The expanding world of knowledge management

Intelligent search

As one of the most mature of the technologies that supports knowledge management, search solutions have changed so much from the days of keyword searching that they are now often referred to as “insight engines.” This is a reflection of the fact that today they do much more than just search content. Intelligent search uses many of the techniques that are used in text analytics, including clustering, entity extraction, and other AI techniques, to locate information that is relevant to the searcher, and deliver it either responsively or proactively. Advanced search solutions also provide role-based security features to ensure that only those with permission to access the information can do so. Knowledge of roles also helps the search engine return information relevant to the user’s context.

As is the case for information governance, the quality of the information is a determinant of success. Gartner has noted that organizations that provide users with a curated catalog of internal and external data get twice the value from analytics investments as those that do not. Information that is consistently tagged allows for better determination of user intent and therefore will produce more relevant results and recommendations for other related content.

Banking and financial services are the biggest consumers of intelligent search, with government and healthcare also significant markets. Leading insight engines can search large, cloud-based data stores; span multiple data stores; and search essentially every file format. In addition, search software continues to be used to enrich other applications that lack their own search capability.

Natural language searching is the norm in intelligent search. Among use cases for enterprise search cited by Accenture are AI-enabled search applications that allow prospective employers to use natural language inquires to determine qualifications of applicants. In this scenario, resumes may not have the exact words the searcher uses in the query, but rather, equivalent meanings. Conversational search is a growing area that already accounts for a significant portion of web browsing. Market Watch assessed the global enterprise search market at $3.7 billion in 2019 and predicted it would grow to $9.0 billion by the end of 2026. This represents an annual growth rate of 13% per year between 2021 and 2026.

Addressing diverse business needs

The diversity and flexibility of KM technologies reflect the ability of this discipline to help organizations manage the ever-increasing volume and variety of information that sustains business today. The technologies are increasingly intertwined, with many points of convergence, which ultimately will provide the comprehensive view of customers and processes needed to enable them to function most efficiently.