IFS embeds enterprise application search

IFS announced Monday the delivery of an integrated enterprise application search (EAS) embedded within an ERP system.
EAS gives information workers access to business information through a Google -style, search-based interface that is embedded within the enterprise application. According to Dan Matthews, chief technology officer for IFS , this approach presents a number of benefits in the areas of security, usability and cost.
“Since the enterprise application search functionality is embedded within IFS applications, there is nothing else to buy and no additional licensing fees,” Matthews said. “Furthermore, there is no costly, months-long implementation project to configure the search tool to your systems. The search functionality is already fully integrated. By integrating search functionality within IFS applications, we avoid the main problems that plague bolt-on search appliances, allowing organizations to get the benefits much sooner.”
According to Matthews, it is hard for an external system to perform effectively as a search tool as it does not fully understand the application and underlying metadata it is running within. Because the EAS is an integrated part of the application, the search engine produces more targeted results than a generic enterprise search.
“Security is another advantage,” Matthews said. “There are horror stories about enterprise searches that make files and data available to people within an organization who are just not authorized to see that data. Hypothetically, you should be able to program a bolt-on enterprise search appliance to prevent that, but it will not be as secure as an integrated search tool like IFS enterprise application search, which automatically respects existing security rules.”

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