SharePoint 2010 allows people to search for documents. Like any other part of SharePoint, it is driven by the business and user needs. Your site administrator will need to do understand what searches you expect to do in order to configure your site for effective searching.
In particular, it is important to set up the correct metadata columns. When setting up a document library, take time to consider which pieces of information will be most useful in retrieving the documents in the future and add the appropriate columns to each content type. Careful planning at the beginning will improve the search experience in the future.
In addition to searching document in SharePoint sites, it is possible to configure SharePoint to search for files on a file share. If your unit is interested in this capability, please contact us.
Recommended reading
The following are links to blogs and articles that can help you understand what search is doing, and how to make it work better.
Links below open in a new window or tab:
Why Your SharePoint 2010 Search Sucks - Part 1
Why Your SharePoint 2010 Search Sucks - Part 2
The Battle for Metadata in Sharepoint 2010
Search Refinement Accuracy Index In SharePoint 2010
Best Practices for Search in SharePoint Server 2010 (technical article, but see the link to "Organizing Information in SharePoint Server 2010" for a more general topic)
