Microsoft Decides It Is Time To Improve SharePoint Cloud
September 30, 2013
After a long while, Microsoft will update SharePoint Cloud. CRN tells us in the article, “Microsoft Beefs Up Cloud SharePoint With More Storage, Better Management,” that SharePoint Cloud’s upgrade comes as an investment on Microsoft’s part, because it is an important name on its sixteen-billon dollar business list. Microsoft is increasing the file upload size on the Cloud-based storage from 250 MB to 2 GB per file. Also users can now store .exe and .dll files on the Cloud just like they can on a server-based SharePoint installation. The goal is to eliminate sync problems SharePoint users have. Deleted items will stay in the recycle bin for a total of ninety days, instead of thirty.
“With all these changes, Microsoft is closing a gap between SharePoint Online and the on-premise version and opening up SharePoint Online to more users, Matt Scherocman, president of Interlink Cloud Advisors, a Cincinnati-based Microsoft, told CRN.”
Microsoft is giving its users more liberty and flexibility to work across multiple devices. To remain competitive this is the advantage it needs to remain a big league player. Stephen E Arnold of Arnold IT is curious how Microsoft will handle the search aspect of the Cloud. Will it be deployed across the server and the Cloud-based installation? What about security issues if that is the case? The updates are necessary, but it is important to not forget findability.
Whitney Grace, September 30, 2013
Reed Elsevier CFO Departs for Personal Reasons
September 30, 2013
Short honk. I stopped by the LexisNexis booth at the recent intelligence and police conference. I gave two lectures but apparently my topics did not have enough magnetism to “pull” LexisNexis attendees. I rectified the situation by stopping at the LexisNexis booth. I spoke with two LexisNexis professionals. I cut right to the chase. I asked:
How is LexisNexis revenue tracking to the Reed Elsevier plan?
Not surprisingly, the LexisNexis professionals were not able or willing to answer my question. The reason I asked is that I had heard that like a number of other high profile electronic publishing outfits, generating top line revenue growth was getting more and more difficult. Furthermore, delivering a profit to stakeholders and those who “share” in the organization’s profits was requiring quite a bit of ingenuity. I use the word “ingenuity” to refer to McKinsey and Booz Allen-type of cost control.
In my experience, once the easy costs have been trimmed, costs have an odd way of continuing to go up.
After my booth conversation, I saw the news story “Reed Elsevier CFO Resigns.” I assume that the information is correct, but even the rumor of a high level resignation catches my attention. The story reported:
Reed Elsevier PLC said Wednesday its Chief Financial Officer Duncan Palmer has resigned just over a year into the role, citing unspecified family circumstances.
The $16 billion outfit will plug the gap in the C suite. But my question is, “When will the company get back on the growth track, generate services which are “must have”, and have sufficient funds to train booth staff?
In my talk, I mentioned mostly free and advertising supported sources of information. Budgets, despite popular perceptions about intelligence and police entities, are tight. Some of the LexisNexis services are, in my view, very expensive. Using lower cost options makes good fiscal sense. The new Reed Elsevier CFO may find that one business factor difficult to ameliorate.
Stephen E Arnold, September 30, 2013
Improved SharePoint Migration with Metalogix
September 30, 2013
It is big business to improve on the SharePoint infrastructure, and countless companies specialize in add-ons and customization. Metalogix throws their name into the ring. Read more in the story, “Improved SharePoint Migration with Metalogix Content Matrix 6.2.”
The article begins:
“Metalogix has released Content Matrix 6.2, featuring a new tool for administrators to allow site and site collection owners, as well as power users, to tag, classify and organize SharePoint content. Metalogix says Content Matrix 6.2 offers an easier way for organizations to keep content organized as they migrate to SharePoint 2013 or Office 365.”
So organization and ease of migration are goals for the Metalogix product, but some say that these are problems that SharePoint users should not have to overcome. Stephen E. Arnold, one of the leading search expert with 30 years of experience, keeps an eye on SharePoint news on his Web presence, Beyond Search.
He asks the question:
“Does any of the enterprise software work without legions of technical experts applying bandages 24×7? Of the hundreds of thousands of apps, how many are in for the long haul?”
For now SharePoint augmentation and customization is big business, and there are plenty of options on the market. We will follow Arnold and see what comes down the pipe for SharePoint.
Emily Rae Aldridge, September 30, 2013
Be Wise and Do Not Ignore Social Media
September 30, 2013
Half the time when I speak with a customer service representative they are either automated or come from a foreign country where their English speaking skills are less than adequate. My most recent experience involved Priceline.com and a bull-headed rep somewhere in Asia. Three hours later I won, he lost. You can be sure I wrote about my experience on Twitter and how poorly I was treated. Sameer Nori started working at Attivio this year and in his blog post, “360 Degree View Of The Customer-Broken Promise Or Technology Limitation?” he takes a look at how companies are constantly searching for a business intelligence solution that allows them to monitor all aspects of their information.
