Gartner: Don't Use Google Desktop In Enterprise

The recently-disclosed -- and patched -- flaw in Google Desktop Search drew a repeated warning Monday from research analysts about the danger of using first-generation local search tools from the likes of Google, Microsoft, and others.

In an alert posted on the Gartner Web site, analysts Whit Andrews and Ray Wagner said that even though Google quickly fixed the bug by rolling out an auto update, "Gartner still advises caution in enterprise deployment of this tool."

New software, said Andrews and Wagner, typically come with more risk than benefit to enterprise IT, and the still-in-beta offerings from Google fit the bill. "Google's search tool, and its soon-to-be-introduced competitors, may be suitable for enterprise use in the long term, but [they've] not yet been adequately vetted for security," the pair wrote.

Enterprise security managers should discourage the use of Google Desktop Search, they advised.