This sounds very similar to the “I want it to be just like Google” arguments from several years ago. People grow used to a basic service and have difficulty switching to a different way of doing things. It would be nice if we could provide this to them — assuming that the advantages of the service make sense in the new situation. There's the rub.

You're right, Jack. The frequent requests for a Google-like search often
masked a desire for simplicity (and good results, of course) in the face of
embarrassingly bad search tools within the enterprise. However, the folks
asking for Google at work didn't always understand exactly what it took
Google to deliver simplicity and good results — millions of dollars spent
keeping their algorithms state of the art. That's an investment most firms
are unwilling to make. Nonetheless, the insistence on having Google at work
has led several in the law firm world to work with vendors to create search
tools that provide amazing results via a simple interface. I suspect that
the lawyers in the firms that have adopted this approach don't ask for
Google anymore.

Once services like Pulse become more common, I expect users within the
Enterprise will begin to insist that they receive work related information
in the same intuitive way. Search tool vendors will have to deliver.

- Mary

I don't recall the name of the services, but forms of this idea have been around a while. Even Microsoft's beloved Clippy was a form of this: I see you are doing X, here are some recommendations for assistance. or I see you have been doing Y, I've focused your search on that topic.

You're right, Jack. The frequent requests for a Google-like search often
masked a desire for simplicity (and good results, of course) in the face of
embarrassingly bad search tools within the enterprise. However, the folks
asking for Google at work didn't always understand exactly what it took
Google to deliver simplicity and good results — millions of dollars spent
keeping their algorithms state of the art. That's an investment most firms
are unwilling to make. Nonetheless, the insistence on having Google at work
has led several in the law firm world to work with vendors to create search
tools that provide amazing results via a simple interface. I suspect that
the lawyers in the firms that have adopted this approach don't ask for
Google anymore.

Once services like Pulse become more common, I expect users within the
Enterprise will begin to insist that they receive work related information
in the same intuitive way. Search tool vendors will have to deliver.

- Mary

I don't recall the name of the services, but forms of this idea have been around a while. Even Microsoft's beloved Clippy was a form of this: I see you are doing X, here are some recommendations for assistance. or I see you have been doing Y, I've focused your search on that topic.