Inteltrax: Top Stories, November 14 to November 18
November 21, 2011
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, Some exciting nes among our favorite providers.
The most interesting tale came from, “Tibco and Digital Reasoning Give A Glimpse at Operational Thinking,” which looked at the minds of the CEOs of these exciting organizations.
In “IBM Ready to Take Analytics Seriously” we discovered some interesting news that shows the computing giant is pushing all its chips into the analytic pile.
However, our story “Qlik Tech’s Collaborative BI is Too Much of a Good Thing” shows that too many cooks can spoil one’s analytic soup.
Here’s just another quick sampling of the many ways big data analytics is changing. And we’re following the biggest names in big data everyday, noting the moves and blunders therein.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting http://www.inteltrax.com/
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
Open Text Social Framework
November 21, 2011
The dips and glides of the enterprise and content processing sectors fascinate me. I noticed that Open Text, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is on track to remain a $1.0 billion company. As I write this, the company’s stock is nosing toward $60 a share. With Hewlett Packard’s acquisition of Autonomy, Open Text inherits the title of a “billion dollar search and content processing company.”
In the 1990s, I tracked Open Text. As the company evolved into a collection of properties, I shifted to companies which were sticking closer to the “findability” sector. As you probably know, the core of Open Text today sits upon technology which I associate with Dr. Tim Bray. Dr. Bray work at Digital Equipment and worked at the University of Waterloo on the New Oxford English Dictionary project. He founded Open Text Corporation, which commercialized an XML search system which I believe was used in the dictionary. Open Text created a Web index which available as the Open Text Index and then morphed into “Tuxedo,” a Web index no longer available at the link I had on the Open Text Web site. Web search is an expensive proposition, and I understand why a company like Open Text would exit the free Web search service business.
Today’s Open Text owns the SGML search technology, and the company has acquired a number of other search and content processing systems. My view is that Open Text perceived search as a good business in which to compete. With the ready availability of open source search solutions and low cost “good enough” systems, I wonder if the company’s enthusiasm for search and retrieval has dwindled.
Open Text has a number of search technologies. For example, Open Text acquired Information Dimension in 1998. Information Dimensions’ BASIS search system was database management system. My colleague Howard Flank and I used BASIS to build the original Bellcore MARS billing system on the platform shortly after the AT&T breakup was announced. Open Text also acquired Fulcrum, a Microsoft centric search and retrieval system based in Ottawa, Ontario. I remember that one could use Fulcrum to search Siebel Systems content. Hummingbird was acquired by Open Text in 2006. Open Text used the Fulcrum technology in its Hummingbird Search Server product, now a connectivity solution. Open Text also acquired BRS Search (Bibliographic Retrieval Services) in 2001. As you know, BRS was a competitor to Dialog Information Services. BRS was a variant of IBM STAIRS technology, ran on IBM mainframe systems, and could handle sophisticated queries. I recall hearing that BRS technology was used in the Open Text LiveLink product. I think of LiveLink as an early version of SharePoint, blending content, collaboration, and search in a single system.
In 2010, Open Text purchased the Nstein content processing firm, which was based in Montréal, Québec. I think one of my team contacted Nstein to profile them for one of my reports. The firm was too busy. Then in 2009, an Nstein executive scheduled an appointment with me in London, UK, and “forgot” the meeting. Nifty.
Open Text has a basket of technologies to use to solve prospect and client problems. Is the company a model for other search and content processing firms trying to generate top line growth in a tough economic setting?
Since Dr. Bray’s departure, Open Text has been rolling up search and content processing firms. Much of the company’s growth has been fueled by acquisitions and cross selling, not raw innovation. In fact, Open Text has a bewildering array of content management technologies, including PS Software (records management), Gauss (Web content management systems), RedDot (Web content management systems with an embedded Autonomy search functionality), IXOS AG (SAP-centric archiving systems), Captaris (document capture systems which gave Open Text Brainware and ZyLAB functionality), Spicer (file viewing technology), Vizible (an interface company), StreamServe (an enterprise publishing system vendor of direct mail and other collateral), Metastorm (business process software), weComm (mobile device software developer), and Global 360 Holding Corp. (case management solutions).
Shop City Alleges Google Discriminates
November 20, 2011
Search Engine Watch has reported on yet another discrimination complaint against Google in the Nov 16, article “ShopCity Files Antitrust Complaint Against Google.” Shop City has filed a complaint with the FTC, claiming that Google pushed its Web sites down to the fifth page of results for searches, despite Shop City’s having created content within the bounds of Google’s guidelines. In addition to this, Google placed its own results, keyed to a map, at the top of the results, regardless of whether those results were legitimately more useful. Shop City CEO Colin Pape said of the investigation:
Our FTC submission has nothing to do with a lawsuit or damages of any kind. We feel that the entire marketplace would benefit from increased transparency from the world’s most powerful company, and this complaint, requesting a formal investigation, is the way to bring that about.
