Search the Way You Think: There are dozens of free desktop search tools and Web search engines available to businesses to utilize. But just because they are accessible, doesn’t ensure that they are appropriate for business-related searches. Thanks to popular Web search engines, consumers have realized how easy it can be to explore content on the Web. But sometimes getting a simple list of results can be too simplistic for business-related search queries in that they spit back a list of results – a list that is usually abandoned if the right result isn’t in the top three spots. Search engines should mimic the way people think. The reality is that in most cases, a thought sparks a related thought that eventually leads you to the right result or answer, all by serendipity.

Pinpoint the Right Information:
Boolean, for many of you, conjures up images of a small flavor cube. But in the information world, Boolean refers to a search method named for George Boole, a British mathematician. The idea behind Boolean search is that by adding a few simple words (AND, OR, NOT) to your query, you can generate more relevant results. These "operators" help find information based on the relationship between content (cats NOT kittens; cats AND kittens). There are many other advanced search options available today to help pinpoint the right information – and you don’t have to be a librarian to effectively use these tools.

Today’s enterprise and Web search engines offer a basic range of advanced features, while others, like Exalead, offer unique search capabilities. Imagine searching for an e-mail from a client in Tokyo without knowing how to spell his name. You can search phonetically (“sounds like”) and receive highly accurate results, or you can try a proximity search to return more relevant results. For example, you can search for a document that contains “Volvo” within five words of “safe.” You may not think you’ll ever need these features, but once you learn how to use them, you won’t look back.

There Really Can Be One Solution: There are many different products designed to different areas of search. However, I urge you to consider a solution that provides a single point of access to information, whether it resides on one’s PC, the company Intranet or a data silo on the other side of the globe. Forcing users to learn separate tools to search different data repositories will only have a negative effect on user adoption and impact your overall ROI. By selecting a unified search technology that covers desktop, enterprise and Web search, you will keep employees happy.

Think Globally: If you don’t already deal with business partners and customers from around the globe, you will. That’s why your search solution should also think globally and offer support for a variety of different languages – especially complex Asian and Middle Eastern languages as well as Dutch, an especially vexing language for search engines. This will also make the task of extending the search solution to additional subsidiaries a smooth and simple process.

As long as we continue to produce data, search will continue to play an essential role in knowledge and content management for businesses of all sizes. Search should be recognized as a critical business function, as it can improve the decision-making process, foster collaboration, empower employees to respond to market trends, and increase sales by making information accessible and easy to navigate.

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