Microsoft Tempts Enterprises With Free Search Tool

Microsoft on Tuesday launched free search software that includes enterprise grade functionality from its Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Search Server 2008 offerings. At the Enterprise Search Summit West in San Jose, Calif., Microsoft took the wraps off a release candidate for Search Server 2008 Express, a simple to use enterprise search product that offers sophisticated security and places no limit on the number of documents that can be indexed.
"We believe there is a core set of enterprise search features that every business should have, and we're delivering them for free in Search Server 2008 Express," Kirk Koenigsbauer, general manager of the SharePoint Business Group at Microsoft, said in a statement. The software, which Microsoft says takes about 30 minutes to set up, is now available as a free download.