CloudStack and OpenStack Compete for the Cloud
April 15, 2012
We need an “open” scorecard that goes beyond this blog and OpenSearchNews, our coverage of open source search systems, and TheTrendPoint, our information service about open source analytics.
ComputerWorld recently reported on an innovative new open source cloud project that IBM and Red Hat have recently joined, in the article, “Report: IMB, Red Hat to Join OpenStack.”
According to the article, the project known as OpenStack was started two years ago by Rackspace and NASA and has since grown to include more than 150 companies and almost two thousands developers. Other backers include: HP, Dell and Internap.
OpenStack is a global collaboration of developers and cloud computing technologists producing an open source cloud computing platform for public and private clouds.The project aims to deliver solutions for all types of clouds by being simple to implement, massively scalable, and feature rich. The technology consists of a series of interrelated projects delivering various components for a cloud infrastructure solution.
As with most projects of this sort, OpenStack already has some well backed competition. The article states:
“Citrix this week announced it would create a competitor to OpenStack by giving its CloudStack platform a license from the Apache Software Foundation. Meanwhile, OpenStack celebrated a milestone on Thursday related to the fifth release of its software, code named Essex.”
This is definitely some interesting open source maneuvering. We’re interested to see the solutions that CloudStack and OpenStack come out with. As important, what does open mean?
Jasmine Ashton, April 15, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Taxonomy for Tax Fraud
April 14, 2012
As the buzzword craziness shifts from taxonomy to big data, there is an interesting spin on a taxonomy. Navigate to “Book Cooking Guide”. (The headline alone will alert the MBAs that this is a write up from the Economist newspaper which sure looks like a magazine to me.) The write up presents some tips on fudging the books for the purpose of tax fraud, snookering stakeholders, and other MBA style activities. Here’s the passage I noted:
The IMF has a helpful laundry list of ways to keep sneaky politicians in check. Accounting measures should follow the movement of economic value, not cash, so that delaying pay packets until next year (or retirement) has no effect. Governments should publish net worth, which encompasses assets and liabilities, so taking over pension schemes is less appealing. Budgets should forecast up to 50 years out, so the full effects of policy are clearly seen.
Are economic methods satisfying, even reassuring?
Stephen E Arnold, April 14, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
IBM Does Big Interstellar Data
April 14, 2012
Venture Beat recently reported on a new universal sized undertaking by IBM in the article, “IBM Takes on a Gigantic Computing Task to Find the Universe’s Origins.”
According to the article, IBM has won a $42 million contract to work with the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) to help decipher data from the world’s largest telescope that explores the origins of the universe. It’s known as the SKA project. Pretty cool, huh? too bad the project won’t be completed until 2024. The article states:
“The SKA project is backed by an international consortium to build the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope. Scientists estimate that the processing power required to operate the telescope will be equal to several millions of today’s fastest computers. The telescope will be used to explore evolving galaxies, dark matter, and data from the Big Bang, or the creation of the universe more than 13 billion years ago.”
This project has been referred to as big data analytics to the extreme. However, while this is a very cool endeavor, we wonder why IBM hasn’t brought Watson into the mix. Oh, Watson is busy curing disease. Next up interstellar big data.
Jasmine Ashton, April 14, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
An Adobe Core Competency: Analytics
April 14, 2012
Buy a company and you are an expert in what that acquisition does. I think that is how former middle school teachers, MBAs, and azure chip consultants perceive their expertise.
Media Post News Online recently posted the article “Adobe’s Project Midas Expands Predictive Marketing Tools,” which reports on Adobe Systems’ plan to push deeper into online marketing by adding software that can predict consumer behavior to the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite.
According to the article, the new product was tested around Black Friday, but sales fell short of Adobe’s other electronic offerings. So they have adjusting their advertising spending to compensate for this setback.
The article states:
“Adobe, which captures more than six trillion transactions yearly for more than 5,000 digital customers, collectively represents more than 27 petabytes of data. The company runs software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings through 23,500 servers and networked devices in 19 data center co-location sites. Aseem Chandra, vice president of marketing for Adobe’s Digital Marketing Business, calls the new feature “predictive marketing” to analyze events throughout the entire funnel to help marketers analyze the data to determine any concerns.”
It’s good to see that Adobe is keeping up with the times by adding predictive analytics software to their solutions. Will the analytics interface be designed to be difficult for 67 years olds to read? Oh, Adobe is an expert in interface design. Will this blend of art and math roll out a market steamroller? We watching.
Jasmine Ashton, April 14, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Google and Revenue
April 13, 2012
The real news publications and the poobahs have been covering the Google quarterly report like termites in my walls here in rural Kentucky. I found one comment in “Google Earnings: Lower Cost per Click Does Not Reflect Health of Our Business” really fascinating—the headline.
Here’s the passage I noted for my quote file:
Amid an otherwise strong earnings report, Google for the second consecutive quarter announced CPC prices were down, by 12 percent year over year for the quarter.
Are there implications? Absolutely. Think those free ride, SEO manipulations for organic search will work as well tomorrow as they do today? Well, you may want to think again and start to get with the AdWords program.
Just our opinion, of course.
Stephen E Arnold, April 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Google Is Your Friend
April 13, 2012
Search Engine Watch recently reported on more search engine optimization paranoia in the article, “SEO & Google: The Ugly Truth.”
The article argues that we’re all paranoid that Google is trying to use its substantial search engine optimization power to screw us over, when in reality, the search giant could care less about us little guys.