I think we can all agree that transparency is a good thing when multinational corporations are involved. Whether Google’s alleged discrimination was intentional or unintentional remains to be seen. One wonders if these accursers are looking for a scape goat in today’s tough economy. On the other hand, is Google taking steps to ensure that its revenues remain robust as the financial winds buffet other organizations?
Jasmine Ashton, November 20, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
NARA Criticized for Searchability Limits
November 20, 2011
The US government has a love hate relationship with search, content processing, and predictive analytics. On one hand, agencies have to make information available to citizens. On the other hand, agencies have to be careful about what information to release, when, how, and in what form.
When there is a news story about search, my view is that somewhere, somehow a bureaucrat has tried to run a query and discovered that the system behaves in an interesting manner.
Now there’s been a development at the National Archives and Records Administration that we find very interesting. “NARA Officials Defend Searchability of Electronic Archive,” reports Federal Computer Week. I noted the word “defend”. When this word appears in a headline of a widely read government trade publication, I have a hunch that “interesting” veers toward the “concern” side of the connotative spectrum.
It seems a Federal auditor has criticized the organization’s new Electronic Records Archive because most of it is only keyword searchable, not text-searchable. Yes, that would be important because I like to run queries using what the publisher of this blog calls “free text.” The idea is that I can use my terms and assume that the system will perform synonym expansion, deduplication, and relevance ranking. I will, therefore, see results which have high precision (germane to my query) and high recall (the system does not leave out important items).
NARA official David Lake contends that the agency is doing its best with what it has. Most of the documents have been scanned in, which of course pose problems for content searches. NARA, according to the write up, is working on the system. Besides, according to the article, over time the problem will shrink on its own:
Over the next 10 years, as agencies deliver more material to the e-archive, the born-electronic documents in the archive will increase in number, making a larger portion of the e-archive searchable by text, even while scanned historic documents also are coming in, Lake added.
Big help if you’re researching World War I. The Search application is being supplied by Vivisimo, who inhabits the “information optimization” space. It seems that for $430 million, the contractors should be able to deliver what I think of as “commodity search” without too many Dancing with the Stars twirls. The issue is worth monitoring; it was a big contract and the Federal government is running a deficit. Maybe the US government will be able to deliver a basic search system that supports free text unless the document set has not been converted to a searchable file format. Ah, that pesky file transformation issue. Someone should have budgeted for that or gotten contractors with systems which can handle different file types as part of the standard content processing subsystem?
Interesting information optimization issue.
Cynthia Murrell, November 20, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Thetus on a Map
November 19, 2011
Thetus Corporation and its CEO Danielle Forsyth have been given special attention in Green Data Center Blog’s “Map of Portland Startups, Tech Wizards of the Silicon Forest.” Thetus elevates information management with facets like predictive modeling, outcome evaluation, and semantic knowledge modeling. The company was incorporated in 2003, and released its flagship product Savanna in 2010.
Blogger Dave Ohara writes,
Danielle Forsyth likes to say that Thetus Corporation makes Internet software for ‘people who don’t know what they don’t know.’
“That Rumsfeldian phrase is fitting: Few people in Portland have any idea that a woman CEO—a rare sight on the tech landscape—is helming one of the city’s fastest-growing software startups, a company that’s been profitable for five years mostly thanks to Federal government contracts.
Having a woman at the helm certainly helps a tech firm stand out. Of course, a sound philosophy and a quality product don’t hurt, either. Note that Thetus does not do high profile marketing, but I have been told that the company is doing well in the military and defense markets.
Cynthia Murrell, November 19, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Good Content Wins Fans
November 19, 2011
Suddenly Webmasters are chattering about content. After years of tricks, indexing silliness, and down right misleading search engine optimization games—content is popular again.
With the increased popularity of e-books, and the easily accessible tools of creation, distribution and promotion of web content, there has been speculation regarding how this will affect the quality of content being released.
In the TechDirt article “Good Content Doesn’t Get Buried By Bad Content” we learned:
We have no doubt that much new content being produced is, in fact, pretty bad. I’ve never quite understood the argument, though, that bad content harms good content. You just have to ignore the bad content and follow the good content. What that means is that the world just needs good filters, and we keep seeing more and more of those showing up every day.
The write up asserts that, with sites like Amazon, fans are able to show their support for the good books that they love by writing reviews. This helps separate the good content from the bad.
There will always be skeptics out there challenging technological innovations. I would argue that while it may be easier to make your content available for public consumption than in years past, bad content won’t win over the fan base needed to make an impact.
Jasmine Ashton, November 19, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Protected: The Best SharePoint Denali-SQL 2012 Enhancements for Disaster Recovery
November 18, 2011
Mindbreeze Can Stand with World’s Finest CRM
November 18, 2011
Denis Pombriant tips his hat to the ever-popular singing competition and reports on trends in CRM in, “CRM Idol: An insider’s look at the judging process.” CRM Idol was put together by Paul Greenberg and intended to bring attention to the growing field as well as reward those who are excelling in the world of CRM.
