Social Glass

In a previous post I discussed the process for rolling out SLATES, and that Search should be the first item implemented in a staggered deployment scenario. Search makes content (and people) discoverable and it allows enterprises to maximise the benefit they’ve made in their existing OSS/BSS applications (by making them searchable too).

In a recent post over at the FASTForward Blog,  David Weinberger interviewed John Battelle about the future of Search.  In another post on the same blog, James Robertson discusses two types of search and the various value propositions Search brings to the table.  Both of these guys are currently at the FASTForward conference in San Diego.

The point is Search is definitely a hot topic, and a lot of guest speakers at the conference seem to be discussing it.  While a SLATES (plus social networking solution) might be the utopia, Enterprise Search is here now and is adding value for companies quickly.  I’ve personally worked on a few Google Enterprise Search implementations and have seen clients be amazed at how simple and effective it is to use.  It’s also a good way to get in the door and start pitching the remaining “LATES”.