Q-Sensei 2.0
April 27, 2012
Q-Sensei adds features to its ontology-based search system, we learn in MarketWatch’s “Q-Sensei Enterprise V2.0 Unveiled to Rapidly Develop Tailored Search applications for Big Data.” Prominently featured are an ontology-based data processing/ configuration and a new API to more efficiently handle big data.
What’s an ontology? We keep forgetting. The dictionary says it’s “the branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence or being as such.” Wait, that can’t be right. . . . Ok, in information system lingo, ontology “formally represents knowledge as a set of concepts within a domain, and the relationships between those concepts.” That’s better.
The press release says the newest version of Q-Sensei’s enterprise search platform is designed to tailor search-based applications quickly and flexibly to the needs of its clients, using data from Intranets, social media, third parties, and the Internet. We learn from the write up:
“With Q-Sensei Enterprise’s new ontology-based data processing, businesses can rapidly develop new, tailored search-based applications by using existing RDF and OWL resources such as database models, industry or domain-specific ontologies, process definitions and project configurations. This new processing approach also enables harmonization of semantics, components and functionality across business applications. It also improves the speed and efficiency of data process and indexing, increasing platform performance.”
Version 2.0 also boasts a semi-automatic, guided configuration and a new API that makes it easier to integrate Q-Sensei into other applications.
Q-Sensei was created in 2007 with the merger of the German Lalisio and the American QUASM, and now has offices in both Brooklyn and Erfurt, Germany. Q-Sensei focuses on multi-dimensional search, which it defines as combining full-text and dynamic faceted search with real-time content analysis. The company maintains that its solutions make it easy to find what you need, even if you don’t have the appropriate keywords on hand.
Cynthia Murrell, April 27, 2012
Sponsored by Ikanow
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Goes Fully Mobile
April 27, 2012
With each of its quarterly releases highly anticipated, Fabasoft Mindbreeze has made exceptionally newsworthy headlines with its Spring 2012 Release. Read what Daniel Fallmann, founder of Fabasoft Mindbreeze, has to say:
The Fabasoft Mindbreeze 2012 Spring Release is specially designed for tablets and smartphones. Everything that Mindbreeze could previously do on a desktop it can now do on tablets and smartphones too. Apple, Microsoft or Android – it makes no difference. This is important to us, since we’ve been working on strategy 100 for many years – 100% functionality on all platforms.
With more and more business being conducted on mobile devices, Fabasoft Mindbreeze is truly ahead of the pack in its adoption of mobile technology. The Spring 2012 Release seals their victory over the competition in this area. Instead of just being “more” capable of mobile searching than its competitors, Fabasoft Mindbreeze is now completely capable of conducting all enterprise functions from mobile devices, regardless of the platform.
Additional improvements include those made to Fabasoft Mindbreeze Insite, a solution that seamlessly integrates between an organization’s enterprise and its public facing web presence, insuring that the web site is always up to date. Internal users also get continuous updates without having to initiate a search.
Mindbreeze InSite integrates itself smoothly. You can now make your website searchable in the Cloud with InSite and make this data instantly available to internal users. In this way your website becomes a company- internal information center with maximum synergy effects. To exaggerate it slightly, new products, blog posts etc. concerning the company no longer need to be distributed via e-mail – instead the website automatically becomes the knowledge platform for everyone.
We have always been a fan of the smart solutions by Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Their adherence to intuitive quarterly updates is another strong selling point, with the Spring 2012 Release giving many organizations a reason to consider a second look.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 27, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Team Centric Focus All the Rage with Sopheon
April 27, 2012
Competition in the global marketplace is fierce no matter in which industry one may work. Product lifecycle management is no exception making constant innovation the only successful strategy to stay in the game. A recent Yahoo! Finance article, “Latest Version of Sopheon PLM Software Helps Innovators Tackle “New Normal” of Economic and Market Turbulence”, explains how one PLM provider is doing just that by focusing on the needs of team leaders as well as team members during projects rather than just the nuts and bolts of traditional PLM solutions.
The problem, according to the article, is as follows:
“Traditional project management methodologies and tools depend upon establishing detailed requirements, scope and timetables at the beginning of each project and rigidly carrying them through to the end. In today’s world, such inflexible granularity can have devastating impact on business performance, “hand cuffing” an organization’s ability to adjust innovation projects in response to shifting conditions. The consequences: wasted resources, slow time-to-market and lost opportunity.”