Pombriant reports on what he learned about CRM through his analysis of the competition:
“Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the competition for me was just being exposed to CRM from around the world. We often think in terms of English-language applications and perhaps assume that all the good software emanates from the U.S. That’s just not true.”
We agree that some of the best solutions are non-US based. One agile solution that we like is Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Based in Austria, it exhibits the worldly sensibility mentioned above. However, Mindbreeze and its semantic capabilities can adjust to any number of contexts. Furthermore, Mindbreeze is a suite of solutions, offering an answer to all of your needs: mobile, email, and enterprise. Mindbreeze goes beyond a CRM solution, but rather proposes an integrated and holistic application for an entity’s information organization and retrieval needs.
As more independent software vendors (ISVs) hit the market in response to the swelling tide of electronic information, solutions need to be smart and lean in order to be functional. Too much training time or too steep a learning curve, and usability is lost. With Fabasoft Mindbreeze, you get a solution that works without a lot of up-front expense in implementation and training. Take a second look and see if Fabasoft Mindbreeze is the solution for you.
*Disclaimer – Mindbreeze is currently upgrading their website. Links will be checked and if problems arise they will be updated. Thanks for your patience.
Emily Rae Aldridge, November 18, 2011
Google Ads: A Potential Interesting Revenue Challenge
November 18, 2011
Google is taking steps to keep Web ad revenue flying high. But wait, is this one a step in the right direction? Search Engine Watch reports, “Google Now Shows Ads Below Search Results.” Writer John Rampton explains,
Ads that were previously shown to the side of the results may in some cases appear below the search results, Google announced via Inside AdWords. Google reports that ad click-throughs are higher when the ads are integrated into the search results instead of being displayed on the side.
Um, who looks *below* search results? Not I. In fact, Rampton’s research shows that 90 percent of clicks come from the top three positions on the results page.
My view is that Google is trying to ameliorate what its predictive business models have been telling the firm for months. Ad revenue downturns are increasingly likely. Ads at the bottom of a results page are an indication of what lengths the firm is going to avoid making a prediction a reality in the ad revenue tally. Just my opinion, however. Maybe you read ads at the bottom of a results page? Good for you if you do.
Cynthia Murrell, November 18, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Want to Be a Search Expert?
November 18, 2011
I saw a story at CBS News’ Web site. The write up “25 College Majors with the Highest Unemployment Rates” was as troubling as it was amusing. I learned yesterday that at some of the top engineering, science, and mathematics recruiting events, US companies were in the minority. In the good old days before Booz, Allen & Hamilton became an azure chip consultant and McKinsey executives donned orange jump suits—college recruitment was a hunting ground for big name US outfits. The idea was to snag the people who were the “right package” for the plum jobs at top line consulting firms, investment banks, and Fortune 50 companies. I did a couple of recruiting swings in the mid 1970s for Halliburton NUS and later for the pre-Daedalus Booz, Allen & Hamilton. I find the brain drain which sucks talent from the US to hot spots like Brazil, China, and South Korea fascinating.
The CBS story reminded me that self appointed experts will probably come to search, content processing, “big data”, and other fields of mass confusion from these disciplines. What will tomorrow’s “experts” bring to the table in terms of subject matter expertise? Here’s the top 10college majors with the alleged highest unemployment rate:
- Clinical psychology 19.5%
- Miscellaneous fine arts 16.2%
- United States history 15.1%
- Library science 15.0% (tie)
- Military technologies; educational psychology 10.9%
- Architecture 10.6%
- Industrial & organizational psychology 10.4%
- Miscellaneous psychology 10.3%
- Linguistics & comparative literature 10.2%
- (tie) Visual & performing arts; engineering & industrial management 9.2%
You will want to digest the entire list at the link provided.
A couple of comments. I got a hearty laugh when I mentioned that my focus in college was medieval religious sermons in Latin. No one laughed when I mentioned that I wasn’t reading the documents. I was indexing them using punched cards. But notice that “miscellaneous fine arts” does leave about 83 percent of those with that training unemployed. The top stop, which surprised me, was clinical psychology. I will not forget my early consulting project for T George Harris, then the publisher of Psychology Today. I recall his describing those with degrees in psychology as “crazy” and then divided psychologists into two broad categories. One category involved psychologists who watched interactions among male and female rats and others who did math.
Notice that unemployment rates for visual and performing arts graduates and engineering and industrial management graduates is “only” 9.2 percent. Presumably some of the most talented engineering people with jobs will be working outside the United States.
What about the azure chip consulting firms and the self appointed experts? My thought is that the work product of these outfits will reflect the talent applying themselves to these disciplines. Ever wonder why so many firms are in financial trouble? Ever ask, “Which management consultancy was helping these folks?”
Ever ask, “Why did that enterprise search project fail?” Ever ask, “Which search or content processing consultant advised that outfit?”
Good questions to ask.
Stephen E Arnold, November 18, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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