Google's push to bring the Mini search appliance to small and midsize businesses is not a new strategy. First introduced in 2005, the Google Mini underwent some changes in March 2006 in an attempt to make the appliance more attractive to smaller companies. At that time, Google noted that SMBs do not need the same type of high-powered search functions used by larger enterprises.
Google has updated its Mini search appliance in a fresh bid to win new small and midsize business customers to the all-in-one corporate search product.
The Google Mini is designed to connect to an enterprise network and provide secure search capabilities for employees hunting for documents, applications, and other corporate data. The Mini also can be interfaced with a public Web site so external visitors can find information more quickly in a collection of company-owned content.
New features in the Mini include letting site administrators link search results with a Google-created analytics application, created to provide more detailed information about how people use search on a Web site.
Another improvement comes in the form of the appliance's OneBox feature, which attempts to identify the intent of searches to create a digest of related data. Security also has been upgraded for the Mini, which for the first time will recognize established access settings for users and documents.
Small Business Search
Google's push to bring the Mini to small and midsize businesses is not a new strategy. First introduced in 2005, the Mini underwent some changes in March 2006 in an attempt to make the appliance more attractive to smaller companies.
At that time, Google noted that SMBs tend to have tighter budgets and do not need the same type of high-powered search functions used by larger enterprises. These were realizations that led the firm to begin offering search appliance at lower prices and with different sets of features so users would not have to pay for features they did not want.
With the introduction of several versions of the Mini, the battle for search became a heated one indeed. The SMB market is an attracive one in particular, noted Yankee Group analyst Jennifer Simpson, where appliances are increasingly valued for their ease of use and quick installation times.
Company Minded
In December, IBM and Yahoo launched a free, entry-level search application called IBM OmniFind Yahoo Edition, which can index up to 500,000 documents. One advantage that Google might have over competing offerings such as this is that the Mini appliance has been available in several versions for over a year, and the company has continued to improve it.
Also setting Google apart might be its name recognition, Simpson noted. Although there are several contenders in the enterprise-search space, the dominance of Google in consumer-based searches could have an impact on how it is perceived as an option for corporate search.
"Google's definitely in the top spot when it comes to user searches," said Simpson. "They're pretty much the one to beat, because they're so popular across the board."
The new Google Mini appliance is available starting at $1,995, in configurations that allow users to search between 50,000 and 300,000 documents.
Google has updated its Mini search appliance in a fresh bid to win new small and midsize business customers to the all-in-one corporate search product.
The Google Mini is designed to connect to an enterprise network and provide secure search capabilities for employees hunting for documents, applications, and other corporate data. The Mini also can be interfaced with a public Web site so external visitors can find information more quickly in a collection of company-owned content.
New features in the Mini include letting site administrators link search results with a Google-created analytics application, created to provide more detailed information about how people use search on a Web site.
Another improvement comes in the form of the appliance's OneBox feature, which attempts to identify the intent of searches to create a digest of related data. Security also has been upgraded for the Mini, which for the first time will recognize established access settings for users and documents.
Small Business Search
Google's push to bring the Mini to small and midsize businesses is not a new strategy. First introduced in 2005, the Mini underwent some changes in March 2006 in an attempt to make the appliance more attractive to smaller companies.
At that time, Google noted that SMBs tend to have tighter budgets and do not need the same type of high-powered search functions used by larger enterprises. These were realizations that led the firm to begin offering search appliance at lower prices and with different sets of features so users would not have to pay for features they did not want.
With the introduction of several versions of the Mini, the battle for search became a heated one indeed. The SMB market is an attracive one in particular, noted Yankee Group analyst Jennifer Simpson, where appliances are increasingly valued for their ease of use and quick installation times.
Company Minded
In December, IBM and Yahoo launched a free, entry-level search application called IBM OmniFind Yahoo Edition, which can index up to 500,000 documents. One advantage that Google might have over competing offerings such as this is that the Mini appliance has been available in several versions for over a year, and the company has continued to improve it.
Also setting Google apart might be its name recognition, Simpson noted. Although there are several contenders in the enterprise-search space, the dominance of Google in consumer-based searches could have an impact on how it is perceived as an option for corporate search.
"Google's definitely in the top spot when it comes to user searches," said Simpson. "They're pretty much the one to beat, because they're so popular across the board."
The new Google Mini appliance is available starting at $1,995, in configurations that allow users to search between 50,000 and 300,000 documents.
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