Microsoft Plans European Search Center
June 17, 2008
A news release popped into my mailbox this morning (June 17, 2008). The surprising announcement was that Microsoft will set up a search technology center in Europe. You can read the full announcement here.
(Access this story quickly, PR Newswire is one of the organizations whose content can be difficult to track down. Access to some content may require you to pay a fee. This link worked at 6 46 am on June 17, 2008.)
According to the announcement:
“The new center will be designed to help accelerate Microsoft’s investments in Live Search and disrupt the search and advertising marketplace to the benefit of both the consumer and the advertiser, in line with Microsoft’s recent announcement in the U.S. of Live Search cashback.”
What is startling to me is that Microsoft has not set a location for the search center. With the acquisition of Fast Search & Technology, I thought that Trondheim, Norway, would have been the default choice. Microsoft has a big operation in Cambridge, England, as well. The news release does say, “We’re already doing some great work in Europe in the enterprise search space through our January 2008 acquisition of Fast Search & Transfer SA…”
Fast Search’s AllTheWEb.com Web site was arguably the only challenger to Google’s Web index prior to Fast Search’s selling the AllTheWeb.com site to Overture. My experience with Fast Search is that its core Web crawling and indexing system is one of the firm’s core strengths. Furthermore, Fast Search had developed its own advertising technology, also sold to Overture. But the company reentered online advertising with internal work and the acquisition of Platfood.com.
One big question remains unanswered: Why not turn to Fast Search, a company that successfully challenged Google for Web search?
One thing is clear. Microsoft is making an effort to close the gap with Google. Perhaps the 2009 research center will do the trick. But the center will open in 2009. In the fast-moving Web world, the timing to me seems leisurely.
Stephen Arnold, June 17, 2008
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HI, Wiadomo,
I am going to delete these posts unless you explain what’s what.
Stephen Arnold, July 11, 2008