AltaVista Offers New Search Software

Dwindling income from advertisers has forced many staples of the Web, including Suck.com, to recently close up shop. In an effort to avoid a similar fate, CMGI-owned AltaVista has ported its technology to provide enterprise software for intra-business searches. Employers will be able to seek out information that is scattered across networks, and as first reported by Reuters, "unstructured information" located on individual laptops or even PDAs can be included in the queries. Like the company's previous solutions, the new AltaVista software has the capacity to search in 30 different languages, and across 200 different computer formats.

Security options are included for limiting the range of files being indexed, and to permit software access to only designated employees. Interestingly, an employee's e-mail can be included in a search. The Associated Press reports that privacy advocates have sounded alarms over the potential liabilities employers may face as a result of deploying such a solution.

AltaVista bills its new software as a way for clients to increase productivity while reducing costs. For instances where it seems nearly impossible to locate data on a corporate network, the company claims its search engine comes in handy.

For more information on AltaVista search software, visit solutions.altavista.com.