This white paper focuses on the issues related to the management, organization, contribution, searching and indexing of unstructured content through the use of a content directory and an organizational taxonomy as part of an enterprise information portal (EIP) solution.

The Unstructured Problem

The reason that it is hard to peg exactly how much unstructured information a corporation may have is that the information is spread out across hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of individual content stores. First we offer a broad definition of what we mean by unstructured information:

Unstructured information is information that contains a significant amount of free-form text and does not reside in a structured database.

If this definition seems a bit vague, it's meant to be. Unstructured information has traditionally been stored as individual documents on local hard drives or on file servers, or as e-mail systems. It consists of memos, reports, letters, white papers, marketing material, research, presentations, etc. Examples of unstructured information within a company are:

• Intranet sites. In the past several years, intranet sites have cropped up at an alarming rate in most corporations. While these sites provide significant value to the group that published them, their proliferation has resulted in an inconsistent look and feel, outdated sites, duplication of effort and, most importantly, an inability to navigate the sites efficiently.

• e-Mail messages. e-Mail has become a normal channel of communication. The knowledge built up in e-mail threads usually contains important background information on almost every conceivable issue that is being worked on in the company--from sales to back office. More importantly, e-mail from customers and partners is considered valid corporate communications and usually contains key pieces of information about the customer's or partner's relationship with the company.

• Groupware applications, such as Lotus Notes or Microsoft Exchange Public Folders. Many companies have used groupware to centralize information relevant to a particular group or department. While this approach solved one problem, the proliferation of these applications has created another problem--too much information.

• Public Web sites. Companies usually put on their public Web sites information that is important for both internal and external constituents to be kept abreast of--such as press releases, news and product information.