Products Overview

WebFeat Services

We have a novel idea about doing business. We think that when you purchase a federated search engine, the vendor should do the hard work, not the customer.

That's why we offer an unsurpassed array of features, intended to provide your users with a state-of-the-art information system while making your life easier.

WebFeat partners with each to deliver customized search systems to meet the library's needs. Then WebFeat handles all of the work to maintain the translators necessary to perform federated searches. Sound too good to be true?

Here's our menu of WebFeat services:

Custom user interface design and development - You've no doubt seen the amazing custom WebFeat user interfaces at the country's top libraries. Designed by librarians, each interface is different, reflecting the particular needs of the library's audience. What's remarkable is the fact that these interfaces are all seamlessly embedded within each library's own website, using its existing look and feel. Using simple html and javascript, WebFeat "quicksearch" boxes may be embedded within any library web page. WebFeat's latest WebFeat Administrative Console (WAC) enables libraries to easily customize and brand WebFeat Express interfaces.

24x7 Monitoring and Upgrades - Many people think that a federated search engine is a product. It's not - it's really a service. Why?

Because what drives a federated search engine are "translators" that connect the dots between a single user interface and dozens of databases searched by the federated engine. Each time one of the target databases changes its search engine or changes features, the corresponding translator must be upgraded rapidly. With WebFeat, our translators are automatically monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Upgrades are made transparently to your staff and users.

Hosting - WebFeat, translated, means "no hassle". We can host your library's WebFeat system at no additional charge, handling all the installation, configuration, and maintenance so you don't have to. WebFeat is hosted on our state-of-the-art, redundant, load-balanced server cluster network, offering superior performance and reliability without the effort of locally-hosted systems.

WAC WebFeat Administrative Console - Many libraries build their own in-house administrative utilities to manage their web page database menus. With WAC, you can not only manage all aspects of your WebFeat system, you can also use it to manage your database menu pages! Add or delete database titles, create and populate subject categories, enter help and database description text. WAC enables you to merge your federated search and database menu pages, enabling users to perform federated searches and native interface queries from the same page. And with WAC, your remote users no longer need to authenticate each time they want to access a licensed database. Your users need only authenticate once into WebFeat, and we take care of the rest! Best of all, WAC comes free with WebFeat!

WUG WebFeat User Group - In addition to being the first federated search engine, yet another first for WebFeat was the WebFeat User Group. First started in January 2003 at ALA's Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia. Since then, the WebFeat User Group has driven the evolution of WebFeat, most notably the breakthrough features found in our latest WebFeat Custom and WebFeat Express product releases!

Listserv/WebFeat Users Forum - One of the many results of our WebFeat User Group meetings is our WebFeat Users Forum! This is a great source of information and a way for WebFeat libraries to exchange news and views.

Publicity - Our award-winning federated search engine is just the beginning! WebFeat is just getting started when your system launches. We'll work with you to promote your library's gleaming, new, state-of-the-art information system, both within the library community, as well as your neighborhood. Get the attention your library deserves with professional press release development and distribution by WebFeat!

At many companies these days, "service" is little more than a marketing throwaway. Here at WebFeat, we take it seriously. How can you be sure? Don't take our word for it, listen to our clients. They'll tell you why WebFeat is the real thing.