Announcing: Microsoft Search Server 2008

Hi All,

We’re excited to announce that we’re publicly unveiling Microsoft Search Server 2008 this morning at the Enterprise Search Summit in San Jose, CA. We’re also announcing a FREE version of this product – Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express – which customers can download immediately as a release candidate . Search is quickly becoming the preferred way for people to find and act on information in their business. These products will allow us to fill out Microsoft’s enterprise search product lineup, which also includes Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

Both Search Server 2008 and Search Server 2008 Express offer an enterprise-ready search solution that empowers people to find the information they need to get work done quickly and easily. Key investments across both products include:

· Streamlined installation and administration

· Federation with any business system or online service using the OpenSearch standard

· No pre-set document limits

· Numerous performance and indexing enhancements

Search Server Express provides all the functionality of Search Server, but is limited to a single-server installation. Search Server’s multi-server capabilities offer the high availability, load balancing, and failover larger corporate IT policies typically require. Both products will be released in the first half of 2008, and this functionality will also be made available in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

The team blog has been updated announcing this news. The new Enterprise Search website on Microsoft.com is the best place for customers to go to find out about these products.  

We’d also like you to encourage customers to download the release candidate of Search Server Express today.