Google is firing back at enterprise search vendor Autonomy, saying the company recently distributed a white paper that contains “significant inaccuracies” about Google’s Search Appliance.
The white paper, according to Google, states that Search Appliance “does not index all your critical content.”
“On the contrary, the Google Search Appliance was designed to search all critical content in the enterprise, including file shares, intranets, databases, and real-time business data – all from one simple search box,” wrote Nitin Mangtani, lead product manager, enterprise search, on an official blog. Mangtani added that Google has also supplied connectors to products like SharePoint and Documentum, and an open-source content connector framework.
The white paper does not appear to be available on Autonomy’s Web site, nor is it provided through Google’s blog post.
Autonomy’s document also claimed Search Appliance lacks enterprise-level security, according to Mangtani. It in fact supports a number of security access control systems and also allows security settings at the document level, he said. The latter “ensures that end-users see only those documents in the results list to which they have access,” according to Mangtani.
In addition, the white paper noted that the search appliance’s “capabilities are still being honed,” Mangtani wrote.
“This is certainly true: We are constantly working to improve the appliance, to make sure it offers ever increasing relevancy out of the box,” he acknowledged.
However, he added, “The fact is that we employ thousands of engineers focused on search relevancy and quality. In the last three months alone, seven new Google Enterprise Labs experiments have been launched (by Google, not third parties as Autonomy claimed) to enhance the enterprise search experience.”
Autonomy responded to a request for comment Thursday in a prepared statement that did not directly address the white paper. The company did not provide a copy of the document.
The statement, attributed to CEO Michael Lynch, said Google’s appliance lacks the level of security and connectivity that high-end customers need.
“Autonomy has producticized connectors to over 400 repositories, has mapped security and does not rely on one box or federation methods to make this work,” the statement reads in part. “Google should appreciate why these differences are crucial for large enterprise search systems.”
