Both FAST and Microsoft have announced that they are "working together" on integrating FAST ESP with MOSS 2007. This has had analysts in a flurry, with Forbes even blaming a 3% drop in Fast Search & Transfer's stock price on the "agreement." In reality, it's just a fancy way to introduce ESP's SharePoint 2007 content collection along with a Web Part presentation template (with document-level security through ESP's Security Access Module).

MOSS 2007's success has forced search vendors outside of the Microsoft oriented (Coveo, Mondosoft and dtSearch) to have a "SharePoint strategy," with Autonomy somewhat more quietly announcing its own Web Parts over a month ago. FAST's marketing may have confused investors, but it's always interesting to see one part of Microsoft embrace what another part might see as competition, particularly with Redmond now touting MOSS Search as an "enterprise search" platform.