Entrepreneurship Revealed
May 29, 2011
No more of that start up stuff for the goose. We had a couple of lucky breaks, and I learned one big thing from my Internet start up antics. Not surprisingly, my single learning is not the focus of Discover the Patterns of “Successful Internet Startup in the Startup Genome Report.” The write up is chock full of juicy factoids, and I urge you to read the article and before you write a check or ask mom, a vulture, or your local, very friendly banker to write checks, get the full study. Consulting services? Give the outfit a jingle.
Here are some factoids:
- “Focus on what matters most and their complete dedication to improving their craft.” My interpretation: be good at stuff like knowing what to do and how to get the important stuff done.
- “Find a repeatable and scalable business model.” My interpretation: generate revenue and keep generating revenue.
- “Startups that pivot once or twice times raise 2.5x more money, have 3.6x better user growth, and are 52% less likely to scale prematurely than startups that pivot more than 2 times or not at all.” My interpretation: I have absolutely no idea what this means.
You can download the report for free, examine an “infographic”, and interact with the study professionals.
Oh, what was my learning from the Point (Top 5% of the Internet) and several other startups. Luck is important. And luck is right up there at knowing how to master technology, not allowing technology to master me.
Would I do another startup? Nope. Too old, fat, lazy, and stupid. Just last week I had to fire a 30 something who wanted me to stand by. At age 66, I don’t stand by. That’s a concept for the same folks who create start ups, think those who write checks are really former Peace Corp. volunteers, and that knowing how to do the right thing at the precise moment are silly ideas.
Download the report at http://startupgenome.cc/pages/startup-genome-report-1. Study methodology is at http://www.systemmalfunction.com/2011/05/deciphering-genome-of-startups.html
Stephen E Arnold, May 29, 2011
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, the resource for enterprise search information and current news about data fusion
Open Source to the Enterprise
May 29, 2011
The technology world is constantly changing and while some concepts catch on and are embraced easily by the public, others take a little longer to win over the crowd. When it first entered onto the scene many people were uneasy about taking a chance on open source but the technology is catching on. According to the NetworkComputing.com’s “Survey” Half of Enterprise Software Will Be Open Source Within Five Years” a recent survey showed not only are more companies using open source but industry experts predict this is only the beginning.
The survey was conducted by OSBC and the results were shared at the Open Source Business Conference 2011. Survey results showed that 60 percent of those surveyed were already using open source software and 56 percent predicted that over the next five years more than half of business software purchases will be open source. We learned:
“This is because customers have overcome their reluctance toward using open source, such as concerns about licenses, and are embracing its virtues, such as flexibility, lower cost and avoiding vendor lock-in.”
Many IT users admitted that in the beginning they did not actually understand open source and what it had to offer. There were also a lot of questions surrounding the open licensing concept including potential copyright violations. Enterprises begin to see that the benefits of the software programming far outweighed any potential concerns they might have. Open source perks such as having free rein of the open source license instead of being tied to a vendor was considered the major advantage followed by lower operating costs and flexibility were the notable areas. Companies are always looking for ways to get the most out of its software but vendor licensing often places very strict restrictions on how users can utilize programming. Open source provides users with flexibility and allows them to manipulate the software to meet their specific needs. The ability to change a program several times if necessary to fit a variety of needs instead of purchasing separate components saves valuable money and time.
Companies are also continuing to develop possible uses for their open source software such as in a SaaS model or the ever popular cloud computing. It should come as no big surprise that open source has found its way into the SaaS and cloud computing world because the software allows such freedom and innovation due to the open license. With open source popping up everywhere even in some mobile technology it seems that the tables have turned.
The question is, “How long will open source vendors remain open?” IBM has been a champion of open source, but it continues to expand its proprietary software holdings. What about Oracle? Is the company a “friend” of open source, or is the firm playing a sophisticated game of lock in and toll road?
We are watching the situation because even the open Google is starting to look more like a closed vendor particularly with regard to Android.
Will open source software become another marketing buzzword, devoid of meaning, or will it become a platform for sustained revenue growth?
