A Discussion on Private versus Public Cloud in SharePoint
April 20, 2012
In “Private SharePoint Cloud Beats Other Cloud Hosting Options for Enterprises on Price, Practicability,” Jay Atkinson, CEO of AIS Network, discusses public versus private in the Cloud hosting environment. Atkinson suggests that Private SharePoint Cloud “is in.”
He explains,
A private SharePoint cloud is simply more economical and easier to manage for a large organization with security and compliance concerns, Atkinson said. An enterprise SharePoint Server 2010 platform implemented wholly in a private cloud, including the online storage components, exceeds core compliance requirements and surpasses the benefits of a public cloud or hybrid cloud.
With SharePoint 2010 deployed entirely in a private cloud, Atkinson said the customer gets:
- a hosted environment that is exclusively internal to the organization,
- complete control of its servers, security, permissions, policies and customization,
- seamless federation between line-of-business systems and various data sources,
- quick scalability for system resources, and
- the ability to move other core applications and platforms to the same private cloud.
Atkinson is quick to point out, though, that public cloud services are okay and often economical for small to mid-size businesses. Atkinson’s comments may be worth a look to keep in the loop on Cloud trends. But the article is just an introduction and you may want to do a little more research before choosing a Cloud service.
While SharePoint is a powerful and complex system, we know there are limitations when the Cloud is introduced, especially when it comes to search and security. For a Cloud solution in your SharePoint environment, check out Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Here you can read about the power of information pairing:
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise and the Cloud fit perfectly together. The Cloud makes you and your business mobile – Mindbreeze makes itself at home in the Cloud. The intelligent search is available as a Cloud service. This means that you, if you so desire, Mindbreeze can run without any installation whatsoever – we operate the search machine for you. All the data that you manage in the Cloud are made searchable by Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise is therefore also your center of excellence for your knowledge in the Cloud.
Add in certified security with regular audits for security standards compliance, and Mindbreeze connects users to their needed information without compromising information security. Check out the full suite of solutions at Mindbreeze to see what works for you.
More on AIS Network: AIS Network takes businesses to the cloud. Hosting pioneer AISN is a leader in cloud-based hosting for Microsoft SharePoint, SharePoint FIS, SaaS and other mission-critical applications for organizations with demanding security and compliance requirements.
Philip West, April 20, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
PLM in the Auto Industry
April 20, 2012
In recently naming Siemens PLM Software as the recipient of its 2011 Supplier of the Year Award, General Motors (GM) cited the significant role that Siemens’ technology has played in the automaker’s design, manufacturing, and marketing efforts.
This represents the fourth time that this global supplier of product lifecycle management (PLM) software has been honored with this award, Chuck Grindstaff, the president and chief executive officer of Siemens PLM Software, thanked GM for the recognition and emphasized, in remarks published in an article entitled “Siemens PLM Software Receives GM Supplier of the Year Award” that recently appeared in Industrial Distribution, the importance of PLM solutions to the auto industry:
“After working so closely with the incredible team at GM to thoroughly understand their requirements and deliver the solutions they need to build some of the world’s best cars and trucks, it is particularly gratifying to be named a 2011 General Motors Supplier of the Year. We know that understanding our customers and the industries they serve has helped us formulate a unique and practical vision for PLM that has contributed to the unmatched growth and momentum we are experiencing in the global automotive industry.”
Inforbix, with its affordable, intuitive, and scalable PLM products, also offers automakers and a host of other manufacturers data management solutions that will enable them to easily find, reuse, and share product data, which will in turn streamline their design, production, and sales efforts.
Tonya Weikel, April 20, 2012
Fake Reviews a Growing and Tenacious Problem in Social Media
April 20, 2012
Ah, sentiment and lies. Next Gen Market Research blogger Tom H. C. Anderson interviewed data mining expert Bing Liu in anticipation of his day-before workshop for the Sentiment Analysis Symposium in New York City early next month. He has titled his interview, “Practical Sentiment Analysis and Lies.” Interesting.
Professor Liu teaches at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in the Computer Science Department. His work on text analytics and detecting online ratings fraud was recently featured in the New York Times. Anderson posed Liu with questions on the upcoming workshop as well as on his work in general.
The words that caught my eye were in Liu’s response to the issue of detecting fake reviews:
“Social media is here to stay. Its content is also being used more and more in applications.
Something has to be done to ensure the integrity of this valuable source of information before it becomes full of fake opinions, lies and deceptive information. After all, there are strong motivations for businesses and individuals to post fake reviews for profit and fame. It is also easy and cheap to do so. Writing fake reviews has already become a very cheap way of marketing and product promotion.”
