FOR RELEASE: 25 October, 2004

 

CONTACT:

Karen Castle, Associate Editor, CMS Watch

Tel: +1 301 570 6788; E-Mail: kcastle@cmswatch.com

 

UPSTART SEARCH VENDORS GAINING GROUND OVER MAJOR PLAYERS

  New Research Report Details Rise of Lower-Cost and

       Specialized Enterprise Search Vendors


(Read table of contents)

 

Silver Spring, MD, USA -- A nine-month research effort into the Enterprise Search marketplace has found that lower-cost vendors and those suppliers who can embed search capabilities into other enterprise applications are gaining ascendancy over traditional search vendors.  The report was released today by CMS Watch, an analyst firm that evaluates Enterprise Content Management strategies and technologies for prospective solutions buyers.

 

Key findings of the report include:

 

 

 

 

Based on product tests and interviews with more than 50 professionals engaged in enterprise search, the report features analysis and surveys of 28 search vendors.  It is designed to help enterprise buyers make informed search technology strategies and purchasing decisions.  The report is available for purchase online from CMS Watch <http://www.cmswatch.com>.

 

Stephen Arnold -- founder of Arnold IT <http://www.arnoldit.com> and a three-decade search and retrieval veteran -- served as the principal author.  "Despite the advent of various new techniques and buzz phrases in the search industry, success still revolves around basic execution. The difference between success and failure in enterprise search pivots on pre-selection testing, adequate infrastructure, strong usability, and realistic budgets," reported Arnold.

 

In addition to product evaluations, the 450 page report also address several other essential issues for an enterprise investigating search solutions, including:

 

 * Practical product selection roadmaps for large and small enterprises;

 

 * Sample ROI analyses including a detailed examination of total costs of ownership and sample search project budgets;

 

* Answers to the 50 most commonly-asked enterprise search questions;

 

* Comprehensive review of major players' approaches, including Microsoft, Oracle, Google, Verity, Autonomy, Convera, FAST, and 21 others.

 

Like other CMS Watch offerings, the Enterprise Search Report does not rank "best" vendors, but instead details the strengths and weaknesses of the various players, identifies their suitability for different use cases, and isolates vendor tendencies that may influence longterm product roadmaps.

 

"For more than three years, CMS Watch has provided trusted counsel on Web content management strategies and technologies," said CMS Watch founder and report publisher, Tony Byrne. "Now we're providing the same independent advice for Enterprise Search technologies," Byrne added.

 

About CMS Watch

CMS Watch <http://www.cmswatch.com> publishes reports that provide independent analysis and practical advice regarding Web and Enterprise Content Management solutions.  To retain our independence as a "buy-side" analyst firm, CMS Watch receives no income from the vendors we cover.  We work solely with solutions buyers, publishing vendor-neutral reports that help sort out the complex landscape of potential solutions so that content management project teams can minimize the time and effort to identify and evaluate technologies suited to their particular requirements.  Today, enterprises are making substantial and sometimes high-risk investments in major content management solutions.  CMS Watch evaluations help mitigate this risk by providing effective guidance for a small fraction of the overall project investment.

 

                    - 30 -