Frequently Asked Questions
Summarize Search Technologies in one sentence:
We are an IT services company focused on search engine deployment, support and management, both behind the firewall and with web facing applications such as e-commerce, online directories and corporate websites.
Where did Search Technologies come from?
The company was founded in 2005 by three enterprise search industry veterans who, after years working with software vendors in the space, were frustrated that the majority of companies that bought enterprise search software - whether from them or from their competitors - never realized the benefits they'd hoped for. Two core challenges would typically get in the way. First, the software license fee typically soaked up too much of the available budget, leaving the implementation plan underfunded and ill-thought through. Second, product choice and deployment strategy was technology-led and all too often the business goals of the project would be neglected.
The founders of Search Technologies believed that things could be done better.
What are your key differentiators?
Our difference is our focus. From a technical perspective, we have a unique depth and breadth of search engine implementation and support experience. We have more than 80 technical specialists on our payroll, many of whom have a decade or more of implementation experience under their belts. We're also different because despite being a technical company, we have an ethos and well established best practices that ensure we remain focused on the customer’s business goals.
How many customers do you have?
We have more than 200 corporate and government customers ranging from relatively small, fast moving IT firms and business publishers, through to Fortune 500 companies and Federal Government agencies.
How do your customers typically view you?
We get things done. Our focus is an important part of that, but our customers also value our pragmatism and independence. Our rates are competitive and our customers appreciate value-for-money.
Tell me about your Search Application Assessment Process
This is a methodology that we’ve been using and fine honing for a number of years. It is a structured process within which we take the time to fully understand and document the customer's requirements – both at a technical level and crucially at the business level too. Having a clear understanding of the business objectives from the beginning, and maintaining a focus throughout the project, helps us deliver real business value.
What’s the largest search infrastructure you’ve implemented?
We love scaling systems, and as the world continues to produce ever more information, the need to take scale seriously won’t be going away anytime soon. We’ve configured systems that sustain peak loads of 2,500 queries per second. We’ve also implemented systems enabling many TeraBytes of data to be searched with a single query.
It is particularly important to focus on search relevancy with very large systems. Getting the infrastructure simply to work – to give back results in response to a query – does not in itself move a business forward. Findability - getting precise information to the people who need it, when they need it - is key, and that is where our experience and expertise really make a difference.