New Advancements in BI Semantics Asserts FiirstRain
August 11, 2012
Business Intelligence or BI is steadily becoming more and more relevant as we consumers continue to pursue online activity. The article, FirstRain Spotlights Semantics Across Domains discusses more about the application of newer BI technologies like FirstRain and how they are revolutionizing the playing field. The article claims that this particular BI can process thousands of pages of consumer relevant data for businesses on a daily basis from online content like news, blogs, PR, web sites, etc. YY Lee who is the head of the intelligence for FirstRain explained a little bit about how the company got to this point.
“Ten years ago we tried a taxonomy but they don’t really work because they are static…So we created a flexible data structure that could reflect the different atomic players and pieces in the business, and based on the information we see coming over we could [semantically] categorize and derive the structure of different business and relationships between entities. So, over time our internal data structures are driven by the information we process.”
By implementations like the addition of FirstTweet, a technology that processes Twitter postings for customer data it is clear sign that BI advances at least as fast as consumer activity does. But even this technology is flawed, “With tweets and social content the information ambiguity could just kill you,” Lee said in the article. One has to wonder if these kinds of kinks in the newest BI can even be solved before the technology becomes outdated.
Edie Marie, August 11, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Open Source Options for Collaboration in SharePoint
August 10, 2012
In “Open Source Tools Level SharePoint 2010 Collaboration Playing Field,” Shawn Shell discusses collaboration options in the SharePoint community.
Shell has this to say:
But while there are many available tools that can expand SharePoint’s collaboration capabilities and fill the gaps in its out-of-the-box functionality, some organizations simply can’t afford them because of budget constraints. As a result, many often find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. The good news is that one of the strongest dimensions of the SharePoint universe is a surprisingly robust open source community. It comprises individuals, user organizations and even ISVs that provide tools and utilities that are reasonable alternatives to commercially licensed add-on products.
The author also comments on collaboration alternatives for employees, such as the Community Kit for SharePoint (CKS) and the Learning Management System (LMS). However, Shell also states that it is important to read the documentation of these two projects very carefully because they are handled by separate teams. The read may be worth it if you’ve been looking for possible fixes to SharePoint’s capability gaps.
Collaboration capabilities are imperative as businesses get social. To tap into the new possibilities, consider a third party solution to complete your enterprise search system. We like Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Managing director Michael Hadrian explains the Mindbreeze solution:
Fabasoft Folio Cloud enables quick, secure and mobile collaboration both internally and between international companies. Business processes with customers and partners cannot be realized any quicker or more cost effectively…This enables worldwide connected collaboration and secure data exchange in protected team rooms.
For a complete search solution with the power of information pairing, check out the full suite of solutions at Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Philip West, August 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Oracle Report Exposes Gaps in Data Management Solutions
August 10, 2012
It might be easy to assume that since big data has received so much attention of late and big data analytics solutions are popping out of the woodwork companies across all industries would be sitting pretty when it comes to data management. A recent Oracle survey described in the Information Week article, “Oracle Big Data Study Shows Longtime Pain”, tells quite a different story.
As the article explains,
“The study’s report-card-style scorecard revealed that only 8% of respondents gave their organization an A grade and 32% a B on ‘preparedness for a data deluge.’ Meanwhile, 48% of respondents gave their organization a C or below on ‘translating information into actionable information,’ 47% said they deserved a C or less on ‘distributing timely information,’ and 39% said they deserved a C or less on ‘reporting on information.’”
These scores and the situations and conditions they represent should be an eye-opener to the PLM industry. Traditional data management solutions are not cutting it anymore and new data management systems are either not reaching companies or they are not implemented correctly. One solution that we support is Inforbix which offers “tools (we call them product apps) that help people quickly and easily aggregate, access, find, and expose data in their company.” We are convinced that Inforbix is one of the PLM solutions on the market that ‘get’ what today’s PLM consumers need and then provide it.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Neofonie Technology Underpins Labdoo
August 10, 2012
Neofonie GmbH, based in Berlin, Germany, is a long-term player in search; the company has been in the market since 1998 and created the early German search engine fireball.de. Their technology is now being used at Labdoo.org, home base for the Labdoo project, a 501(c)(3) organization. The project’s About page explains its goals:
“A laptop is a door to education, providing children free access to open source education tools and electronic books through the Internet.
