Alerts When Search Is Hit and Miss
August 21, 2011
Search seems like the answer to Every Man’s information needs. It is not. Not by a long shot.
If organizations cannot search by individual as to who needs information, they will invariably push content onto a whole group of people. AFV-News reported “U.S. Army Deploys AtHoc IWSAlerts Emergency Mass Notification System.”
Businesses, schools, universities, and military groups all employ the usage of emergency alerts, providing mass notifications to everyone in their system. Fort Jackson brags that their AtHoc alerts span 25,000 personnel and dependents.
AtHoc IWS Alerts offer control from a unified Web-based console, which allows Fort Jackson to send alerts to cell phones, landlines, smart phones, SMS text and email. It’s not just Fort Jackson—AtHoc services more than 1.5 million Department of Defense, more than any other provider.
We learned about AtHoc’s capabilities and infrastructure from the AFV-News article:
[The] system integrates with the post’s existing Internet Protocol network services, which means reduced infrastructure and maintenance costs. Personnel accountability is accomplished through the bi-directional capability, allowing responses to notifications in real-time. Network alert delivery and response can be tracked, ensuring that targeted recipients have received and responded to alerts.
While alerts for dangerous situations and testing can save lives and are obviously a necessity, mass alert systems also unfortunately end up in too many unnecessary inboxes.
Megan Feil, August 21, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
EntropySoft Products Enhance Blumark Operations
August 20, 2011
PR.com nnounces, “Blumark Chooses EntropySoft Products for Improved ECM Migrations and Better Content Integration.” The Australian company is impressed with EntropySoft’s content integration prowess. The press release explains,
The technology partnership will allow Blumark to provide customers with better migration and content management services, with the help of EntropySoft’s content integration products. Blumark will be EntropySoft’s primary partner for the Australasian region, thanks to Blumark’s experience and proven track record in the ECM integration and migration markets. Blumark customers will benefit from the extensive functionality and fast deployment time offered by EntropySoft products.
Blumark specializes in managing business processes and data efficiently. They boast of dedication to their clients, delivering trusted solutions, and focusing on the business outcome over the technology.
EntropySoft aims high: it intends to lead the world in interoperability and connectivity. The company plans to do so by providing the best software available, and will bring their Content Hub integration suite to Blumark’s South Pacific customers. ISYS Search is also in the connector business. Seems like the connector sector is coming to life.
Cynthia Murrell August 20, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Search Marketing Angle: Dialoginars
August 20, 2011
I saw a couple of comments from my one or two readers about our coverage of marketing tactics used by search and content processing vendors. The feedback was along the lines of “tell us more about the different tactics used to sell finding technology.
Okay, we will try to spot interesting tactics and write them up.
Here’s an angle that we joked about at lunch on Friday (August 19, 2011). Some organizations are pitching seminars delivered via the Web using GoToMeeting.com, LiveMeeting.com, or some other service. The idea is that a sponsor can deliver an audience or at least an email blast to the hapless folks who wittingly or unwittingly signed up to receive “information” from a marketing oriented outfit.
The Webinar is a PowerPoint or Keynote deck which appears on the participants’ monitor. One can listen via a Skype type VoIP set up or just dial in to a conference node. Our approach here at the goose pond is to post a password protected PDF of the visuals and get the participants to dial into a conference node. Not perfect, but it works reasonably well and does not display the buttons, links, and weird artifacts that pepper the screen when some of the commercial services are used.
IBM does webinars, presumably as part of its cost cutting actions like killing its high profile supercomputer project. But does IBM do webinars? No, no, no.
IBM does Dialoginars. Be still my heart.
Apparently when the information is not causing the webinar attendees’ adrenaline to flow, IBM is trying to add life to webinars. Witness the now 100-year-old company’s “IBM Presents- Dialoginars.” IBM has been posting webinars for some time now, but I’m guessing their sales force wanted to freshen things up. The pitch reads,
Tired of the same old webinars and PowerPoints? Then join Randolph Kahn and IBM for the Dialoginar series…a fun and entertaining way to learn about a variety of Enterprise Content Management topics. On the site, you can access a new Dialoginar each month that features a candid conversation between industry expert Randolph Kahn and an IBM ECM expert. They’ll demystify and explore such topics as Information Lifecycle Governance, Content Analytics and Defensible Disposal. It’ll be insightful, simple to understand…and best of all, it’ll be fun!
Fun? That may be overstating things. Stephen E Arnold was the dialoginarator on a Fierce podcast which featured most of the interactivity features mentioned by IBM. But Fierce is not IBM, so think webinar interactivity and an interactive session about Watson.
