New SharePoint Book Features Business Connectivity Services
June 13, 2012
The InfoZine story, “Microsoft Sharepoint 2010: Business Connectivity Services,” introduces us to a new book by the same name. Ideal for all manner of SharePoint engineers and developers, the guide is a good resource for maximizing all the potential that SharePoint has to offer.
The review gives us an introduction:
Led by a team of SharePoint experts, you’ll learn how to integrate data from several systems—such as sales, accounting, and inventory—and then search, display, combine, and modify the information using code and no-code SharePoint solutions. This hands-on guide is ideal for SharePoint project managers, business analysts, architects, and administrators.
Customization is a big part of utilizing SharePoint, and no doubt this book provides a lot of customization details and tips. However, many users find that customization is too consuming in terms of time and staff to be able to do it properly. For these users we recommend a smart third party solution, like Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise understands you, or more precisely understands exactly what the most important information is for you at any given moment . . . The information pairing technology brings enterprise and Cloud together . . . Information pairing brings enterprise information and information in the Cloud together. This gives you an overall image of a company’s knowledge. This is the basis for your competitive advantage. In this way you can act quickly, reliably, dynamically and profitably in all business matters.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise can stand alone or work alongside an existing SharePoint infrastructure, making it a seamless way to add a level of intuitiveness and efficiency without the added investment in customization. Furthermore, Fabasoft offers an entire suite of additional solutions, seamlessly weaving your SharePoint installation together with your other systems.
SharePoint is no doubt the industry leader, and readers will always be interested in more tools, tips, and tricks. However, for the organization that needs increased efficiency and user experience without the added hassle, a smart third party solution like Fabasoft Mindbreeze is worth consideration.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Hortonworks Presents a Hadoop Version
June 13, 2012
When one really begins to break down product lifecycle management (PLM) they find at the heart of any platform data management tools. With this knowledge firmly held as true Hortonworks has released a Hadoop version of their data analytics platform. The article, “Hortonworks Releases Its Hadoop Version”, on Computer World, explains how the Hadoop platform will make Hortonworks more accessible.
Included in the newest version is a nod to PLM as the article explains:
“To aid in management, the package includes a customized version of Apache Ambari, a Hadoop monitoring and lifecycle management program. With this software, an administrator can set up a single Hadoop instance across a number of servers. Once Hadoop is installed, the software then monitors performance of the servers as well as the Hadoop jobs themselves, presenting the data on a dashboard.”
It is impossible to separate data analytics from data management which, as mentioned above, is the glue that binds all PLM solutions. Inforbix, a leader in PLM solutions for the engineering industry, has long understood the importance of data management solutions and has achieved a reputation for innovation by providing apps with a focus on finding, sharing and reusing data. With a commitment to open source technology Inforbix is leading the way to the PLM solutions of tomorrow.
Catherine Lamfusss, June 13, 2012
The Partnership Race: Will the Tactic Work for Search?
June 13, 2012
As functions of technologies intersect, companies build partnerships to extract the maximum value possible. The article “Clarabridge and Connotate Partner to Provide World-Class Online and Social Media Data Analysis” discusses a newly formed partnership in one of the key areas where many technologies are merging: social media.
Clarabridge provides sentiment and text analytics for Customer Experience Management and Connotate offers data management solutions. This partnership will enable users to analyze and draw insights from the feedback data. Financial Services, Pharmaceutical and Market Research professionals will now be able to easily retrieve and store customer feedback data from specific online platforms.
According to the referenced article, CEO of Connotate Keith Cooper discussed the growing options customers have to voice their opinions online:
“In order to get a truly holistic understanding of customers, companies need to be able to look deeper into what customers are saying above and beyond Facebook, Twitter and other popular social media sites. With Connotate, companies can easily collect data from thousands of niche sources in almost any industry — ranging from pharmaceutical and online retail sites to global news outlets.”
Both companies clearly benefit from the others’ technology. Hopefully for their sakes, potential clients will see each of their added value. Perhaps this will result in a jump start to sales for each company?
Our view is that resellers with market traction can pick and choose the tie ups that have the greatest upside. Search vendors may find that wooing a hot reseller is more difficult than ever before.
Megan Feil, June 13, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Facebook Preferences to Advertisers
June 13, 2012
Wired gives us the inside scoop on “How Facebook Knows What You Really Like.” It all hinges on Open Graph, a system that expands Facebook‘s famous connections mapping technology to its commercial partners. The initiative is an addition to the Facebook Platform, the toolset that lets outside companies develop applications that link into the social network. Targeted marketing at its tightest. The article explains:
“In the case of Open Graph, the task is to weed through the mountains of data streaming from outside operations and serve up only the stuff that’s most relevant. The system works in two stages. First, it seeks to determine how interesting a certain type data would be to Facebook’s audience as a whole. Then, using this global rating as a starting point, it tries to determine how important the data is to you in particular.”
