Frequently Asked Questions

Q

How does it work?

A

Autonomy's technology is based on a number of methods, and Autonomy is open to any technology approach that can solve fundamental problems. In this regard, Autonomy's core solution, the Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL), brings together a number of differing technologies. The core engine is based on the work of Thomas Bayes and Claude Shannon. Bayes work centered on calculating the probabilistic relationship between multiple variables and determining the extent to which one variable impacts another. Applying computational power to this concept makes it feasible to calculate the relationships between many variables, allowing software to reveal the context of a piece of unstructured information. Having understood the meaning, Autonomy's approach then relies on Shannon's theory, which states that the less frequently a unit of communication (for example a word or phrase) occurs, the more information it conveys. Thus ideas, which are more rare within the context of communication, tend to be more indicative of its meaning. This approach is independent of the language of the text and allows the main concepts to be identified and prioritized. Autonomy also uses a number of linguistic methods. Autonomy's technology is backed by one of the largest research and development departments in the industry.

Q

Who else is using it?

A

The strength of Autonomy's solution is evidenced both by our accelerating customer acquisition rates, and the high quality of customers we attract. Our customer base includes more than 20,000 companies around the world. Our growing customer base includes global companies and organizations such as BAE Systems, Boeing, Ford, Daimler Chrysler, Shell, AOL, BBC, Reuters, Hutchison 3G, Ericsson, T-Mobile, Philips, Nestle, Lloyds TSB, GlaxoSmithKline, KPMG, Citigroup, ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank, Nomura, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy. Autonomy has 300 to 350 OEM partners, with licenses to more than 500 products, and more than 350 VARs and Integrators, numbering among them leading companies such as BEA, Business Objects, Citrix, EDS, IBM Global Services, Novell, Veritas, Vignette, Tibco, Stellent and Sybase.

Q

What problem does the technology address?

A

Autonomy addresses the very simple problem of an exponential increase in the amount of unstructured information. The problem is universal to all enterprises, regardless of industry or private/government, and virtually every business unit within those organizations. The problem is driven by the exponential growth of unstructured information, which is being generated by an almost limitless number of sources, such as the Web, word processing documents, emails, pdf files and a whole new generation of digital communications.

Given the mass of information available, unstructured information can only be managed and used effectively by analyzing and understanding its content, with the absence of any form of understanding being an inhibitor to the effective and efficient use of information.

Autonomy's proprietary infrastructure technology however, enables unstructured information to be personalized, organized and delivered to individual users by automatically analyzing and understanding that information based on its content. It does so by identifying patterns of words and ideas, as well as determining their relative importance to individual users.

Q

How is it applied?

A

Autonomy's software powers the full spectrum of mission-critical enterprise applications. It delivers IDOL-based solutions across a range of areas including Enterprise Search, Business Intelligence (BI), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Knowledge Management (KM), Call Center solutions, Rich Media Management, Intelligent Document Processing, Compliance and Litigation, and Security and Surveillance.

In addition Autonomy boasts one of the industry's strongest OEM programs, supporting more than 300 third-party applications across a range of industries including, Product Lifecycle Management, Content Management, Information Security, Financial Services, Human Resources, Records Management, Compliance and eCommerce to name a few.

Q

What value does it bring?

A

Autonomy's technology and products bring a full range of functionality – from the industry's leading enterprise search to fully-automated solutions - to the problems caused by the exponential growth in unstructured information. By facilitating the automated management and dynamic personalization of information, we enable enterprises to optimize both the potential and utilization of their corporate intranets, extranets and commercial websites.

Some of the specific business benefits include:

Q

What data sources do you work with?

A

Autonomy can handle over 1,000 different data-types, including every flavour of the most common resources, such as:

In fact, almost any type of data you would find in your organization.

Q

Does it scale?

A

Autonomy has unmatched scaling capabilities that are built on a model that is virtually limitless. Autonomy is deployed in real-world, live environments with many billions of documents across multiple terabytes of data.

Q

Will I have to buy consulting to get it up and running? How long will it take?

A

It can be a good idea to have some consulting to get you up and running quickly. It is important to bear in mind that our technology is automatic and subsequently there is a lot less set-up. We can often get very large systems up and running within a couple of weeks.

Q

What is Autonomy's Employment Policy?

A

Autonomy is an equal opportunity employer. Autonomy makes employment decisions on the basis of merit and business needs. It is Autonomy's policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees to the fullest extent required by law in all employment practices, including hiring, recruitment, promotion, training and compensation. Autonomy makes reasonable accommodations where appropriate to enable otherwise qualified individuals with a disability within the meaning of applicable disability laws to become or remain employed.

Q

What is Autonomy's Share Option Policy?

A

Autonomy's Board believes that share ownership by directors and staff aligns their personal interests with those of shareholders. Options form the core element of the company's performance program, and are granted in small amounts from time-to-time based on an individual's exceptional performance and significant and continuing contribution to performance of the company. These share option awards are then subject to vesting periods, with initial vesting generally after six or 12 months with the remainder vesting quarterly over a total of 2.5 to 3.5 years.

The requirement for individuals to perform prior to granting options has been very effective in motivating performance. It enables the company to specifically tailor share option grants to an individual's role in an efficient manner. This method also keeps individuals continuously incentivized as a grantee must remain employed in good standing to achieve full vesting of the options. Finally, this method is also designed to ensure that individuals are not unjustly rewarded, which the Board believes is more likely if large option grants are made with broad performance targets. Under that method, an individual who was personally underperforming might nonetheless be enriched if the company met its own broader performance targets.

Share options are always issued at market value. The maximum number of share options the company is permitted to grant is up to 10% of the outstanding shares.

Q

What is Autonomy's Environmental Policy?

A

Autonomy recognises that all human activities interact with the environment and considers environmental management to be an integral part of good business practice. As a developer of software Autonomy has no manufacturing facilities and its premises are composed exclusively of offices. The company has offices worldwide. Autonomy's policy is to endeavour to minimise the impact of its activities on the environment and to comply with all relevant environmental laws and regulations.

Wherever we operate we seek to achieve our commitment to:

We actively encourage every employee to work together to meet the requirements of this policy.