Search is at an interesting crossroads. As the keystone of the information age, this truly transformative technology now blends into almost every digital nook and cranny without fanfare. It goes without saying that smartphone apps, web pages, social networking tools, productivity software and operating systems have started off with simply having a search box embedded somewhere.

Today, search technology is able to pinpoint valuable information inside every document, file and email buried within every content repository, email system, network and social media platform, across an organisation. As a result, search is now a business critical function for compliance audits, freedom of information enquiries, legal discovery mandates, better decision-making, improving customer service and reducing complaints from knowledge workers. With enterprise search products now taking on all shapes and sizes, how can organisations best help their employees seek the information they need from anywhere, in any format and from any data source?

Never having been more essential than it is now, enterprise search presents a clear path for vendors that face the daunting challenge of finding, analysing and using precise content, anywhere and anytime. In order to enable the end customer to unlock valuable content regardless of where it exists, organisations are now required to have technology that can provide unified data access across various content repositories – that is, the ability to search across the various information management and existing legacy systems within the enterprise. 

Drowning in Data

It is undeniable that the influx of data is slowing organisational processes down instead of speeding them up. Information is everywhere, but it is now harder than ever to actually find reliable answers. This is a result of the gaps present between the software used to drive business routines and the volumes of unstructured pieces of information that surround them. A typical organisation has a few core business systems, maybe a content management repository or two, and a growing number of disconnected SharePoint sites, email servers, local and network drives, databases, mobile devices and other places where unorganised information is tucked away. Beyond SharePoint, intranet and ECM systems, most content is beyond the scope of the search tools. 

With new content being produced at an expected annual growth rate of “40-fold over the next decade” and Australia’s big data market forecast to be worth more than $538m by 2017, according to IDC, the gaps are quickly widening into gorges. Interestingly, in a recent AIIM study, it was revealed that 1 in 4 responding organisations have no advanced or dedicated search tools. As manual methods prevail across the enterprise, more than half of organisations surveyed, agreed that their discovery procedures are “ad hoc, manual, disruptive and expensive”. In addition, 47 per cent feel that their policies and mechanisms were putting their organisations at risk.

Searching for Answers

Although the importance for having a search capability is widely acknowledged (71 per cent of organisations cite ready access to documents to be vital staff productivity and effectiveness), majority of enterprises are failing their knowledge workers, with only 11 per cent having an enterprise search capability.

While this is where the opportunity for search presents itself, a number of vendors still lack the technology and the knowledge to back the best approach to take advantage of the solution. 

At a foundational level, a search technology must provide a single access point to information that is plain and simple. The process of retrieving data should be straightforward and quick, and without the prerequisite of having to type in a perfect search query or know exactly where to look to find the right content. User acceptance is often the biggest hurdle for any technology, so intuitive, fast functionality is crucial. It is important to note however, that this kind of simplicity does not equal a lack of technical sophistication. In fact, it is quite the opposite.

Search must also be able to bring information to the surface despite its location, as it is safe to assume that important content is slipping through enterprise cracks by being inappropriately stored. Though technology is replacing storage rooms packed with filing cabinets, the concept of stuffing files in folders and stashing them in drawers is very much alive and well in the digital world. As a result, today’s search technology must be able to reach into every possible repository for answers, regardless of whether they are structured or unstructured, or if they are inside or outside an organisation’s firewall.

Currently, unified data access across content repositories is a struggle for most organisations. AIIM reports that 61 per cent “would find it ‘very useful’ to link structured and unstructured datasets.” In addition, 70 per cent claim that it is ‘harder’ or ‘much harder’ to research information held on their internal systems compared to the Web.

The Bigger Picture

There are much more significant business implications of unified data access that go beyond improving employee productivity and the decision-making process. The task of locating information easily across disparate sources from a single application, can dramatically add value to any industry or business process, by shaving time and eliminating unnecessary associated costs. There is no longer a need to migrate every piece of enterprise content into a single repository, which poses a major drain on budgets and resources. If there are multiple information management and legacy systems in place, organisations are likely paying maintenance and support fees that could be reduced or eliminated. Time and money spent on training employees to use these different systems can be reallocated.

A final requirement for organisations to help people find the information they need is the ability to power a larger vision ie. business and industry process improvement.  Specifically, search must be able to be packaged with other functionality, like workflow or intelligent capture, into a cohesive solution that addresses the unique needs of a particular process. Needless to say, that solution must work seamlessly with all of the business systems and content sources the organisation has in place.

Despite not having a single killer application at hand that solves every information and big data-related problem, progressive organisations can bet that those few search vendors that have the right technology and the right approach have zeroed in on the right target.

Rob Barrow is Regional Director, Perceptive Software