April Holmes, May 29, 2011
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, the resource for enterprise search information
Amazon and Billboard Go Gaga
May 29, 2011
Short honk: Navigate to “How Many Millions Did Amazon Lose on Two Days of 99 Cent Lady Gaga Sales?” Anything missing from the analysis:
Here’s the math: For every unit it sells at 99 cents, Amazon will lose about $7.40, according to Billboard’s calculation. At $7.40 per unit and 430,000 units (10,000 shaved off total digital sales to account for some sales of the deluxe edition), the Gaga-related loss comes to $3.18 million.
I was thinking it might be interesting to include a factor for loss of credibility related to Amazon’s “elasticity”. Obviously Billboard did not think this minor issue relevant. Great ginger beer in New Zealand. Business analysis? Hmmm.
Stephen E Arnold, May 29, 2011
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, the resource for enterprise search information and current news about data fusion
Open Source Meets the Cloud
May 29, 2011
Open source software has become a popular choice for many enterprises. Costs savings, flexibility as well as complete creative control are just a few of the coveted benefits. Cloud computing continues to expand and in many instances the two technologies have crossed paths. According to the InfoWorld.com article “Why the Cloud Can’t Be Separated From Open Source” the number of open source cloud projects has since a noticeable increase since 2005.
Now to fully understand the importance of the open source cloud partnership one must take a look at some of the projects that utilize both technologies and their overall importance to the software world. “The cloud takes the open source tradition of collaboration to the next level, as open source contributors meet the new technical and business challenges presented by the cloud.” Another interesting factor is that open source in some instances actually makes the cloud a more attractive option. “According to Michael Skok of North Bridge venture Partners, a firm specializing in open source funding, one of the chief customer objections to the cloud is the high potential for vendor lock-in.” Open source technology provides an obvious solution to the vendor lock-in dilemma.
OpenStack is one notable program that employs both open source and the cloud and it is utilized by more than 50 organizations including some big names such as Dell, Cisco Systems and NASA. Memcached, a distributed caching system, is used by several companies in the Internet world. Notable companies include Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It’s hard to overlook such an impressive list of Internet industry leaders when discussing the significance of cloud and open source. There are other noticeable signs that cloud computing is expanding its boundaries.
According to the Silicon.com article “Cloud Computing Shines A Light On IT Money Pits” at the EMC world conference delegates were introduced to a “pay-per-use delivery model offered by a cloud computing provider that would allow companies to compare the fine detail of IT infrastructure costs and answer the question, Is the service worth paying for?” Businesses will be able to take an in depth look at their IT money flow and determine if they are spending wisely. More importantly companies can get service and product estimates form various companies and compare the results. The conference also provided insight about collaboration with Google that will allow the Google Search Appliance tool to find indexed data within the VNX storage database. With the innovation that continues within the cloud and open source communities, the search industry could find itself “stuck in the cloud.”
April Holmes, May 29, 2011
From ArnoldIT.com, your resource for enterprise search information.
Can Clever Can Backfire in the Google, PayPal Affair?
May 28, 2011
I read “PayPal-Google Lawsuit Reveals More About How Android Market Deal Went Awry.” The article did a good job of summarizing how one giant company did what appears to be standard Silicon Valley recruitment and another big outfit’s letting legal eagles do their flapping and screaming.
Job hopping in America is as much a part of the American way as the Indy 500 where a team can pay to get a driver in the race or donate to Mother Teresa to make her focus her attentions on some other target. (Keep in mind that Ryan Hunter-Reay failed to quality, but we will be in the race because of the “replacement rule”, Mario Andretti, and, of course, his “pull”.)
Is the Google PayPal dust up just a case of Mother Teresa’s approach being applied in a Silicon Valley context? My view: An unfortunate misunderstanding with no relation to the hiring matter of Kai Fu Lee in 2005. See http://goo.gl/YKSh1
In most cases, I would ignore the issue. Google is an online ad outfit which, after 12 or 13 years, is somewhat clumsily trying to diversify its revenue base. After so many fits and starts, I check out the GOOG every two or three days, leaving the day-to-day roll outs (Scribe) and product terminations (Google Translate API) to the writers who contribute stories to Beyond Search and Inteltrax and my other Web logs.