So, because I have shown an interest in technology, music, and travel, those are the kinds of adds I see in my feed. The software that keeps track of what we like, called Scribe, is designed to log large amount of data in realtime; another program analyzes that data to determine big-picture trends. About a billion clicks are processed per hour.
Wired’s Cade Metz theorizes that the Open Graph model, though designed around Facebook, could become a standard for other Web services. Perhaps, some day. For the moment, though, companies who have plugged in to the system report huge leaps in Facebook-supplied traffic. It’s good to know their investment is paying off.
What about the users? I, for one, am happy to see adds for (mostly) things I’m actually interested in alongside my newsfeed. Yes, data harvesting bothers many, but those folks shouldn’t be on Facebook anyway. We all go into it knowing the company is just using us to feed its advertisers. Right?
Cynthia Murrell,June 13, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Blekko and Firefox Get Engaged
June 13, 2012
Hampered by the lack of a dedicated search engine team, Mozilla is getting some help from Blekko according to CNet’s “Firefox Flirts with Bleko for ‘Instant’ Search.” A new partnership between the two has produced a Blekko add-on for Mozilla’s Firefox. Writer Seth Rosenblatt explains:
“The Blekko add-on (download), developed by Mozilla Labs’ Prospector team, aims to cut down on the repetitive search behaviors of many Firefox users. Mozilla says that its research indicates that people often search for the same term, not because they’re looking to find it again but because they’re attempting to navigate elsewhere. This add-on, like Google’s Instant search feature, cuts down on the extra steps by pre-caching sites, showing preview pages, and recognizing commonly searched-for terms from only a few typed letters.”
Yes, just like Google’s feature. This one, though, was built to work with Firefox, so perhaps that is an advantage for dedicated Firefox users like me. Besides, according to Mozilla developer Edward Lee, future updates could have the add-on sporting site previews, spreading search results across multiple tabs, and (optionally) including results from other engines.
Sounds good. Throw in a do-not-track policy a la Duck Duck Go, and I’m there.
Google may just buy some Firefox love. Stay tuned because money talks in some countries. Maybe Russia?
Cynthia Murrell, June 13, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
On Analytic Innovation: A Bold Assertion
June 13, 2012
The model of data management that relies solely on enterprise data warehouses (EDW) is on the way out. So proclaims Shawn Rogers at Inside Analysis in “A Wave of Analytic Innovation.” He writes that for the last twenty years:
“The EDW has played a critical role in how we serve our businesses with information and, for most of us, has proven to be an excellent investment. Early on, the EDW did an excellent job of serving the needs of business intelligence professionals, but was often challenged to maintain pace with how information use was evolving.
“Today, the EDW is under pressure from forces that were not present as recently as five years ago. These changes don’t spell the end of the EDW era, but certainly indicate that the ecosystem will expand to include new technologies and systems. Most companies are stepping away from an EDW-only ecosystem and moving toward a hybrid data ecosystem.”
Rogers lists the four factors he says are driving the change: a maturing user community; new technology; economics; and (I’d think most importantly) the proliferation of unstructured data. The new choice for many firms has become what the article terms hybrid data ecosystems. Data integration poses a particular challenge for these projects.
The write up is worth checking out. Rogers details the points I’ve outlined above, as well as providing a list of best practices for organizations looking to adopt a hybrid data ecosystem.
Our view is that as computational capacity goes up, more analytic methods become possible. Much of the “new” analytics is actually “old” methods which are now feasible. There is lots of “new” math to implement. So “new” may not be really “new.” Got that?
Cynthia Murrell, June 13, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Another Award for Fabasoft Mindbreeze
June 12, 2012
One of the greatest strengths of the Fabasoft suite of solutions is their interoperability. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise is a wonderful compliment and/or alternative to SharePoint. But the flagship product is not the only product getting attention. “Fabasoft Wins EuroCloud Austria Award 2012,” tells us that Folio Cloud is the best Cloud service product in Austria. We would argue that the product can hold its own internationally.
The article reports:
Karl Mayrhofer, Managing Director at Fabasoft Distribution GmbH accepted the award together with Fabasoft Folio Cloud Product Owner Mag. Harald Pfoser: ‘We are pleased to receive this award as the best Cloud service product in Austria. The expert jury showed a clear focus on more security in the Cloud and particularly highlighted the Cloud access with Digital ID, state-proofed identities. In Austria Folio Cloud supports this with mobile signature, in Germany with the digital ID card and in Switzerland with the SuisseID. Because business partners want absolute clarity concerning whom they are collaborating with online in Europe.’
