Your business requires search and information management tools that enable your employees to be more productive, make better decisions, and achieve greater success.
To meet this need, Microsoft has developed four solution sets based on the role of search. The following scenarios highlight the key technologies and outline an upgrade path from standalone search to a customized, integrated Find, Use, and Share Information (FUSI) solution.
Quickly Connecting People with Information
Some organizations do not have complex or diffuse information sources, describing their search criteria as “the Internet, my intranet, my desktop, and e-mail.” Given that source integration is low-not requiring linked data sources such as a supply chain or line-of-business applications-an “out of the box” solution can meet this need.
Businesses that choose a standalone search can install Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or Office SharePoint Server for Search. This solution enables people to Search across the intranet with simple screening functionality based on metadata in the target content. Results can be security trimmed (setting up restrictions to enable approved people to view information) and with implementation support, extended to third-party content source search, such as searching a partner’s or supplier’s site.
This non-customized solution is economically priced and relatively easy to implement, providing effective search support.
Standalone search can help your organization gain search efficiencies by:
- Adding simple search functionality to your existing intranet.
- Providing business-ready search capabilities people can use to quickly identify the most relevant business information.
- Helping people search across the Internet, an organization’s intranet, desktop, and e-mail data sources via familiar, easy-to-use, integrated interfaces.
- An efficient implementation solution that reduces the time people spend looking for information.
Key products are:
- Windows Desktop Search
- Windows Live Search
- Office SharePoint Server 2007 for Search or Office SharePoint Server for Search.
Providing Clarity Through a Variety of Data Sources
As data sources grow to including line-of-business applications, so does the need for scalability of search solutions. Data volume, the number of simultaneous searches, indexing capacity, and time can all impact search relevancy and efficiencies. As the size of the organization grows, solutions can be found.
If you choose comprehensive search, your company can install and customize SharePoint Server 2007 for a high-intensity, highly integrated search solution that integrates with line-of-business (LOB) applications. Complex intranet searches are also more efficient. These searches screen algorithms to improve the precision of search results and incorporate security policies (such as updating frequency and access control). This solution can also incorporate Knowledge Network or People Search implementation, enabling users to search for names and profiles of those who could be relevant to a specific search topic.
Comprehensive search provides the same search functionality as standalone search, plus:
- The ability to search information in LOB applications and other third-party content sources.
- Enhanced query correction, hit highlighting, and consolidation of duplicate search results.
- A business-tuned algorithm to increase the precision of search results.
- Improved Indexing Management controls, to provide more control over the content that is to be indexed, how it is to be indexed, and when.
- Rich query activity reports to help people understand usage patterns and optimize the search system.
- Security trimmed results that, based on users’ rights, keep access to information managed effectively.
Key products are:
- Windows Desktop Search
- Windows Live Search
- Office Sharepoint Server 2007
Search Integration Across Functional Areas
As an organization’s information needs increase or become more complex, groups may take advantage of search tools specific to their needs or functions (for example, finance may use one information search methodology while manufacturing uses another). Disparate user interfaces present data differently, creating inconsistencies and confusion. The effect is that results or findings may not be as coherent across groups. Similarly, learning new search tools can be frustrating and time consuming.
The solution outlined here is moderately customized, but includes a more sophisticated search and server information management solution. This Basic Configuration builds on the previous scenario, bringing the powerful features of Windows Vista to the forefront with an integrated desktop and intranet search, results visualization, and powerful sharing technologies. Using the same, familiar search interface across an organization will mitigate search training, and at the same time smoothly handle structured content (Line of Business and Enterprise Content Management systems). In addition, it will handle multiple formats of unstructured content (e-mail, documents, HTML pages, video, and voice).
Basic Find, Use, Share builds on the same functionality as Comprehensive Search, helping your people search more effectively and smarter, make better decisions, and maximize organizational intelligence more efficiently through:
- A singular, unified search system interface to simplify FINDING information.
- A people-defined search scope, enabling individuals to determine the search depth, from Desktop to “Everything.”
- Filtering and results sorting by source, file type, author, etc.
- Previews of search results reveal what the file contents “look like” without opening it.
- Organizing their information in alternative ways, grouped as they want to (for example: server folders, intranet sites, e-mail conversations, etc.).
- Simplified synchronization of content on portable devices with network sources.
Key products are:
- Windows Vista
- Office SharePoint Server 2007
- Windows Live Search
Customized, highly integrated Business Information Management
When teams are spread across cultural and geographic boundaries, content and document exchange can quickly get out of control. Business information management face new challenges as the traditional methods of communication, scheduling, and file sharing can no longer keep pace with the ever-increasing volume of data, market speed, and competitive pressures.
Customized Find, Use, Share Configuration is a highly customized search, desktop, and server information management solution, combined with real-time collaboration and common business process workflow integration. This configuration covers search, but provides much richer use and share solutions to empower people and teams.
Customized Find, Use, Share Configuration provides the same functionality as Basic Find, Use, Share Configuration, plus users can also:
- Create documents, worksheets, or presentations and post them for review, approval, and management purposes.
- Apply security, retention, and compliance policies to documents and e-mail, encrypting sensitive communications for heightened safety.
- Personalize “report centers,” to collect information from across the organization, so they can customize the information they receive from server spreadsheets, key performance indicators (KPIs), and scorecards.
- Automate processes and integrate workflows with your key business systems by using electronic forms.
- Collaborate productively across numerous media, or work off the corporate network, with confidence that updated versions of their documents will be incorporated when they reconnect.
- Use real-time communications systems and services that include instant messaging with presence indication-so they know who’s online and who’s not-and use the best mechanism to communicate.
Key products are:
- Windows Vista.
- Office SharePoint Server 2007.
- Windows Live Search.
- The 2007 Microsoft Office system and Office Server products and services, including Microsoft Office Groove, Microsoft Office Live Communication Server, and Microsoft Office Live Meeting.
