Information Professionals and Enterprise Search: Getting Started

This report covers critical issues for organizations considering enterprise search and provides tips and best practices for implementing an enterprise search capability. The ability to efficiently find information residing within an organization is one of the ultimate goals of information management (IM) functions, knowledge managers, records managers, IT departments, and business units. The return on investment for successful enterprise search is obvious, given end-users’ astounding (and rising) search failure rates and time spent on information tasks. This report offers:

- Analysis of why enterprise search is important, and why it might be better called “enterprise find”;
- The latest Outsell data on search failure rates and time spent searching for information;
- A model for implementing enterprise search based on Outsell’s Information Product Development Life Cycle (SM), including detailed suggestions for applying IPDL to enterprise search and information professionals’ roles;
- A case study of implementing enterprise search at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals;
- Imperatives for information managers who want to lead or participate in enterprise search initiatives.