Margie Semilof interviews Guy Creese, a content management expert with Burton Group about the evolution of enterprise search, and the rationale behind Microsoft's acquisition of Norway-based FAST.
Creese explains that IT managers are often responsible for ensuring that a site's search function is effective, as well as assisting with SEO efforts. "IT managers have to do both
well," he says. "It's common for companies to concentrate on only one of the two. They spend a lot on search marketing, which brings people to the site, but because the site search is so poor it then
drives people away. They may tune the site search well, but no one will use it because they don't come to your site."
Meanwhile, Creese says Microsoft gobbled up Fast Search and
Transfer because the enterprise search firm's technology was perfect for companies that need a "high end" site and document search solution. "There is a lot under the covers with Fast [technology],"
he says. "Microsoft got a revamped search engine. Not that the one it had was deficient, but the CTO really went back to basics and rebuilt the thing."
Read the whole story at SearchWinIT »