AltaVista Search Gets Down to Business

Perhaps what you were looking for was right under your nose. Or in your co-worker's computer. In that case, you may want to check out AltaVista's new Enterprise Search Edition 2.0, which offers to help corporate users find the information they are looking for in often labyrinthine corporate systems.

Like the previous version, the software introduced Wednesday allows users to search and access all data stored in a corporate system regardless of location and file format.

The product searches corporate networks, intranets, extranets, various business applications, and the Web. It also boasts a "universal view" of information stored in the corporate systems, allowing users to access the data without launching multiple applications.

The new version also has the added features of document-level security and open architecture. Because AltaVista Enterprise Search 2.0 is based on open architecture, it can be customized as well as integrated with legacy systems, the company says. The new product also features a document-level security framework that leverages a company's existing security infrastructure, so that users can only access indexes and documents that they have permission to view.

Users of Enterprise Search 2.0 can choose to have pricing based on the number of documents indexed or the number of users. Implementation of the software starts at $30,000 and can cost more than $500,000, the company says. The product is now available worldwide.

AltaVista, based in Palo Alto, California, is also offering an add-on AutoCategorizor module with the latest version of the search tool, which organizes information into directories. Pricing on the module ranges from $30,000 to $140,000, based either on the number of documents or the number of users.