Some time ago, people looking for answers to solve business problems realized that the information they sought resided in different places. It could have been in a file system, on an intranet, on the web, or in a proprietary database associated with a specific line-of-business application. What could be done to make sure employees and customers had a way to search once and get answers back from any source? The initial answer was federated search, which, on behalf of the user, submits the query to multiple repositories, and returns results back in a list, sometimes consolidated, often not. 

By 2020 Millennials are projected to comprise more than half of the modern workforce. And with a greater presence will come greater influence, including pushing for greater diversity and inclusion, choosing work with a purpose, and demanding more flexibility in where and when they work.