Microsoft is expected to release an enterprise-grade version of its desktop search software this morning at the Microsoft IT Forum in Barcelona. 

The free application will search any content created by Microsoft's Office applications as well as email messages, PDF files and email attachments. It works with a user interface similar to that of an internet search engine.

Microsoft plans to integrate desktop search with its forthcoming suite of Live products, the software vendor said in a statement. A consumer version of the application has been available since May.

The enterprise tool is designed to make it easy for corporate IT departments to deploy, customise and manage the application on systems running Windows 2000 or XP.

Microsoft's search tool trails behind a similar offering from Google, which also offers a free enterprise-grade version of its Desktop Search. Google's offering includes additional management and deployment features.

The Microsoft application is available for download here.