And PayPal? My efforts to make sure PayPal has one version of my name which variously appears as Steve, Stephen, or the fascinating Stephene has driven me from the service. Navigation of PayPal out Facebooks Facebook is weird access methods. I have permanently blocked anything with the string paypal due to my ISP’s inability to cope with the stream of spam sent by whoever likes PayPal more than I.
I must make an exception this morning, however. In the “Awry” article, I noted this passage:
What we had heard prior to the lawsuit from sources connected to the deal is that Google had wanted to white-label Paypal inside Android Market — a condition which would have been absurd for Paypal to accept. There was also internal tension over which group, Tilenius’ commerce team or Andy Rubin’s Android team, would have control over any payments solution inside the app store.
If accurate, this is a cake-and-eat-it-too tactic, and it is very clever. Learn stuff, get the juices flowing, and then consider the question, “Heck, why don’t we just build out own”?
What was left out of the write up was a reference to the Google Yahoo (Overture) dust up prior to Google’s initial public offering. My recollection is that Google settled an allegation of improperly obtaining inspiration from the Overture (formerly GoTo.com) online ad system. The number $1.0 billion is zooming across my radar. Suffice it to say, if I remember an antecedent to the PayPal allegation, it went away after the application of that American folk medicine, money.
With online advertising going up again, if ClickZ is right in its assertion that “Internet Ad Revenues Soar 23 Percent in Q1”, the Google has plenty of cash to hire anyone it wishes to hire, pay almost any amount to make an allegation take a vacation in Capetown, South Africa, and move forward with the Google revenue diversification efforts.
My question: “Why after about 12 years of effort, has Google NOT been able to diversify its revenue base?”
And a related questions: “Why get snarled in another messy, high profile matter where ‘clever’ wanders toward to the line separating Mother Teresa and Arkadi Gaydamak?”
What marks will these probably unfounded allegations against Google leave on the company’s flawless skin? See http://goo.gl/dlrDM
I had a Calvert Course teacher in Brazil in the 1950s who told me, “I would prefer as friend a good man ignorant than one more clever who is evil too.” This sounds like a statement from a drug crazed poet or malaria stricken American earning pinga money by tutoring.
Clever, though. That’s why I prefer old fashioned methods such as a physical wallet and cash money in my pocket.
Stephen E Arnold, May 28, 2011
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, the resource for enterprise search information and current news about data fusion
Canto Announces Major Upgrade to Cumulus 8.5
May 28, 2011
Canto Cumulus created quite a buzz with the announcement of its new release, Cumulus 8.5. According to the Global Print Monitor article “Canto Cumulus 8.5 Introduces World Metadata, Improved Workflow and Easier Administration,” new features offer, according to the write up:
“Native support for metadata in more than 20 languages, and improvements that make automated workflow control easier and more powerful.”
Users have more control than ever in addition to workflow automation tools to help drive production. Those who utilize the program can copy files quickly and easily, back up data, change permission and apply metadata templates. “Based on events like new records or metadata edits, Cumulus 8.5 can perform on-the-fly image processing, update metadata or production statuses—even change visibility and access permissions,” he said. “Cumulus users now have more control over their workflows than ever.” This program might not actually do the semantic metatagging for you but it sure paints a pretty picture.
Stephen E Arnold, May 28, 2011
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, the resource for enterprise search information
SharePoint Needs Speed Still
May 28, 2011
Speed and efficiency are two attributes that companies want from their content search provider and BA Insight seems to have taken care of them both with its new Longitude Preview for Hosted SharePoint Service.
According to the PR Newswire article “BA Insight Offers Instant Search Result Preview as a Service to Hosted SharePoint Providers” the unveiled its new product at the Tech-Ed North America conference and has already made the service available to interested customers. We learned:
“The new offering enables SharePoint users to view search result content without the need to download the file, and automatically directs users to the most relevant page of their search content.”