More information about the Folio Cloud product can be found on the Fabasoft web site:
Folio Cloud stands for security and agility. Folio Cloud is the optimal online tool for efficient data management on all devices and secure online storage. Whether at home on your PC or on the move with your smartphone. Folio Cloud has established itself as the best solution for your mobile, secure data exchange. Agile data management and secure online collaboration are hereby guaranteed. Folio Cloud stands for a secure alternative to FTP Server.
So for SharePoint users who are struggling with Cloud service and mobile accessibility features, an implementation of Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise, teamed up with Folio Cloud may just offer the needed solution. The award-winning combo is definitely worth a second look.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 12, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Google+ Jumps into Photo Sharing
June 12, 2012
No doubt inspired by Flickr and Instagram, Google is doing a “me too!” in the photo sharing space. VentureBeat announces that “Google+ Wants to Be Your New Flickr.” Innovation, is thy name imitation? I guess it doesn’t matter, as long as the profits roll in.
At the recent two-day Google+ Photographers Conference in San Francisco, V.P. of Product for Google+ Bradley Horowitz expressed some strong opinions on the place of images in our online future. Specifically, he wants to maximize the metadata associated with any photo, down to the position of the camera, lens optics, even physiological information about the hand that holds the camera. Though that sounds a little Orwellian, the point is to capture as much detail behind each memory as possible. That’s sweet. Right?
Naturally, the purview of photo sharing applications is what happens to the image after it is taken.
Horowitz looks forward to the day when image storage, transfer, and manipulation are all easy and seamless. The article notes:
“Eventually Google aims to blur the line between the device and the cloud, so all the data you generate is automatically backed up, archived, and secured in a nice non-obtrusive manner. Automating this synthesizing stage would free up time for photographers to focus on the more enjoyable process of manipulating the data.
“Horowitz wants to increase the power of its own post-processing tools, making image editors scalable so that an amateur can use them as easily as a professional photographer. Replacing the very segmented image editing market and creating a tool that is equal parts Instagram, Lightroom, and Photoshop is an especially ambitious (perhaps naive) idea.”
So it is. Can Google achieve this lofty goal? Perhaps. The company has surprised us before.
Cynthia Murrell, June 12, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Codex of PLM Openness Now in Effect
June 12, 2012
In an often time highly competitive field it is refreshing to see a major provider of product lifecycle management solutions, SAP, commit to high standards of openness with other providers and customers. A recent Market Watch article, “Newsbyte: SAP Joins Codex of PLM Openness”, explains how SAP has joined the Codex of PLM Openness (CPO) and what that exactly means.
The article describes the CPO by saying,
“The CPO defines criteria for the openness of IT solutions used in PLM in order to help ensure that data created throughout the product life cycle can be used throughout the business as well. ProSTEP iViP has driven the CPO in close cooperation with PLM software users, PLM software vendors and implementation partners. The initiative describes a common understanding of the openness of systems in the context of PLM.”
We applaud SAP’s efforts to collaborate with others within the industry rather than mark territory which ultimately will destroy progress. Hopefully through careful partnering of companies offering PLM solutions innovation can flourish and the problems facing all industries utilizing PLM can be addressed with real resolution as an outcome.
Catherine Lamsfuss, June 12, 2012
Federated Data Explained
June 12, 2012
Index Data co-founder Sebastian Hammer discusses the nuts and bolts of search systems in an interview with David Weinberger of the Harvard Library Innovation Lab in “Podcast: Sebastian Hammer on Federated Search.” Both the 23-minute podcast and the written transcript are available at the above link.
The interview begins by defining federated search (a single interface for multiple data sources) and explaining how it differs from search engines like Google (which gather information then pull query results from a unified database.)
Hammer acknowledges that, in some situations, the federated approach is the only choice. For example, you’ll need it if the data you’re after is subject to frequent change. However, federated searches can be terribly slow, and all the data might not be available at the same time. Also, merging federated results can be problematic. On the other hand, building an index by pulling in everything you might possibly want to search can strain practicality. Hammer’s solution– a hybrid approach. He explains:
“So my notion is that you want to be able to gather stuff together in an index when it is practical and possible, and you want to be able to federate for the stuff where it’s not practical or possible. And you want to try to do both of those things as well as you possibly can and you want to try to somehow get the results of both of those types of searches back to the user as a single nice friendly merged search results.”
Simple, right? The interview goes into much greater depth on federated search now and in the future, as well as ways Hammer’s company strives to make the hybrid approach nice and friendly. I recommend checking it out.
Index Data has been creating discovery solutions for over 17 years. Based in Berlin, the company serves national libraries and consortia, government agencies, and businesses. They are proud to contribute significantly to the open source community. The company is happiest when riding on the cutting edge of their field.
Cynthia Murrell, June 12, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
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