Benchmark Study of Desktop Search Tools

April 20, 2005
Benchmark Study of
Desktop Search Tools
There’s More to Search than Google & Yahoo!
An Evaluation of 12 Leading Desktop Search Tools
Tom Noda
Shawn Helwig
www.uwebc.org/decisiontoolsDecision Tools | Desktop Search 2
Ex Ecu Tiv E Summary
A new generation of desktop search tools is emerging that allows users to quickly find relevant documents in computers
across the enterprise the same way search engines help locate information on the Internet. Companies expect that this
technology will boost employee productivity and creativity and allow them to compete successfully in today’s knowledge-
driven economy.
Desktop search technology itself is nothing new. In fact, it has been around for years. However, some well know names
(i.e. Google and Yahoo!) have recently entered the space giving this technology a well-deserved boost in visibility. In an
effort to help understand the differences between the latest desktop search tools on the market, the UW E-Business Con-
sortium recently conducted a benchmark study of 12 popular desktop search tools. The benchmark criteria that were used
for the evaluation included usability, versatility, accuracy, efficiency, security, and enterprise readiness.
When all the results were reviewed, it was determined that most of the desktop search tools were still too immature for
significant business use due primarily to a lack of mature security and overall manageability. However, considering the
evolution of Instant Messaging ...