Sopheon’s focus on team members’ needs during the PLM processes is not new. Other companies such as Inforbix have long believed that for any PLM solution to be successful the needs of all users must be addressed leading the company to create personalized data management solutions for each client immersed with copious customer support. Inforbix’s focus is on enabling clients to find, share and reuse data in such a way as to overcome the problems of traditional PLM solutions as the article so eloquently wrote.
Catherine Lamsfuss, April 27, 2012
Autonomy Jumps Into Media Analytics
April 27, 2012
HP property Autonomy has released a couple of products that build on its IDOL server, CMS Wire reports in “Autonomy Offers Media Analytics with NewsSocial Release #NABShow.” Writer David Roe is intrigued by the move into the Digital Asset Management space, which has not traditionally been in HP’s purview. Well. . . expand or perish, right?
The first product mentioned in the write up is NewSocial 24×7. It could become a must-have for those in news rooms or anyone else who relies on real-time info. The article tells us:
“Powered by IDOL, the new solution provides in-depth, real-time media monitoring and analytics for all text, rich media voice and voice sources including print, online, blogs, social media and broadcast news. . . . NewSocial 24×7 offers real-time conceptual understanding of customer commentary on social media channels, allowing campaigns to be adjusted quickly.”
The second release, Virage MediaBin8, is designed to help users identify the most appropriate information for use in enterprise, Web, social media, or online advertising. Advanced features, like facial, logo, and other pattern recognition, are provided through the HP Digital Library. We learned:
“With Virage MediaBin, organizations can tag and classify rich media assets, regardless of format or language. It then applies this information to deliver advanced analytics, categorization, summarization, concept clouds, dynamic content associations, content hyper-linking and automation of business processes and workflow.”
Autonomy, originally founded in 1996, is a leader in meaning-based information technology. They take pride in building tools that efficiently extract meaning from unwieldy tangles of unstructured data. HP bought Autonomy in 2011.
Cynthia Murrell, April 27, 2012
Sponsored by Ikanow
Smaller, Closed Social Networks Gain Popularity
April 27, 2012
The Guardian recently reported, “Facebook, Google Must Adapt as Users Embrace ‘Unsocial’ Networks,” claiming the need and desire for social networks that go beyond the giants.
According to the article, smaller, closed networks are gaining popularity by giving users more control over what they share and who they are sharing with. These new social media outlets also set limits on who you listen to; for example, social network Path restricts you to 150 friends and Pair builds bonds between only two users. The article asserts:
“This growing interest in smaller, ego-boosting, privacy-controllable networks was inevitable, as social media reached mass scale. Two-thirds of Americans now use social platforms, according to Pew, and the majority say ‘staying in touch with current friends and family’ is the main reason why. Only 9 percent of respondents told Pew, when asked, that “making new friends” was a motivation.
For marketers, of course, this is a challenge. Word-of-mouth messaging spreads more slowly if audiences are closing off digital circles. For this reason, only Facebook has succeeded among social networks in generating significant advertising revenue—$3.1 billion in 2011—because it has resorted to old-school ad formats.”
We are cheering for the numerous alternatives to Facebook and Google and we applaud those that respect the need for privacy and intimacy. Although it presents a challenge for marketers, they may have to try something a bit more aggressive.
Andrea Hayden, April 27, 2012
Sponsored by Ikanow
Google Not Entirely Open
April 27, 2012
Google consistently claims to be “open,” yet was recently revealed by competitor Yandex to be “semi-open.”
The Guardian reported, “Google Shutting out Rivals, Claims Russian Search Engine Yandex,” telling us about criticisms toward the Android platform and Chrome browser from Yandex chief technology officer Ilya Segalovich. Responding to comments by Google co-founder Sergey Brin that others are endangering the internet, Yandex contends that Google should explain its “semi-open” approach to search competitors.
In the article, Segalovich accuses Google of abusing its dominance to shut out competitors in the field. We learn:
“ Segalovich suggested Google was guilty of foul play with its Chrome browser, which he said made it difficult for users to choose rival search engines, including Yahoo, Bing and Yandex, over its own market-leading product. He said internet users were effectively coerced into using the Californian internet giant’s products over those offered by rivals.
‘Things are definitely going where more and more control is in the hands of platform providers. It’s interesting that it’s not only mobile, but it’s also about browsers,’ Segalovich said.”
Not so open, eh? Closed platforms such as the Chrome browser do not leave users with much choice and could damage other companies offering similar (and possibly better) alternatives.
Andrea Hayden, April 27, 2012
Sponsored by Ikanow
Recommind Gets a Boost With Magistrate’s Ruling
April 27, 2012
It is amazing what a difference support from a public figure can do for a company. In the article, Plaintiffs move to recuse Peck in predictive coding case, now suggesting his financial link to Recommind | ACEDS.org we are provided with a fine example of the power of presentation.
