entries and sales leads.

Girouard estimated that it will likely take between six months and a year to determine what kind of traction OneBox is getting among users.

Looking ahead, Girouard predicted further verticalization as a key feature for enterprise search software -- including the ability to search a particular company or a specific department within a firm. As that verticalization occurs, it's important to ensure that the user experience with enterprise search software remains both familiar and consistent, he said.

Reprinted with permission from

For more news from IDG visit IDG.net
Story copyright 2006 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"Advanced technology is turning video monitoring into an intelligent activity...." Read more... "Sun has been a company in trouble for years now. Until recently, I was never really worried about it going..." Read more... Read more Business Intelligence posts or See all Blogs

Elgan: You can be Batman, too Study: IT jobs will drop in 2009 RIM fixes critical BlackBerry Enterprise Server bug More top stories...

Apple's recall demand would probably kill Psystar, says IP attorney DNS flaw discoverer says more permanent fixes will be needed AT&T muffs free iPhone Wi-Fi offer again

11 cool new apps for the iPhone With the opening of Apple's App Store, the iPhone takes a revolutionary leap from cool mobile phone to hot mobile platform. See our list of apps you should definitely check out for yourself. Google is doing WHAT? Its motto is "Don't be evil" — but it looks like anything and everything else imaginable is pretty much fair game — not to mention some wildly rumored projects that we asked the company to confirm or deny. The new face of R&D: What's cooking at IBM, HP and Microsoft The talk at three big research houses is all about "open innovation." Is that a feel-good catchphrase or the R&D strategy of the future? Review: The iPhone 3G was worth the wait After months of waiting for a 3G-based iPhone — and hours waiting in line to actually buy one — Ryan Faas says it "packs quite a punch, both in its design and in the 3G and GPS capabilities" it offers. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland SecurityAsk a Premier 100 IT LeaderBlackBerry Legal BattleData Security BreachesElectronic VotingFirefoxH-1B VisasHP's Boardroom ScandalHandheld DevicesHurricane Katrina AftermathMicrosoft Legal IssuesMicrosoft's VistaOpen SourceRFID TechnologySCO's Linux FightSarbanes-Oxley ActSpamVoice Over IPWi-FiWindows Meta File VulnerabilityWindows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders2006 Salary Survey2007 Best Places to Work in IT2007 IT Forecast2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders40 Years of ComputerworldASPs, Take TwoBest Places to Work in IT 2003Best Places to Work in IT 2004Best Places to Work in IT 2005Best Places to Work in IT 2006Business Intelligence Home RunsBusiness Intelligence: Smarter BIBusiness Intelligence: The Future of BICRM Goes VerticalCRM: Sober CRMCareer Planning Guide 2005Careers: IT Profession 2010Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005Data Management: Mining for GemsData Management: Taming Data ChaosDevelopment: Hard-Workin' Web SitesDevelopment: New Tools New ChoicesDevelopment: The New World of Application DevelopmentDevelopment: The Web Services TsunamiDevelopment: Web Services HurdlesDisaster Recovery: Preparing for the WorstE-commerce Grows UpE-mail/Groupware: Big DecisionsFaces of Mobile ITForecast 2006Global MobileHardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple ChallengesHardware: On-Demand Un-HypedHardware: The Shape of Things to ComeHorizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge TechnologiesIT Management: Guide to Managing VendorsIT Management: Navigating Global ITIT Management: Recovery AheadIT Management: The Future of ITIT Management: The Resourceful Project ManagerInnovative Technology Awards 2004Management: Reinventing ITMicrosoft in TransitionMobile/Wireless Leaders and LaggardsMobile/Wireless: The Untethered WorkerMobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge CostsNetwork Management: Taking ControlNetworking: Turbulence Ahead!Networking: VoIP Goes MainstreamOperating Systems: In the Slow LaneOperating Systems: Linux Goes GlobalOperating Systems: Should You Nix Unix?Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's GuideOutsourcing: Outsourcing DangersPremier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in ClassPremier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in ClassROI: Do the Math!Salary Survey 2003Salary Survey 2004Salary Survey 2005Security Action PlanSecurity: Compliance HeadachesSecurity: Proactive SecuritySecurity: Risk and RewardSecurity: Tips From Security ProsSouped-up SecurityStorage: Battling ComplexityStorage: Cheap & Secure Data StoresStorage: Stretching Your Storage DollarsStorage: The Lean Storage MachineStorage: The New Rules of StorageStorage: The Ultimate Backup GuideSupply Chain: Missing LinksSupply Chain: RFID Reality CheckThe Business of SecurityWeb 2.0 SecurityWireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone See your link here

Speeding the time to intelligence Get this Computerworld report free for a limited time, compliments of SAS. Time To Intelligence -- a concept defining how long it takes to get accurate and timely information into the hands of workers who need it most. Do it slower than your competitors and your company is toast. Do it faster, you scorch them. Business Intelligence is the key to optimizing Time To Intelligence, and success there is a combination of people, policies, and technology. Download this executive briefing  Why SaaS is Vital to Email and Web Security Why SaaS is Vital to Email and Web Security Download this webcast, free, compilments of Webroot Software Go to the webcast  Rapid application development, rapid results Download this special report now! (Source: Intersystems) All too many businesses suffer from IT infrastructures that are a hodge-podge of disconnected databases and applications. What's needed is the ability rapidly develop connected applications under a unified service-oriented architecture. InterSystems Ensemble integration environment and Cache database are effective tools in answering this need, delivering a rapid ROI. Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. New Fujitsu High-End Itanium Windows- and Linux-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Offer the Utmost in High Availability New Fujitsu High-End Itanium-Based PRIMEQUEST Servers Offer Industry-Leading System Management for Linux and Windows Web Security SaaS: The Next Generation of Web Security View more whitepapers

• Elgan: You can be Batman, too
• Study: IT jobs will drop in 2009
• RIM fixes critical BlackBerry Enterprise Server bug
• More top stories 

SAS Business and Analytics Zone No matter where your organization is on the path toward evolving your IT infrastructure, SAS can adapt to your situation to meet your long-term enterprise intelligence needs. We can help you drive intelligence evolution to the next level, while leveraging and extending the value of your existing IT investments. Learn more in the Business and Analytics Zone See All Zones

Intercept Spam & Viruses With MessageLabs MessageLabs is offering a complimentary 30 day trial of its managed Anti-virus and Anti-spam security solutions. MessageLabs guarantees complete protection against all know and unknown email threats. By providing 24 hour support, your business can increase productivity and decrease risk. Register for a complimentary trial and receive a free datasheet. Download this white paper now!

Since You Asked A weekly storage column from storage analyst, Steve Duplessie of the Enterprise Strategy Group Click here to read the latest column by Steve Duplessie