“In the richer countries, every year more than a hundred million laptops are replaced by new ones. This number continues to increase, yet most of the children in the poor regions of the world still lack access to education.
“The goal of Labdoo is to use grassroots, decentralized, social networking tools to efficiently bring excess laptops to the children in the developing world without wasting additional Earth resources.
“Join Labdoo and use the social network tools to bring a laptop to a child!”
A worthy cause, to be sure. Though the project won’t be officially launched until early next year, its Web site is up and running. The organization encourages visitors to use its tools to build their own “mini-missions and hubs.” Doing so, it emphasizes, will help further the development of their platform.
Neofonie began as an offshoot of the Technical University of Berlin. They make it a point to meet, and to innovate beyond, market demands. The company produces enterprise search as well as portal and vertical search products for both Web solutions and mobile apps.
Cynthia Murrell, August 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Information Builders Cages the Columbus Zoo for Business Intelligence
August 10, 2012
In an unusually informative press release, Information Builders crows, “Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Selects Information Builders to Gain a Consolidated View of Business Operations.” The write up goes into unusual detail on how the organization is taking advantage of the software. It quotes zoo V.P. of Technology Services Gregg Oosterbaan:
“We’ve grown at a rapid rate in recent years, expanding our operations to include several new entities. We needed tools capable of capitalizing on our vast data assets, from point-of-sale, membership, and ticketing data to donations and animal health. We have a lot of different information systems, and we lacked a unified view across all of these entities, which made it difficult to make knowledgeable decisions. Information Builders is supplying the technology and services that we need to provide the best possible experiences for our animals and guests while continuing to grow our operations.”
The new unified data warehouse, created together by Information Builders and zoo staff, initially supports two reporting portals: a membership and a revenue portal. The software company’s WebFOCUS BI platform pulls from disparate data sources to produce valuable reports.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, located in Columbus, Ohio, houses over 9,000 critters. The organization also spends over $1 million a year to support more than seventy conservation projects worldwide.
Headquartered in New York, Information Builders has offices around the world and remains one of the largest independent, privately held companies in the industry. The company has been in operation since 1975, possibly because of their stated focus on customer success.
Cynthia Murrell, August 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Informatica Study Reveals Attitudes on Personal Data
August 10, 2012
Informatica provides us with some interesting information on perceptions of the personal data issue in “UK Consumers Rank Top Contributors to Personal Data Deluge.” The data integration company commissioned a survey of over 2,000 consumers in the UK in May 2012 in order to discover their attitudes and behaviors when it comes to sharing personal data with businesses. Not surprisingly, young people were found to be the least reluctant to hand over personal information; they are also the group most ready to accept that supplying such data can result in better service.
Some highlights of the report include:
“*Only 35 per cent of UK adults trust businesses to use their personal data as directed by them. . . .
*59 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds and 48 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds agreed that if businesses provided clearer explanations of why they wanted their personal data, and what it will be used for, they would be more inclined to give it to them.
*Further to that, almost one in ten (9%) of the younger generation (those aged 18 to 34) felt that the more personal information they provide a business with, the better the service they receive as a result.”
Another interesting finding: sixty-one percent of respondents chose their family doctor as the least likely to share their information with a third party. Facebook’s score on that question was the lowest, at thirteen percent. That high?
See the press release for more findings from the survey. Informatica’s take-away is that companies must communicate better with users about the ways in which they will use their data. I wonder, though; if the issue is a matter of trust, how much help will clearer language really be?
Informatica boasts that it is the world’s foremost independent provider of data integration software, with nearly 5,000 organizations using their products. Though the company has offices around the world, its headquarters can be found in Redwood City, California.
Cynthia Murrell, August 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Alternatives to Windows Default Search Function
August 10, 2012
BACKLOG Alternatives to Windows Default Search Function
Makeuseof gives us “7 Awesome Alternatives to Windows Search.” Why not just use Windows Search to find stuff on your computer? You can, of course, but the article explains:
“Have you ever searched for a program, file or folder on your computer only to discover that the default search application takes longer to display your search than it does for you to go find it manually yourself? I have. And I’d imagine that most Windows users face this same dilemma.
“Although there are some things you can do to improve searching using the Windows Search – and the search application seems to be much more improved in Windows 7 – there are some excellent alternatives to the default Windows Search that you should consider.”
