Some football fans critisicse David Beckham because "all he can do" is cross the ball. All Microsoft can do, in some pundits' books, is take market sectors that were once the domain of specialists charging pricey tariffs, and make them available to all. Today, Microsoft began to do that to enterprise search.
This might be looked back on as a rather momentous day in search as Microsoft's Search Server announcement is likely to change the rules of engagement in the field. The most notable points of the announcement that make it such a disruptive move are:
One, neither the freebie product nor the free product, Search Server Express, has a ceiling on number of searchable documents.
Two, neither the paid-for nor the freebie SKU requires a dedicated server.
Three, there are out-of-the-box connectors to FileNet, Documentum and Lotus Notes.
Four, this is a pure search move that does not lean on SharePoint, Microsoft's smash-hit entry into ECM.
Five, and this might well be the biggest factor, this is Microsoft, so the brand and ability to integrate with other key infrastructure will be huge plus factors for many buyers.
The net effect of the move will be to put pressure on Google's search appliances and IBM's OmniFind but Microsoft will not stop there and it is already talking about Office '14', the next major release, packing in high-end features. Autonomy made a very smart move in buying Zantaz, investing in video search and in other moves that have taken it away from basic enterprise search, which is showing every sign of being commoditised.
Google has done a sound job and IBM made a bold move in introducing its free version of OmniFind last year but the Microsoft manoeuvre is a major land grab. We still need to see the product and pricing details but if rivals are feeling afraid, we can understand their fear.
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