We received a number of calls from clients over the past few days regarding the latest Worldox software update that includes Indexer as a Service (IaaS). As such, we thought it would be beneficial to clarify a few things. Last week, World Software announced that the long-awaited IaaS offering is now ready and is going to be packaged into the latest Worldox GX4 update, WDU10. While we will explain below more about the benefits of running your Indexer program as a service, we want to first caution you from updating your site without proper guidance and planning beforehand. The indexer as a service will automatically install after the update and start running in a semi complete state, while it waits for further configuration. If the Indexer is not configured properly, after the update, the text and profile databases along with any other scheduled jobs (i.e.,scheduled imports of new client matters) will cease to update or run. It is for this reason that we want to caution you from updating Worldox without first understanding how to configure the new software.
Let's look at what this new offering will mean to you. First, please note that IaaS is not a cloud service. It is still local. It just means that the Indexer now runs as a Windows Service, as opposed to running as a program on your indexing machine. In plain terms it means that it runs automatically in the background on that machine. One does not have to launch a program any longer for Worldox to index your documents. With IaaS, you can run the indexing program without your designated indexer/workstation being logged on. You still use the same workstation or virtual machine, but it starts automatically when the machine is booted or restarted. This also means enhanced security, as you will no longer require a logged in user to be running at all times.
There is now a central console that will allow for the monitoring and control of all indexer machines and indexing processes that you can run from any machine with those rights on your network. This means a centralized master schedule for all indexers can be maintained from a single location. There are also changes to how the log files are created, as there will no longer be a large single log file. Instead there are separate log files for each event. You will also be able to configure notifications based on these events with customized subject lines to help you identify the incoming status report.
As you can see, there are many advantages to this new IaaS. However, you will want to exercise caution before attempting to update to the latest release on your own.
