BA Insight’s Connectivity software supports all 3 configurations possible for unified search with Hybrid SharePoint:
1
Single index in SharePoint Server
The entire search farm is based in SharePoint Server (on-premises or hosted). Content in SharePoint Online (SPO) is crawled along with many other sources to create a single search index.
- Pros: simplest approach; most control over the search experience
- Cons: largest on-premises footprint; does not feed O365 features (Delve and DLP)
- Typical Scenario: most systems and portals hosted on-premises, moderate SPO use
- BA Insight product: SharePoint Online Connector
- Value-add over OOTB: SharePoint OOB does not provide this
2
Single Index in SharePoint Online
Microsoft’s new Cloud SSA is deployed in SharePoint Server and feeds a search index in SPO. Our Connectors work with the Cloud SSA to crawl content from many sources and create a single search index.
- Pros: feeds O365 features (Delve and DLP); smaller on-premises footprint; less IT work
- Cons: limited control over the search experience; limited portal customization
- Typical Scenario: most systems and portals hosted online, cloud as strategic direction
- BA Insight product: Connector Framework for Hybrid SharePoint
- Value-add over OOTB: Adds content outside Sharepoint; adds content enrichment
3
Multiple Indexes combined via Federation
Content is indexed independently in SharePoint Server and SharePoint Online; queries are sent to both indexes simultaneously and the results are combined.
- Pros: this is the only solution for some scenarios, such as searching for export-controlled information across borders; allows for independent control of different farms
- Cons: weakest search experience
- Typical Scenario: global organizations with compliance concerns
- BA Insight product: Federator
- Value-add over OOTB: Provides single interleaved result set and refiners
BA Insight’s software portfolio goes beyond OOTB, providing missing ingredients that apply doubly in Hybrid environments.