Running multiple searches across different data sources "wastes time and money, and Microsoft has definitely gotten that message," Kruger said. "There's a reason why Google has been successful: People just find what they're looking for [with its tools]. Now Micro-soft is making great strides to meet those high standards."

Beyond keywords

Bill Simser, a technology consultant in Calgary, Alberta, who focuses on SharePoint implementations, said he likes the way that SharePoint Server 2007 will use document metadata to create indexes for organizing information based on its relevance to other data.

With that capability, Windows Live Search users should get results that are aligned with specific concepts, not just documents that contain certain keywords, Simser said. "Google is search from an IT perspective," he said. "Microsoft is trying to do search from a business perspective."

But Bill English, co-owner of Mindsharp Inc., a SharePoint consulting firm in Maple Grove, Minn., said that even with the upcoming improvements, Microsoft will face a challenge in convincing users that its search technology is better than Google's.