Important though the issue might be, Liu admits that ratting out fake reviews is a huge challenge. Almost impossible to identify simply by reading them, misleading missives must be discovered through secondary information, like aggregate reviewer behavior and the physical origins of a post. Apparently, a reliable method has yet to be developed.
So, let this be a reminder of something my Dad used to tell me: now, perhaps more than ever, you can’t believe everything you read.
Cynthia Murrell, April 20, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
OpenSearchNews Plans New Reference Service
April 20, 2012
OpenSearchNews.com is an ArnoldIT information service about open source search. On May 1, 2012, a new, free open source search content collection will become available. Each week, ArnoldIT will post a description of an open source search service.
Each of these descriptions will be six to 10 pages in length and contain basic information plus a description of each open source search system’s features. The commentaries will focus on companies or organizations offering open source search solutions. By September 2012, profiles will be available for 13 search systems, including FLAX, SearchBlox, Summa and 10 others.
The initial content collection will consist of individual profiles in PDF form. The complete collection of profiles plus additional information will be available from ArnoldIT later in 2012. The publisher, Stephen E Arnold, said:
The interest in open source search is growing rapidly. Unlike traditional enterprise search powered by proprietary system, the FOSS sector is showing considerable activity. We wanted to make available information from our portfolio of more than 80 search vendor profiles to help organizations looking for an alternative to the proprietary systems.
The profiles have been updated to reflect activity, including funding in 2012. The profiles complement ArnoldIT’s 2012 briefing on the enterprise search market,
This collection of profiles is required without charge, but registration is required to download a PDF version of the document. The content does carry a copyright notice. The information may be reused by a library or academic institutions. The documents and their content may not be used for commercial purposes, including training offered by consultancies or newly minted experts in open source search without prior written permission.
For more information about the open source search sector, write seaky2000 at yahoo dot com.
Donald C. Anderson, April 21, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com
A Useful Discussion of Baidu
April 20, 2012
Knowledge is power, and when reading the article, The Google of China: The Secret of Baidu’s Runaway Search-Engine Success – TIME one realizes that Wang Zhan definitely used his wisdom to acquire knowledge since creating Baidu. It is no small wonder that this popular Chinese search engine is on top of the game.
“In applying the principle to his product design this means “putting the user experience first.” It follows the rule that all its products have to stay simple and easy for the consumer to use.
“It doesn’t cost anything for a person to switch from one search engine to another. If you do something wrong, the user can just leave in one instant,” Wang explains. “This is not like changing your telecom service provider, where you have to change phone numbers.”
American based providers could take a few notes from Mr. Zhan’s book of ‘search engine’ enlightenment. Utilizing updated technology daily, they still keep things simple and convenient for the user. The entire concept seems almost like the company would be in opposition against itself. However, with his plan of action, Zhan has managed to make Baidu the primary search engine in China. They really do not have any competition, unlike the over saturated markets in the US. The sited article provides us a useful discussion of Baidu.
Jennifer Shockley, April 20, 2012
Sponsored by TheTrendPoint.com
IBM and Its Analytics Roll Up
April 20, 2012
IBM created WebFountain. In 2004, Searchblog posted a lengthy discussion of a system which would make sense out of the World Wide Web. “WebFountain, the Long Version” was a result of information provided by IBM’s engineers at its Almaden research facility. In 2004, WebFountain was one consequence of “ten years of work at Almaden on the problem of search.” The system was able to perform a number of sophisticated processes in order to allow IBM customers to make sense of large volumes of data. Wikipedia has a brief write up in which WebFountain is described as an “Internet analytical engine implemented by IBM for the study of unstructured data.”
In “IBM Betting Big Bucks on Data Analytics Software” I learned that IBM acquired Varicent Software. Varicent is an analytics and sales performance management company, which is a vertical solution with analytics as a foundation block. The key point in that article is that IBM’s “make sense out of data” revenue is expected to hit $16 billion by 2015. With analytics emerging as a hot sector for start ups, IBM seems to be a giant.
However, IBM’s analytics shadow has not been built on IBM innovations. The company has pursued an acquisition path with milestones such as Cognos (a $4.9 billion purchase in 2007) and SPSS (a $1.2 billion purchase in 2009), and the recent Varicent deal for an undisclosed amount. In addition, IBM acquired Algorithmics, Clarity Systems, i2, and OpenPages. “IBM and Varicent: Another Piece of the Analytics Puzzle” noted “IBM’s 4Q11 acquisition of DemandTec enables companies in the retail and distribution industries to make insightful decisions around pricing, while the fourth quarter acquisition of Emptoris focuses on improving and facilitating supply chain management decisions.”
Each is an analytics vendor.
