Sinequa Change at the Top
February 22, 2011
Jean Ferré has stepped down from his position as Chief Executive Officer of Sinequa. Sinequa is a French-based leading vendor of enterprise search. He had been with the company since 2005. In “Good Bye Sinequa,” Ferré blogs about his decision.
He states, “I’m going through quite a change: after five exciting years managing the company, I’ve stepped down as President & CEO of Sinequa. I’m happy for the work accomplished and for the human and industrial journey it’s been.”
Ferré praises his colleagues and recalls many achievements while with Sinequa. Wanting to work for a larger organization, and in an area other than search, Ferré has yet to say specifically what his next step will be. With his success at Sinequa, many enviable positions should be available to him. Alexandre Bilger, the company’s Chief Architect Officer, has assumed control of Sinequa in Ferré’s absence.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 22, 2011
Taming SharePoint
February 22, 2011
SharePoint is content management software used by businesses to upload and manage documents in a collaborative environment. What they don’t tell you about SharePoint is that there are really three parts that make it up. There is Windows SharePoint Services, the Microsoft Search Server, and the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server. Each has its individual function that builds upon the other, much like how the end users’ utilize SharePoint. Zambo Times has an article highlighting these features: “Essential Facts About Microsoft Sharepoint Search Software.”
There have been several upgraded features to SharePoint. There is a People Finding application that allows users to identify and professionally collaborate with their peers. FAST Search is another upgrade. It searches quickly through unstructured data and creates metadata to interpret it. Users can also use FAST to differentiate between content sources, user contexts, and application needs, but all of this comes at the cost of adding yet another massively complicated piece of infrastructure to an already very complex setup.
So while these extensions are useful, the price tag in the sheer complexity is one that most would rather not pay. Surfray offers the same capabilities, except they’re all self-contained, meaning you only have to rely on one company and one software. Rely on Surfray to tame SharePoint, it’s much easier.
For more information about SurfRay’s software, click this link.
Torben Ellert, February 22, 2011
SurfRay
Endeca Revamps Blog
February 22, 2011
Even companies with a Harvard luminary on its Board of Directors has to keep the company blog ship shape.
Endeca, a company that specializes in search and business intelligence software, has recently revamped its eBusiness Facets blog. The blog exists as a resource for online businesses to keep up with the rapidly changing world of e-commerce. The primary goal of the blog redesign was to increase the versatility and flexibility of the site for viewing on multiple platforms such as mobile devices, a goal which the new site has met and surpassed with ease, thanks to new technology.
When Endeca decided to upgrade its blog, they went to Oomph (formerly C. Murray Consulting). The team at Oomph utilized the latest level of Cascading Style Sheets, or CSS3, to give the new blog a clean, aesthetically pleasing feel. The layout is so adaptable, it wouldn’t be inappropriate to describe it as having a liquid-like quality. One must simply click and drag the corner of http://ebusinessfacets.endeca.com, resizing the window, to see how easily the blog rearranges its own content to fit into the desired space.
A complete detail of the website’s revamping process can be found here.
Ryan Compton, February 22, 2011
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When Intelligence Methods Go Out of Bounds
February 21, 2011
For many years, the ArnoldIT.com team has supported different next-generation technology firms. It is important to go “beyond search”, but the question is, “How far should an organization go to get work to keep revenues flowing?” We have worked from some interesting US government agencies. We built plumbing for a couple of information “push” systems that bridged the gap between search and actionable intelligence. In the course of that work, we have been successful in separating commercial work from the intelligence work.
Fact is, most of the companies with which we have some knowledge operate in a similar matter. Keeping the commercial application of technology distinct from the non-commercial application of technology has been a standard practice. No one told me to keep the work distinct. The learning was imparted by culture, first at the nuclear unit of Halliburton and later at the technology unit of the original, pre-break up Booz, Allen & Hamilton.
In search and content processing technology, life has become more complicated for three reasons. First, there is intense pressure on firms with next generation technology to generate revenue. Information processing software is among the most costly to develop, enhance, and enrich. With that pressure for funding comes some different expectations about what to do to pay the bills.
Second, there is more awareness of what can be done with flows of data processed by next generation systems. Even the least sophisticated Web search user recognizes that the ads are either related to the subject of the search or reasonably pertinent to the particular user.
Source: My home town newspaper. The Peoria Journal Star.
Going after the ball when out of bounds.
Third, the cultural boundaries of distinct information communities is becoming more porous. Information technology osmosis is now a fact of life.
When one combines these three factors, one consequence has been the disquieting disclosure that a number of firms appear to be using certain types of information technology in ways that run counter to expectations. The example fresh in my mind is the disclosure of emails, PowerPoints, and chit chat about the use of next generation information technology to “bring down” Wikileaks and individuals associated with that Web site.
Pro Bono eDiscovery by ZyLAB
February 21, 2011
Free moves forward at ZyLAB. The company is expanding its pro bono record as ZyLAB Launches the Industry’s First Official Pro Bono eDiscovery Services Program. For participating clients, ZyLAB will donate up to 10% of purchased services, partnering with individual firms in order to lend processing power to pro bono cases. According to the write up:
“Recent reports have indicated law firms and corporate legal departments dug deeper to increase their pro bono contributions over the last year. We are pleased to give clients the option to partner with an eDiscovery provider that has a similar mindset and dedication,” said Mary Mack, Esq., enterprise technology counsel for ZyLAB . . . “This gives law firms and legal departments additional resources for pro bono impact cases without breaking the bank.”
