1. A system to execute within a host organization, wherein the system comprises: a processor and a memory to execute instructions at the system; a search index stored on disk within the system comprised of a plurality of individual search index files, the search index having customer information stored therein, wherein at least one of the individual search index files constitutes a term dictionary or a term index type file having internal structure which allows a portion of the individual search index file to be updated, encrypted, and/or decrypted without affecting the internal structure of the individual search index file; a file input/output (IO) layer to encrypt the customer information being written into the individual search index file and to decrypt the customer information being read from the individual search index file, wherein the file IO layer encrypts and decrypts only a portion of the individual search index file in reply to an operation without requiring decryption or encryption of the individual search index file in its entirety; and a query interface to execute the operation against the customer information stored in the memory in its decrypted form.