The approach was described by Zacks.com as “accretive acquisitions.” “IBM to Buy Varicent Software” said:
Since 2005, the company has invested $14.0 billion in acquiring 25 companies. The company has engaged more than 10,000 technical professionals and 7,500 consultants in its analytics operations. IBM has 8 analytics solutions centers across the world and has more than 100 analytics-based research assets.
At a recent conference, analytics vendors talked about the demand for their services. None of the firms making presentation—for example, mentioned the IBM analytics empire or it possible dominance of the industry.
Several observations about IBM’s impact on the analytics sector.
First, there is now considerable blurring of structured data and unstructured data. The term “big data” implies that there are sufficient volumes of data to require highly sophisticated “roll up” systems to make sense of available information. IBM’s portfolio of analytics companies seems to have a solution to almost any business problem. At this time, IBM’s analytics products and services are not tightly integrated. Some assembly required applies to most analytics solutions. Will IBM be able to offer the “snap in,” fast start, and point-and-click approach some organizations desire?
Second, IBM’s broad portfolio of analytics tools, vertical solutions, and components is extremely broad and deep. IBM’s Web page “Take the Lead with business Analytics” covers only a fraction of what the company offers. How will IBM solution engineers keep track of what’s available and how certain products best solve certain customer problems?
Third, IBM seems to be collecting technologies, revenues, and customers. Some of the companies IBM has acquired such as i2 Group require specialized skills and expertise. In the case of i2, the typical analytics professional would require additional vetting and training to work with the firm’s particular tools. How many other of IBM’s analytics acquisitions “look” on the surface to be general purpose but on closer inspection are actually quite narrow and deep in their application?
My view is that IBM’s investments in analytics have created a demand for analytics. How can Big Blue be wrong? On the other hand, IBM may find that buying analytics companies does not deliver the payoff IBM management and IBM customers expect. The time, cost, and actual “real world” deliverables may be different from the expectations.
IBM will have to demonstrate that it can create a portfolio of solutions which can compete with the lower cost, cloud centric approaches that are proliferating. IBM has an anchor in open source search for unstructured data and a number of specialized luxury yachts for structured data. From a distance the fleet looks formidable. Up close, the same vulnerability teenagers in a skiff exploit in commercial shipping traffic may exist.
What’s clear is that IBM’s reputation for innovation has given way to innovation via acquisition. My hypothesis is that analytics is a very fragmented and niche business. IBM may have to buy more and more analytics vendors just to have a solution for the quite individualized problems many organizations face.
Stephen E Arnold, April 20, 2012
Sponsored by OpenSearchNews.com
A Book Review of Managing Records in SharePoint 2010
April 19, 2012
Mimi Dionne, a records and information management project manager and Consultant/Owner of Mimi Dionne Consulting, reviews a recent Bruce Miller publication in, “Managing Records in SharePoint 2010: An ARMA Report Review.” Bruce Miller’s 93 page book, “Managing Records in SharePoint 2010,” examines the capabilities and limitations of recordkeeping with out-of-the-box SharePoint 2010.
Miller’s report is divided into sections, starting with the use case, assessing record keeping requirements, and key underlying record keeping principles for SharePoint. Then the report shifts to implementing a file plan, folder structure and management, declaration and classification, classification accuracy, disposition, and concludes with recommended best practices and project implementation. Dionne’s review takes a look at all of these sections.
Dionne shares her overall summary:
This is a deeply-considered report that has useful, practical gems of advice scattered throughout. For example, if you’ve never fully considered metadata (beyond Dublin Core), you will find some listed in Appendix B quite valuable. However, blink and you miss them. I wish he had highlighted them better. Investing in Mr. Miller’s report is a wise move by ARMA International. The reader does get very useful advice — his hints on records management in MySites are worth the price of the publication alone — but if you seek a cookbook to teach you how to assemble a SharePoint 2010 Records Center, this is not it.
If you’ve been considering purchasing Bruce Miller’s book, Dionne’s comprehensive review may be worth a look. If you’re looking to save time and resources spent on training materials, consider a third party solution, like Fabasoft Mindbreeze, to round out your SharePoint system.
Mindbreeze can also help you connect the dots in your SharePoint adoption. The Fabasoft Folio Connector integrates all your business information from the intranet, Cloud, internet, and knowledge portals in the corporate-wide search, while maintaining your strict access rights by integrating all information objects, including metadata. The Microsoft SharePoint Connector connects the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server to Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise and enables the search for documents stored in that application. With Mindbreeze, users can easily search and reuse information from documents, contacts, projects, Wiki articles, conference agendas, and more.
Philip West, April 19, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
PLM for CSPs
April 19, 2012
Among the transformative technologies that communication service providers (CSPs) could successfully adopt from traditionally unrelated industries such as manufacturing are product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions, particularly those offering the capabilities to create centralized product catalogs and to interface with social media.