With one quick click users will be able to bring up their search results and scan through the content without having to wait to download the entire file and best of all SharePoint customers can easily add the service to their existing options and their customers can begin using it immediately. Perhaps BA Insight has finally met the need for speed? Microsoft, hurry up.
Stephen E Arnold, May 28, 2011
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, the resource for enterprise search information
More Cloud Cheerleading
May 27, 2011
“Gartner Identifies Five Ways to Migrate Applications to the Cloud” identifies the options for the IT department when the CIO calmly announces to ‘move some applications to the cloud’. As if it was only a matter of transferring a file from one shelf to the next.
Gartner insists there are many factors to consider when initiating the migration process, including a company’s requirements and architectural principles. Five options plainly identified for relocating to the cloud are as follows: “Rehost on infrastructure as a service (IaaS), refactor for platform as a service (PaaS), revise for IaaS or PaaS, rebuild on PaaS, or replace with software as a service (SaaS)”.
Granted, this article was written from the perspective of application architects. These are, we assume, individuals whose job is not to evaluate if an existing structure should be migrated to the cloud, only how to do so. In light of this, we would like to toss some other factors on the table.
What about the risks? Lady Gaga problems at Amazon. Dead Blogger.com. Sony network problems. Microsoft BPOS Exchange issues. Need I go on?
Cost should be considered. The difference felt in the coffers can be great between top-end and entry level servers, and without a simulation prior to the switch you may not realize what magnitude of power you require.
Security and reliability are also points of interest. Both the ability to extract personal data from the cloud as well as bring the service to a screeching halt has been demonstrated recently with the Sony network breach and AWS breakdown.
There are obviously some great benefits to joining the cloud, but just like any other decision, it is best to view all angles prior to jumping in. It is tough to search for documents or basic information when the cloud takes a couple of days off to recover from sun burn.
Sarah Rogers, May 27, 2011
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SAP and Risk Automation
May 27, 2011
SAP information continues to flow to me. An attention grabber was the story “Who’s the Top Innovator: SAP or Oracle?” I scanned the article and wondered why the author ignored Apple? With the set of innovators limited to a relational database company and an IBM-influenced traditional enterprise software company, I concluded, “PR. Skip.”
However, the news release “Proviti Teams Up with SAP Labs U.S. to Enhance Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Analytics for CIOs and IT Executives” contained information that surprised me.
Proviti will be designing some automated controls to be employed in conjunction with SAP’s newest analytic application, BusinessObjects Executive IT Reporting.
The desired outcome is to give those at the top a well-rounded picture of the risks plaguing their businesses through a whole slew of buzz-word themed tools such as IT dashboards and key risk indicators. I like “well rounded” as a way to explain business fixes.
We found the following passage by the senior director of SAP’s IT strategy group to be particularly interesting:
Today, in many companies, IT controls and risk-management activities are at best manual, subjective activities. By automating these activities and linking them to business processes, we can allow customers to simplify their compliance and risk management activities, protect value by anticipating common losses, and create more value by taking on more calculated technology risk.
Do we sense an admission that when humans use software they create a content disaster? What took so long for that revelation?
The challenges of implementing enterprise solutions using IBM-style and SAP-like solutions are significant. The buzzword “governance” means that costs are tough to control and users often must adapt to systems, not the other way around. Governance is a signal to me that information chaos exists. So governance and other content-free words are used to cope with intractable issues. Are traditional enterprise software solutions to be to be subject to “governance”? Just an engineer’s skepticism at work.
What happened to TREX and Inxight? Search is apparently not an issue.
Sarah Rogers, May 27, 2011
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Intel and Its Google Chaos Question
May 27, 2011
Quote to note: I read “Intel CEO on Android Chaos, Apple Order.” In the midst of corporate flakery, an interesting quote, which I hope is semi accurate, was reported. Here it is:
“I think there is some growing pains that Android is going through…How do you create order out of chaos?”
Great question from a company whose product naming conventions baffle me. “K”?
Stephen E Arnold, May 27, 2011
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