Enterprise Search: In Search Of Relevance

If an IT team decided to block Web search engines for a day, it would be mere minutes before the howling began. But unplug the enterprise search function at most companies and -- hey, was that a yawn I saw?Yet the reality is that enterprise search can be as vital to users as Web search -- if companies have deployed it strategically. This week's InformationWeek lead story delves into different approaches for enterprise search. Writer Andrew Conry-Murray splits the market in two -- search driven by compliance, and search driven by broader business needs -- and urges companies to be open to different approaches and technologies for the two needs. Where enterprise search is generating the most excitement, beyond compliance, it solves a very focused business information problem. Conry-Murray describes the distinction:

So if people would be pounding on IT's door the moment enterprise search went down at your company, please set me straight, and share your experience with your peers.