In his article entitled “Social Media Takes the Driver’s Seat” that recently appeared in Pipeline, Faisal Ishaq argues why CSPs should follow the manufacturing industry’s technological lead and implement PLM into their operations:
“Manufacturing industries have been using product catalogs for years. Catalogs and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) processes have been used in manufacturing industries, almost since the inception of the product line. The ability to understand exactly what the customer wants, when they want it, and when to retire products, are strategies which CSPs are only beginning to embrace.”
Inforbix, whose cloud-based, intuitive, and scalable PLM products offer a variety of enterprises the freedom to find, reuse, and share product data quickly, is perfectly positioned to meet the technology needs of those organizations hoping to leverage all the efficiency gains and product marketing opportunities afforded by its nimble PLM design.
Tonya Weikel, April 19, 2012
Autonomy Private Cloud, Big and Growing
April 19, 2012
Now that’s big data: “Autonomy Puts 50 Petabytes in Cloud,” announces Gadget. Autonomy already held the record for the world’s largest private cloud, and this milestone stretches their lead. The write up reports:
“The Autonomy private cloud now manages more than 50 petabytes of web content, video, email and multimedia data on 6,500 servers in 14 data centers around the world. Fifty petabytes is equal to 665 years of HD-TV video, or 1 billion four-drawer file cabinets filled with text.”
Pausing to consider the amount. . . . Yep, that’s a lot. The article asserts:
“The continued dramatic growth of Autonomy’s private cloud is the result of a unique approach to cloud computing. Powered by Autonomy’s Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL), the private cloud automatically recognises concepts and patterns in the billions of structured and unstructured data files it ingests and indexes every day.”
Most vendors talk about big data. Autonomy, it seems to us, does it. The company offers a full range of cloud-based solutions that use Autonomy’s IDOL to tame mind boggling amounts of unstructured data. Now owned by HP, the company was founded in 1996. It has offices around the world and helps over 65,000 customers derive meaning from their overwhelming collections of information.
Cynthia Murrell, April 19, 2012
Sponsored by TheTrendPoint
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Microsoft Rolls Out Its Version of CloudSearch.
April 19, 2012
When Amazon publicized their big move with CloudSearch, no one was surprised that the technological behemoth Microsoft announced they’d be moving the Bing API into the Azure Marketplace. What exactly does this mean? The article, Microsoft’s answer to Amazon’s CloudSearch: Bing on Azure Marketplace | ZDNet gives us a little insight into what the future holds for Bing users.
“The Windows Azure marketplace is the site where Microsoft and third party vendors can sell (or offer for free) their data, apps and services.
Microsoft officials said the Bing API Marketplace transition will “begin in several weeks and take a few months to complete.” Via a post to the Bing Developer blog on April 12, officials did say that Microsoft plans to make the API available on a monthly subscription basis”
Microsoft’s effort to monetize ramping up API technology will probably lead quickly to success. The fees incurred have already been made public, as stated in the article Microsoft ends free Bing Search API, moves to paid service on Azure Marketplace. It seems they’ll be keeping things affordable so as not to overwhelm current Bing users, while providing faster, more efficient services.
“The company has released what it describes as “approximate” pricing for the service: $40 per 20,000 queries per month. Microsoft has not at this time said if there will be any introductory or free tier for low volume users. Though this rate compares favorably with Google’s search API pricing-$5 per 1000 queries—Google permits 100 queries per day for free. Microsoft’s translation API similarly has a free tier, allowing translation of 2 million characters per month without charge.”
There will be more competition for the premises crowd with Microsoft, Amazon and Google all three in the game. Though the basic services offered differ slightly, this will be a drastic change for Bing’s business users. They will eventually have to reconfigure their current systems to accommodate the Azure Cloud as stated in the article, Microsoft Got A Bright Idea From Amazon: Selling Search As A Service – Business Insider.
“Another bummer for developers who use Bing is that they will have to go back and rejigger their apps to use the cloud paid service”
Amazon may not have been the first to come up with the paid API idea. With the swiftness that Microsoft jumped into the ‘all in one’ provider revolution, one has to ponder how long the Azure API had been in the works. The article Microsoft to Begin Charging for Bing Search API Usage further explains and confirms the big moves taking place in API.
“This is sure to be a controversial move for some heavy users of the API, but it does show that Microsoft is going ‘all-in’ on Azure, consolidating its APIs under the product.”
There is no doubt this new API evolution will be causing some changes in the future. The smaller players like Searchblox will be required to work harder in order to compete in the upcoming API war. However, new opportunities will be arising for open source providers like Lucid Imagination, as the changes start to unfold.
Jennifer Shockley, April 19, 2012
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