Users can now better customize search results according to specific needs using a new Results Hit Clustering tool. The clusters are dynamically created sub-categories of search results and help users to refine their queries. Administrators have full control over where and how Results Hit Clustering is implemented in search results.
Another new feature for administrators is menu-driven Source Biasing tool that weights search results based on source and/or type of content. For example, importance can be granted to specific content management servers or information formats like PDFs as part of returned search results.
Google has also improved integration between its Search Appliance and the Google Sitemaps export tool, allowing for easier exports of information about web pages available for crawling.
It has also added new open source connectors for indexing content in SharePoint 2003 and SharePoint 2007.
Google’s Search Appliance, which was first launched in 2002, is an integrated hardware and software search system used to find share information on corporate networks or websites. The appliance crawls across corporate content and creates a master index for rapid retrieval and access using Google’s search engine.
Google Search Appliance is aimed at enterprise-class searches (up to 500,000 documents) with pricing starting at $30,000. A scaled down Google Mini version for small businesses that searches across 50,000 documents is available for $1,995.
Both products can be supplemented by Google’s new OneBox for Enterprise tool that federates searches across multiple business applications and databases connected to the network. OneBox was released in April last year.