Cynthia Murrell, August 20, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
ZyLAB eDiscovery Goes to Extremes
August 19, 2011
The field of eDiscovery is growing, with ZyLAB and Brainware both leading the pack in terms of the marketing buzz that flows through our Overflight intelligence service. Chris Dale reports on evaluating eDiscovery services in the most extreme circumstances in, “ZyLAB eDiscovery tools as a Prototype for Removing Discovery Bottlenecks.” He writes:
The . . . extreme in eDiscovery terms, apart from the ability to handle very large volumes, is a war crimes investigation and tribunal. The data sources are often far removed from the neat corporate environment of servers and laptops; the events took place in circumstances where data preservation was the last priority; the required standard of proof is a criminal one.
Underscoring this argument is the idea that if eDiscovery tools can handle the disorganization and intense pressure of a war crimes tribunal, the same tool can perform beautifully in the more predictable and ordered environment of the corporate and financial world. This logic seems sound. If the product is effective for firms in the context of war crimes tribunals, the same product is likely to increase the speed and productivity of firms operating in a much more controlled environment.
Our view. Work flow is a hot sector, and it seems to be paying dividends for ZyLAB and for Brainware, a firm pushing into this sector with what looks like increasing determination.
Emily Rae Aldridge, August 19, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
Google and Lodsys: Will the Google Tactics Prevail?
August 19, 2011
With the patent wars raging, mobile phone manufacturers using the Android operating system are caught in a vicious game of chicken between rival companies and patent trolls. The article, Google’s Reexamination Request Against Two Lodsys’ Patents Don’t Stand on Their Own, on Mac Daily News, explains how Google’s rescue attempts are shallow and unproductive.
Lodsys, a reported patent troll, has been attacking manufactures of mobile devices operating under the Android OS. Google has been vocal about defending the little guys, but so far their only action has been to request a reexamination of the patents in question by the USPTO.
While they are absolutely right about the patents being bogus, Google’s assertions are not helping anyone, least of all the companies receiving nasty letters from Lodsys. As the article put it,
For app developers, the critical question is still what they should do when they receive a Lodsys letter (and when they get formally sued by Lodsys). They need a basis for deciding what to do next, and Google’s reexamination requests don’t change the calculus of a rationally-acting developer in any meaningful way.
The article goes on to recommend that any company finding themselves with an infamous Lodsys letter should settle with the big hairy troll and cough up the licensing fee because 99% of companies can’t afford to trudge through the courtroom drama.
The article’s advice to Google: Stop being a pansy and do something productive. Enough lip service. Provide blanket coverage to your developers.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 19, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
MetaCarta Offers Geotagging Plug-In
August 19, 2011
Geospatial context is the linch pin for cultural and human ecosystem modeling and analysis. Concept templates can guide models, allowing professionals to consider economic, religious, political and geographic features simultaneously. “Geotagging with MetaCarta” explains the Thetus blog, is a new plug-in solution for creating such models.
MetaCarta’s GeoSearch Toolkit plug-in for Apache Solr, an open source high performance search and index, gives us the ability to combine geographic search constraints such as bounding boxes and heat maps with the many other semantic and text-based search inputs that we have built up using Solr. This toolkit from MetaCarta allows us to run geo-aware searches through one unified and high performance search engine, rather than needing to conglomerate geographic search results from one data source with semantic search results from another source.
The GeoSearch plug-in by MetaCarta makes a lot of sense for professionals seeking ease and speed when incorporating geographic data into their work. Geography is certainly a specific field, and those not well versed in its intricacies often choose to stay away all together. Perhaps software such as this offering by MetaCarta can make geography a user-friendly affair. Thetus keeps a low profile, but the company continues to move forward with commercial and government work.
Emily Rae Aldridge, August 19, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
Google Claims Foul Over Android Source Code
August 19, 2011
Google has long-suffered for their open-source philosophy when it comes to Android. The innocent innovating tech pioneers have continually touted Android as a gift to the masses and free for all to tinker with and modify. At least that is the company line. They recently accused Microsoft of sharing their very secret code-source with Motorola as reported in the article, Google Accuses Microsoft of Revealing ‘Highly Confidential Source Code’, on BGR.
Microsoft has been systematically going after every manufacturer of cell phones with the Android platform, suing them for patent infringement, and settling with licensing fees allowing them – Microsoft – to make out like bandits on Google’s technology. Microsoft holds over 18,000 patents versus Google’s measly 700.
