The software is based on the same technology as AltaVista’s internet search engine. Security features in the software enable customers to determine what material they would like to be covered by the search, leaving certain areas of an offices computer system to remain off-limits, if desired. Another feature will be a restriction on the number of employees able to access and search the master index.
The company has said that the software has been well received during test runs by companies including Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Putnam Investments, and will save businesses time and money. This is based on the premise that a company will be better off if it is easier for more employees to search company intranets, workers’ e-mail boxes, and hard drives. Alta Vista estimates that this will be the case as up to 75% of information on corporate networks and PC’s is often stored in formats that cannot be easily searched.