For
millions of internet surfers across the globe, Google needs no introduction. As
a brand, Google now ranks well above some of the big brands like Coke or
Colgate. Google in a way has revolutionized the search engine business. So far,
the giant of the search space was enjoying perhaps an unchallenged regime. But
no longer. Of late, the hitherto slow web-based search business is suddenly
seeing intense competition, even as the dust over the dot com demise is yet to
settle. The renewed activity in the business is posing a big challenge for
Google to protect its territory. The response from the company has been quick
and unprecedented – it is laced with consolidation as well as expansion into
new, untested areas like Web-based publishing.