Motorola is just the latest target on Microsoft patent war path and Google’s lack of patent power has forced the Google gang to get creative in their strategies to defend the little guys using Android. According to Paid Content,
The spat over this source code is a reminder that Google is still heavily involved in these patent proxy-battles over Android, even when it’s not a party to the case. And the search giant is ready, willing, and able to assist handset makers who are tangling with Microsoft in court and at the ITC.
Whether or not the U.S. International Trade Commission will agree with Google’s protests is yet to be seen, but what is clear is that with or without a hefty patent portfolio, Google’s not going to let Microsoft whittle away at Android’s profits. Their commitment to Android-using phone manufacturers is admirable, but unless they fatten up their patent purse, they will not be able to win the war.
Will buying Motorola Mobility make the patent pain go away. Google may have to buy another headache medicine.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 19, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, publishers of The New Landscape of Enterprise Search
Protected: SharePoint Governance: The Slideshow
August 19, 2011
HP and Autonomy: What Is Ahead?
August 18, 2011
I have been cruising through the write ups about the Hewlett Packard purchase of Autonomy. Amusing some are. I quite enjoyed the Bloomberg story “HP to Buy Autonomy Cloud Software for $10.3B” in the 4 54 pm edition.
Why?
It shows what is going to happen when “real” journalists write about search, content processing, and the Autonomy technology. Here’s the example that caught my attention:
For HP it’s an intriguing volte face,” said Tim Daniels, a strategist at Olivetree Securities Ltd. in London. “Autonomy is a leader in unstructured data — so that’s data that isn’t in the form of spreadsheets or word documents.
I highlighted the bit which I think is at odds with what we typically say. Here in Harrod’s Creek, Word and spreadsheets fall into the category of unstructured information just like email and petabytes of other information not lined up like Marines on parade.
Other observations:
- Hewlett Packard, not Autonomy, is on the hook to make its purchase of Autonomy’s technology fit into the Hewlett Packard Leo Apotheker is crafting. My hunch is that the task is going to be a formidable one.
- The Microsoft experience with Fast Search & Transfer has been in my opinion a harbinger of what is ahead. Fast Search & Transfer has been a challenge under Microsoft’s stewardship. The executive shuffles have been sprightly. The technical challenges interesting.
- The price tag is going to put some pressure on everyone involved with making Autonomy generate sufficient revenues and margins to make the deal a bonanza. At a time when there are open source alternatives and competitors offering robust solutions at competitive prices, HP will have to look beyond license fees. In order to deliver the consulting services to make the $10.3 billion deal a pot of gold, HP will need to address the expertise shortage that exists in search and content processing.
Our view is that Autonomy has worked hard to reach the peak of the enterprise search sector. Compared to the fate of Entopia and Convera to name two competitors which fell by the way side, a tip of the hat to Autonomy’s management team is due.
This challenge is likely to be as risky as Google’s planned acquisition of Motorola Mobility. The killing of consumer products, the Treo / WebOS when added to the Autonomy cost makes the HP play as large as Google’s gamble on its Motorola acquisition. I am glad I am old and watching these two Silicon Valley outfits’ actions from a safe distance.
Now the work begins to make the $10.3 billion deal pay off. For a comprehensive look at the IDOL technology, you may want to take a look at my new monograph The New Landscape of Enterprise Search.
Stephen E Arnold, August 18, 2011
Rumor or Fact: Hewlett Packard to Buy Autonomy plc
August 18, 2011
Just documenting a rumor. My source is “HP to Spin Off PCs, Eyes Software Purchase.” Sketchy info but I noted the purchase price, $10 billion—allegedly.
Autonomy provides search and content processing software to more than 20,000 customers. I covered the firm’s IDOL technology in my The New Landscape of Enterprise Search, published in June 2011. Rumors about big outfits’ interest in purchasing Autonomy have swirled the trees here in Harrod’s Creek for several years. If the deal rumor is true, the shrinking world of enterprise search vendors is moving to snow globe status. Dassault purchased industry leader Exalead last year. Microsoft paid $1.2 billion for the quite interesting Fast Search & Technology “solution”. Oracle picked up InQuira, a vendor of natural language processing systems for the customer support sector. IBM buys quite a few content centric companies but is using Lucene for its enterprise search solution. The vendors still in play may be looking for a white knight as well. Our question is, “Why hasn’t Endeca or Vivisimo been snapped up?” Endeca is quite interesting because SAP along with Intel took some interest in the company a couple of years ago. More info as it flows to Harrod’s Creek.
Stephen E Arnold, August 18,2011
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