Verity Joins Desktop Search Race Buys 80-20
From Ovum:
Verity joins the desktop search foray
On Monday, enterprise search vendor Verity announced its acquisition of desktop search software from Australian vendor 80-20 Software. The solution, previously known as 80-20 Retriever, provides enterprise-focused desktop search facilities with centralised deployment, administration and management. The terms of the acquisition were undisclosed. Comment: While it would seem to be a bit of a case of ‘me too’, this is actually a sensible move by Verity. While many other search players, both from the web search and the enterprise search arena, have released desktop search tools already, its existing strength in the enterprise market means Verity is in a strong position to nip the growing opportunity for new players in the bud. The company has already ensured it has both ends of the search market covered through its acquisition of Inktomi’s enterprise search business in November 2002, which provided a low-end alternative to its high-end K2 Enterprise offering. With the 80-20 Retriever software, it has a ready-made answer to all those customers who say ‘but what about Google?’. This is increasingly important now that Google has released a version of its desktop search tool specifically for the enterprise market. The 80-20 Retriever solution was designed from the start as an enterprise solution, with all the necessary security considerations, and the integration with Outlook is an added enterprise touch.Although the rebranded product is not expected to be available until the second half of this year, the new acquisition fills a hole in Verity’s expanding portfolio. It is likely to be popular with the company’s existing customer base, due to its promised integration with the K2 Enterprise and Ultraseek products.