All list entries are free and hand you results faster than Windows Search. Some, writer Aaron Couch asserts, even pull up more accurate results. His seven picks are: UltraSearch, Snowbird,FileSearchEX, Super Finder XT, Locate32, Search Everything, and Launchy. See the write up for Couch’s description of each tool.
There’s no denying that free is great. However, that qualification left a couple of our favorites off this handy list: Sow Soft’s Effective File Search and Pocket Search from Gaviri. Both of these applications do offer free trials, so you can still get a free of charge.
Cynthia Murrell, August 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Community Discussion on Microsoft Suite of 2013 Preview Releases
August 9, 2012
Kurt Mackie comments on the new SharePoint 2013 in his recent Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine post, “Microsoft Releases Previews of Office 2013, SharePoint 2013, and Exchange 2013.”
Mackie explains the recent preview releases from Microsoft:
Those previews include 2013 versions of SharePoint, Exchange, Lync, Office Web Apps Server, Project, Visio and Office Professional Plus. Microsoft has a single portal for downloading those trial applications, which can be found at its new Office site page here. Those releases come a day after Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president of the Microsoft Office Division, officiated over the launch of the next Office 365, which includes an actual service-enabled version of the full Microsoft Office productivity suite.
The author also discusses possible points of confusion among Office 365 as a service and as a premises-installed Office version. Only recently has Office 365 become cloud enabled. Mackie finishes up his article with a few comments on SharePoint 2013 and Exchange 2013 improvements, with enhanced social networking capabilities in SharePoint being a highlight. With the community buzzing about the new releases, the read may be worth it for you to stay in the loop.
But while you consider migrating options to new versions and new features, look to enrich your system now with a comprehensive and lean solution. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise provides consistent and comprehensive information access to both corporate and Cloud sources. The seamless Cloud solution makes sure you find the right information you need at any time. Check out the full suite of solutions at Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Philip West, August 9, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
PLM Proving Invaluable to NASA Mars Mission
August 9, 2012
Just when we think we’ve seen product lifecycle management (PLM) used for every possible use a news story proves us wrong. The recent article, “New Sim, Testing Tools Used to Design Mars Lander”, on EE Times, shares the details of how a PLM solution is making it possible for NASA to land a robotic rover on the Martian surface.
According to the article NASA has chosen Siemens PLM to design a way for the space team to test various landing and take-off scenarios for the rover spacecraft. The response from Siemens was enthusiastically optimistic:
“The company claims its integrated suite of tools called NX pulled together disperate CAD, CAE and CAM tools to allow JPL engineers to ‘capture all of the DNA of [the Mars Science Laboratory] design’ and determine, for instance, whether they ‘over-designed it,’ (Tim Nichols, managing director of Siemens PLM Software ) said. NX was used to develop many of the mechanical portions of the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, particularly the thermal control systems for entry, descent and landing as well as for surface operations at Curiosity’s planned landing site at Gale Crater.”
Now that more providers, and users for that matter, are realizing that PLM is not industry specific and relegated to only manufacturing but rather is a new way of doing data management the possibilities are endless.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 9, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Microsoft and Google go Social with Search
August 9, 2012
There is good news for those information seekers who want the social rabble to provide insight on their results. Microsoft and Google are both rolling out features to extend social networking capabilities in their search services.
Bing will now include tips and recommendations from Foursquare users in search results and Google will be allowing searchers to include a link to share results directly to their Google+ page.
An article on ComputerWorld, “Bing and Google Deepen Social Integration in Search,” explains the developments of the continuing social integration. About Google, the article states the new share button will allow users to post links to their Plus page without leaving the results page. The changes in Bing’s world are explained as well:
“Bing will display tips and recommendations shared publically to Foursquare about businesses or other locations relevant to a user’s search query and location, Microsoft said. The search engine displays the Foursquare content in its social sidebar, which launched this spring. The tips and recommendations will be included in the ‘people who know’ section, which doesn’t require the Bing user to be signed in to his or her social networks.”
The changes show that all companies, including the big guys, are struggling to determine how to best integrate social content with search. The competition is strong and no clear winner seems to be emerging. Perhaps that is because some people are not prepared for the full integration of social networking within the rest of their online business.
Andrea Hayden, August 9, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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