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Users would like to able to quickly search shared folders etc. on the server.

What are the PRO's and CON's of these two technologies?

Christopher Edwards
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  • I'd like to add for anyone considering this product on SBS 2008 don't do it (or at least not without much testing). It doesn't play well the config of IIS/Sharepoint/WSUS and can quite easily destroy your config/install. Beware! Hopefully Search Server Express 2010 will be kinder. – Christopher Edwards Mar 22 '10 at 16:40

2 Answers2

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We have looked at Search Server Express in our org, and have found that it works well for a free product, but it has pros and cons.

Pros

  • It's free, can't beat the price
  • It does what it says it will do, indexes storage and enables people to search

Cons

  • It is IE bound... you have to use Internet Explorer to get search results
  • It is kind of hardware intensive... you can't run it on just any box lying around

Thats pretty much where we left it, e are continuing to look at express as an option for the future. There are some other options, but they cost. The Google Appliance is kind of spendy, but a good option. There is also an option from Copernic that seems good also, but it costs.

RascalKing
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Your likely to add WSS or sharepoint (if it's not already in the works) the big plus for Search server is that it supports sharepoint. Windows search would also require you to add any 3rd aprty filters (pdf etc) to each desktop but search server allows you to have a central filter repository.

Jim B
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  • Please don't assume that everyone wants to use Sharepoint! There are a world of alternatives. – crb Jul 14 '09 at 21:10
  • Agreed... I rather like alfresco – RascalKing Jul 14 '09 at 21:26
  • @crb I'd reccomend that anyone implement something that comes in the box before installing any 3rd party stuff on what's usually the only production box in the company. I'll take the free working software over the hopefully works every day of the week. And when talking about search you need to have software that (oddly enough) knows how to crawl the repositories metadata. – Jim B Jul 15 '09 at 01:57