The article states:
“Then of course there is the whole problem of the SEO inferiority complex; the need to be special. Maybe it’s because we have been marketing whipping posts. Could have been an accident when it was a child. I’m unsure. I do know that each time Google shuffles to scratch its backside my brethren far and wide start to pronounce how it was somehow just to combat, mislead or piss them off.”
This article did an excellent job of making my search efforts even less important than I thought they were. The SEO experts are trying to find a way to keep their revenues soaring at a time when Google appears to be making an effort to improve its relevance.
Jasmine Ashton, April 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Analytics Firm Humanizes Web Traffic Analysis
April 13, 2012
BetaKit recently reported on a new product put out by the data analysis firm known as Mixpanel in the article “Mixpanel Launches Flow to Humanize Web Traffic Analysis.”
According to the article, Flow is a free tool that gathers user information in real-time. It will hopefully raise awareness about the Mixpanel brand while driving more customers to the companies paid offerings.
The article states:
“The immediacy of feedback, combined with a focus on usable, attractive design are what help it stand out from competitive offerings. Insights that can be gleaned from the kind of information Flow provides are sometime obvious; users tend to click on links from left to right when they appear next to one another, for instance, with the left-aligned links often being clicked more frequently than the rest in navigation bars.”
While this product has some very exciting new features, it also has some limits. Unlike competitors like Google Analytics, Flow doesn’t yet provide information about the source of traffic coming into the website. Although it plans to eventually include that information. Where Mixpanel is setting itself apart is by putting significant emphasis on design and accessibility of information.
Jasmine Ashton, April 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Enterprise Search Finds a Place in Higher Education
April 13, 2012
Enterprise search is no longer a fad, but a business and organizational necessity. Other information technology programs in higher education are not specific enough to address the intricacies of enterprise, so enterprise is being added to the curriculum. The San Francisco Chronicle reports in, “Microsoft SharePoint 2010 and OneNote 2010 Added as Electives for MOS Master Certification.”
“Microsoft SharePoint and OneNote are both integral parts of the MOS 2010 certification suite – the world’s most recognized, standards-based credential chosen by individuals seeking to validate their skills on Microsoft Office. MOS 2010 is the next generation of Microsoft’s industry-leading business certification program that accounts for the delivery of over one million certification exams annually.”
While the certification is offered through Microsoft, outside the confines of traditional higher education, it is a validation of the importance the industry places on enterprise and SharePoint knowledge.
While everyone is made better by increased knowledge and understanding, we wonder if the training is necessary for everyone or if it most users could instead consider the addition of a third-party solution to make enterprise simpler. Fabasoft Mindbreeze is one such third-party offering. Their suite of solutions is optimized for user experience, efficiency, and simplicity.
Hermann Löberbauer of Ferngas AG (Austria) offers the following endorsement of Fabasoft Mindbreeze products:
“We have been using Mindbreeze for fast information search since 2005, starting with the desktop version for individual workstations. Now we use the Enterprise Search solution throughout the company. Our knowledge base currently comprises more than 10 million documents from various data sources, plus the captured metadata. Finding the relevant information in file systems or Microsoft Exchange without Mindbreeze would be very time consuming.”
Training is good, but sometimes costly. Consider taking an easier way out and explore smart third-party offerings from Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
DMR Index Helps Advertisers Make Digital Choices
April 13, 2012
DMR has produced a niche search service for online advertisers. Online Media Daily reveals, “DMR Searchable Index Connects Advertisers with Technology.” Now in beta, the DMR Index is an online platform intended to match advertising challenges with the appropriate technology. Writer Laurie Sullivan reports:
“The index emerged from DMR Partners, which launched about nine months ago as a thought-leadership group to focus on issues in the online ad industry. Those identified issues in social TV, cross-device retargeting, augmented reality, location based targeting, and others became the initial focus of the DMR Index. . . . Think of a cross between LinkedIn, Hoovers and LUMAscape slide. The site supports a search and review tool to help agencies and brands find and feel comfortable about doing business with companies in specific niche areas within digital advertising. It will help to connect clients with the best vendors and solutions, as identified by advertisers’ reviews and comments.”
Advertising agencies will provide the rankings, choosing to do so either anonymously or acknowledged. This tool is free for now, but the plan is to introduce several levels of paid services. Consulting also provides revenue for the site.
DMR Partners’ mission to bring together advertising technologies and clients is promising, and I suspect the site will eventually make a pretty penny. The four partners possess a collective 25 years of experience in marketing and digital media.
Cynthia Murrell, April 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Not All PLM Solutions Translatable to Mobile Apps
April 13, 2012
Over the last few years the demand for ‘an app for that’ has grown to the point that every software designer is rushing to spit out an app for just about every product. A recent blog post on PLM Twine, “Mobile PLM Gold-Rush. Did Vendors Miss the Point?”, explains why mobile apps are not always the best solution. In author Oleg Shilovitsky’s opinion PLM software designers are missing the point entirely of apps for mobile devices – to simplify on-the-go work. Instead, software designers are creating miniature versions of their software for mobile devices.
As Shilovitsky explains,
“I think, a better idea for mobile and tablets is to think about applications that can be used to perform a specific task. I want to have ECO mobile app on my iPhone to make an approval when I’m on go. Alternatively, I can review my tasks list before working day or in the airport. Sales person or maintenance technician may have an app that can search for a particular drawing or visualization.”
As more PLM solutions are moving to the cloud the temptation to make an app for every single process can be all-consuming. Small companies, like Inforbix, are not as concerned with appeasing every whim and trend and focus, rather, on providing the best service possible to their clients with their cloud-based PLM software.
Catherine Lamsfuss, April 13, 2012
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