UIT marks the end of Google Search Appliance

UIT staff members closely involved with a project to replace Google Search Appliance (GSA) took a well-deserved breather on July 26 at a pizza party marking the end of GSA at the university.

Departments represented were University Support Services (USS), Teaching & Learning Technologies (TLT), Software Platform Services, Hardware Platform Services, and Strategic Communication.

Switching to Google Custom Search Engine (GCSE) was necessitated by the company's announcement in February 2016 that it would discontinue GSA, the U's institutional website search product. GCSE, Google's no-cost service, is ad-free for non-profit institutions.

Barb Iannucci, associate director of Content Management & Usability in UIT's University Support Services, organized the party as a thank you to everyone involved in the project. Iannucci expressed gratitude to her team, which configured 130+ Google Custom Search Engines, migrated 190+ search boxes using the GSA, and performed exhaustive work behind the scenes to ensure that no campus website lost functionality or service. Iannucci noted that since the transition, her team has received numerous reports that website search results have significantly improved.

"I just want to thank everyone for their time, work, input, and feedback on this project," Iannucci said. "It was greatly appreciated!"

 

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