Enterprise search and eDiscovery vendor Recommind has released a new version of its flagship MindServer platform, offering new features designed to improve the relevancy of searches.
MindServer 6.0, built on Recommind’s CORE (Context Optimised Relevancy Engine) platform, offers enhanced relevancy tuning, which enables users to sort results by criteria such as length, the age of the article, author or the division within a company, so results from one department can be displayed higher in the search return than another. Keywords within results can also now be highlighted.
The updated platform now features “Best Bet” results, which are preselected files linked to particular queries. If a user searches for ‘email policy’, for example, the company’s email policy will automatically appear at the top of the result listings.
Simon Price, UK director at Recommind told CBR that MindServer 6.0 brings enterprise search to the 2.0 era.
“Enterprise search 1.0 has failed,” he said. “It was basic keyword search with basic features for an intranet. It’s just not cutting the mustard anymore; users are not getting the results they need.”
Price went on the say that enterprise search 2.0 is similar to Web 2.0 in that it focuses on user interaction. The features added in MindServer 6.0 should produce results more tailored to a user’s requirements.
Price also spoke to CBR about rival Autonomy’s recent acquisition of content management vendor Interwoven for $775m. The deal should improve Autonomy’s offering in the legal sector, Recommind’s traditional stronghold. Price said that the move could be beneficial to his firm, at least in the short term.
“It’s interesting – with any acquisition it takes three to six months for the integration to have an impact. They will have to put things on hold for a while during the integration period. Clients can either wait for Autonomy’s integrated products, or they can come to us.”
Price did not seem too concerned about the potential challenge from Autonomy in the long-term: “There is a lot of integrating to do and it’s possible that people, including the best people, may leave. Whenever we’ve gone head-to-head with Autonomy in the legal sector we’ve won, and we’ve also now expanded our product line in other areas.”