Recommind received some fantastic publicity after this:
“On February 8, Peck ordered the parties in open court to adopt an e-discovery protocol devised by Recommind that implements its technology. He memorialized this order by a written opinion two weeks later.
Recommind called the opinion an instant sensation and a game-changer. In one fell swoop, Judge Peck likely had as big an impact as thousands before him who spent years working to lift the eDiscovery industry out of its inefficient, antiquated, overly manual and keyword-centric past.”
Though eDiscovery was initially having some issues, this magistrate’s positive re-enforcement of their policies seems to be providing them with a more solid reputation. Peck has went to bat for them by speaking publically at events and supported their programs without hesitation.
Even though Recommind is also receiving some negative publicity, Peck seems to be evening out the odds. It has been said, no publicity is bad publicity, and that saying rings true concerning the eDiscovery suits. The fact of the matter is Recommind is getting a boost from a magistrate’s ruling.
Jennifer Shockley, April 27, 2012
Sponsored by Ikanow
Consultant Picks on Apple. Real News Asks, Why?
April 26, 2012
Short honk. Navigate to “Why has Forrester’s CEO Become an Apple Doomsayer?” A real journalistic operation asks this question. I was surprised. Here’s the key passage in the write up:
Colony, to a great extent, is following the classic formula of the provocateur:
- Find a hook: Apple just had one heck of a quarter: the company blew past estimates on both earnings and how many iPhones it sold, while breaking other quarterly records in iPad and Mac sales.
- Find something contrarian to say: Sure, things look good, but the fun times won’t last. He even puts a time frame on it.
- Add a touch of obviousness: Everyone knows it’s a risk that Jobs no longer runs Apple. That’s hardly something people don’t know. The obviousness gives it credibility. Can you say that concern hasn’t crossed your mind?
- Add some context: Hey folks, bad things happen when the founder leaves a tech company. Look at Apple when Jobs left the first time around. Microsoft hasn’t been the same since Bill Gates stepped down. Hewlett and Packard. The list goes on. Other than Intel, it takes some time to think of a big tech company that continued to thrive after the founder or founders left.
Actually, this is a lot of words. The reasons are incorrect.
When a consulting firm makes any type of controversial statement, several thoughts go through my mind.
- Apple rejected a Forrester pitch to buy consulting services. Ouch.
- The controversial statement is designed to sell the firm’s services. After all, coming off a pretty good quarter—although not as lucrative as some of the azure chip outfits’ earnings I surmise—the radical statement suggests that the former English teachers and graphics arts professionals have hot, new information.
- Publicity.
I am delighted that “real” journalists have a formula for consulting services marketing. The capability may come in handy when another budget cut slashes through the erudite ranks.
Stephen E Arnold, April 26, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
A Click or a Sale: Which Do You Need?
April 26, 2012
A useful set of four questions to ask about online advertising and the inevitable metrics that trail along is outlined in the article, The Four Questions: Getting The Scoop On Viewable Impressions | C3 Metrics This simple outline can help businesses contemplate the most useful and profitable solution.
The point of the article is best summed up as;
“As I talk to clients and associates about the impending viewable impression standard, there’s some confusion about some of the finer points — some of the most techy ad ops questions in years. I’ve identified four of them:
1. How is data being collected?
2. How is the viewable impression method trafficked?
3. How do I grow a campaign using viewable impression data?
4. How does the iFrame issue get solved?
When evaluating the options available for your business, one should review all the information provided. Many people are misinformed when it comes to the simplicity of the click, and often don’t see the bigger picture. However, the big picture needs to be the primary focus when contemplating revenue.
We can’t stress the importance of asking the right questions when dealing with a provider. What matters more? A click or a sale? We vote for a sale. The click business sounds solid, but a click may not be revenue, just cost.
At ArnoldIT, we are into sales. Clicks? Meh.
Jennifer Shockley, April 26, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
No Search Required, Citizen
April 26, 2012
“Why Search? Let LaunchGram Bring New Product Info to You” is another business based on convenience. In the good old days, a person wanting new product information had to have an idea, choose a search system, and enter a query. No more, citizen. LaunchGram does the thinking and the work for you. Search is not yet dead, but it is on its last legs for some use cases. My view: Allowing systems to think for a person is a great step forward for those who want to pump pre-selected information into the mind of a potential consumer, voter, or decider. The addled goose prefers good old fashioned research, but he is 67 and is definitely in the minority of online information consumers.
Stephen E Arnold, April 26, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
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