ZyLAB is an industry-leader in modular eDiscovery and enterprise information management solutions. While the pro bono service will no doubt be an incentive to existing customers currently involved in pro bono work, firms will continue to pay for eDiscovery services as more and more evidence and information is found in electronic format.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 21, 2011
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SAP Embraces InQuira
February 21, 2011
SAP makes an interesting search move. TMC News announces “InQuira Platform Endorsed by SAP.” German software provider SAP has endorsed the use of the InQuira Platform with its software:
“According to InQuira it is complementary to SAP software offerings, developed in accordance with SAP development guidelines and provides additional choices and flexibility for businesses running SAP applications.”
The two companies also plan to share technology and product planning.
Cynthia Murrell February 21, 2011
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Scaling a Three-Tiered SharePoint
February 21, 2011
Most SharePoint 2010 farms are becoming three-tiered complexities. If you have a two-scaled SharePoint farm and want to remodel, it’s very easy to upgrade. The SharePoint Solutions blog describes the process: “How to Scale Out a SharePoint 2010 Farm From Two-Tier to Three-Tier by Adding a Dedicated Application Server.” The Microsoft TechNet Library provides the best documentation on the subject, but it’s not a conversion guide.
While it’s not complicated, patience, a good dedicated Application Server, and a visual walk through are the best tools to scale out from a two-tier farm.
The three parts of a three-tier farm are:
“Tier 1 – SharePoint Server dedicated as a Web Front-End (WFE) with only the web application(s) and the search query service running on it
Tier 2 – SharePoint Server dedicated as an Application Server with all of the other service applications running on it, but no web applications or query service
Tier 3 – SQL Server for the databases
Most organizations that have two-tier farms are small and they scale out to three-tier for performance improvement. The smaller the system, the harder it is for hardware resources to search through the contents and it slows down productivity for the end user.
While you decide if you want to upgrade to a three-tier farm, think about this: Ontolica from Surfray scales in your SharePoint environment. You will improve your performance with a three-tier farm and when you use Ontolica you will increase that even more.
For specific information about using Ontolica with metadata, contact SurfRay at www.surfray.com.
Torben Ellert, February 21, 2011
SurfRay
Data Mining Tactics: Palantir and Friends
February 21, 2011
Here in Harrod’s Creek, life is simple. We have one road, a store, and a pond. Elsewhere, there are machinations that simple folks like me and the goslings have difficulty understanding this type of pitch. I noticed an impassioned blog post from Craft Is Cranium here. Then we saw the Register’s write up “HBGary Quails in the Face of Anonymous.” As I understand the issue, experts working in the commercial side of intelligence saw Wikileaks as a business opportunity. The experts did not want to sell their technology to Wikileaks. The experts wanted to get the US government to pay the experts to nibble away at Wikileaks. The assumption was that Wikileaks was a security challenge and could be sanded down or caged using various advanced technologies. A good example is the thread on Quora.com “Why Would Palantir Go after WikiLeaks?”
The Quora answers are interesting, and as you might imagine, different from what folks in Harrod’s Creek might suggest. First, there is a link to some interesting article titled “Data Intelligence Firms Proposed a Systematic Attack against WikiLeaks.” It is difficult to determine what is accurate and what is information shaping, but what is presented is interesting.
Second, one answer struck me as pure MBA. The proposal to nibble on Wikileaks’ toes was summarized this way:
For money. It’s a pitch deck targeted towards the concerns of governmental and financial institutions.
Third, there is a paraphrase of the specific motive for floating this trial balloon:
“You [the US government] have to respond to Wikileaks immediately, by giving us massive amounts of money for our software and consulting services. You cannot wait to write us a massive blank check, because the threat of Wikileaks is too great.”
What I find interesting is that the sharp edges of the Palantir-type approach may create some problems for search companies now venturing into “business intelligence.” My view is that enterprise search marketers are often crafted with memory foam and rounded edges. The Palantir type approach seems to be elbows and sharp fingernails.
Quite a few search vendors want to play in the “intelligence” sector. I am not sure that technology will win out over attitude and aggressiveness. Palantir, as you may recall, was engaged last year in a legal spat with i2 Ltd., another foundation company in certain intelligence sectors. Incumbents may eat the softer newcomers the way a goose gobbles bread crumbs.
Stephen E Arnold, February 21, 2011
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Oracle Data to Plain Old Text
February 21, 2011
Attention Oracle DBAs: World Online Review USA has posted this solution to the request “Explain the concept of data migration from Oracle to Text?”
“1. In sql enter the command SQL>spool Then enter the required select statement.The entire output is transferred into the specified file.The file’s default extension is LST.Then enter SQL>spool off
“2. You can also transfer the contents using utl_file utility. “
Cynthia Murrell February 21, 2011
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PolySpot Revamps Locatis.info
February 20, 2011
Categorynet.com declares “PolySpot Enterprise Search au coeur du quotidien d’information des collectivités territoriales et de leurs partenaires, Localtis.info.” In addition to a wide range of local news, PolySpot’s Daily News Online Localtis.info is adding features such as special issues and downloadable documents. The company feels confident that their Enterprise Search can handle the increased demands:
“PolySpot reiterates its confidence in integrating the solution PolySpot Enterprise Search at the heart of the new version of its Daily News Online Localtis.info.”
By the way, we noticed it appears that Gilles André is now the CEO of PolySpot. Witness the speaker listed in this description of a scheduled PolySpot Customer Testimonial session.
Click here for more information on PolySpot (en française).
Cynthia Murrell February 19, 2011
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