This IDC Flash discusses how USi, a software integrator, used a "search" platform, Endeca's Information Access Platform, to integrate 6 applications in two months. After eight months, the company had integrated 12 applications, and it expects to add more. Through use of this platform, USi was able to pull together information from across the organization while avoiding the messy politics of uniting separate applications.

What is unified access? For the past four years, IDC's surveys have told us that providing a single point of access to multiple sources of information is one of our respondents' top 3 priorities. Software integration and reduction of IT complexity is another. The urge to converge information and applications has only gained momentum from recent compliance regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley. IDC's series on unified access to information explores the techniques and approaches for solving this problem. This document showcases the unified index approach taken by Endeca's Information Access Platform.