This directly relates to customer service, because not all companies are watching customer feedback on social networks. People flock to social media networks to complain, which is then instantly broadcasted to thousands if not millions. It is the quickest and easiest way to ruin a reputation. What do you do? Attivio says:
“Customers are talking about your products and their experiences with your brand and you need to be prepared with the right information about them at the right time. I’m very happy to report that Attivio is being used at some of the largest companies in the world to reduce customer churn and increase customer satisfaction by bringing together structured data, unstructured data and unstructured content. The promise of the 360 degree view of the customer can finally be realized through Attivio’s unified information access platform!”
A piece of advice quickly turns into a big data product pitch. Still, this is how big data can be used. It can monitor all instances of when a company is mentioned on social networks and analyze the data for companies to implement better customer service policies.
Whitney Grace, September 30, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Applied Relevance Enters Big Data Market
September 30, 2013
We have discussed multiple times how big data is not a new concept, yadda, yadda. Moving on with the trend, Applied Relevance is one of the few companies we have read about that admits to it. It is a good marketing gimmick, especially since the company has a new product called Epinomy that offers instant enterprise intelligence. We have never heard this name before and can only come to the conclusion that Applied Relevance wants neologism “Epinomy” to be a term synonymous with big data. Reading through the description of Epinomy it acknowledges all of the right information about big data, meaning that it contains every little ounce of data about an organization and harnessing it can be beneficial.
The biggest problem about big data is how to discover the information across all of the types, storage systems, and platforms. Epinomy points out that an even bigger challenge is the enterprise system. That is where Epinomy says it comes in and takes control of the situation:
“Epinomy is all about making enterprise information easy to find and enabling real-time decision making.”
It highlights the key features: tags, explore, discover, and find. Basic stuff, but apparently they are offered in a new way. The biggest concern we have is how to pronounce the word: epinion-mee, epin-o-me, e-pin-omy? Any hints?
Whitney Grace, September 30, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Free Search Engine May Not be the Best Thing
September 30, 2013
While perusing Wisecleaner.com, I came across a free local file search tool called “Wise JetSearch.” What seemed funny to me is why would the average user want to download a freeware search engine on their computer, when most come programmed with a sufficient model? Before reducing this pile of code to the recycle bin, let us take a look at what it offers:
“Wise JetSearch can help you search files or folders on all your local drives in just a few seconds. Input your keywords, select the drive and then start to search. After searching, Wise JetSearch will show you the searching results such as file/folder name, path, size and last modified date. Also, a right click can provide you with a direct and convenient way to deal with the file/folder you found out. What’s more, Wise JetSearch only takes up few system resources.”
It is described as a general search engine, nothing really sets it apart. Now let us inspect the specs closer: free of charge, that is not very exciting. It is fast and easy to use. Maybe I am wrong when those two traits are listed as some of the top specs, I know I am dealing with junk. You can search using wild cards. Wow, that is fancy-smancy. Lastly, it searches FAT drives. Stop the troops, we are saved. These freeware Web sites translate to crapware. They usually slow down your computer by downloading toolbars and spyware. If you would like to infect your computer, go here. But we did not recommend it.
Whitney Grace, September 30, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
SharePoint Training Makes A Novice An Expert
September 29, 2013
Stephen Arnold, the noted search expert of Arnold IT, alerted me to PR Web’s news on trainings: “SharePoint Solutions Announces New SharePoint Training Classes In Nashville.” The different types of experience you have under your belt make all the difference between failure and success. Arnold notes that with the proper training the chances of success are increased, so it might be a good idea for those in or near the Nashville area to sign up for the classes. If one cannot make it to Nashville, the classes are offered live online.
SharePoint Solutions will be teaching the sessions, with the first beginning September 24. Training sessions have been scheduled for September, October, and November.
“ ‘Our courses provide students with practical hands-on training from instructors who are not only experts in SharePoint, but also experts in communicating technical information in a helpful, easy-to-understand manner,’ said Randy Moody, sales and marketing representative for SharePoint Solutions.”
The classes cover a variety of topics that include an introduction to SharePoint, basic business intelligence training, and trainings involving InfoPath. Becoming an expert in anything, such as Arnold with search, takes time to learn the fundamentals. SharePoint Solution’s courses are the basic tools to get you started on becoming a SharePoint expert.
Whitney Grace, September 29, 2013
Unexpected Observations from the President of Oracle
September 29, 2013
Perhaps the apparently incongruous remarks from Oracle president Mark Hurd foretell a shift in direction for his company. That was my thought when I read ReadWrite‘s piece, “Red Hat to Oracle: Have You Tried Free?” However, writer Matt Asay seems to see Hurd’s comments as either hypocritical or simply odd. What comments, you ask? Ah, let me back up.
Asay compares two posts that appeared on a LinkedIn blog platform a few weeks apart. The first, from Red Hat‘s CEO Jim Whitehurst, describes the way his company succeeds through the sale of affordable but valuable add-ons to open source projects. The key, he says, is creating an equation in which both customer and vendor benefit. We’re all for that.
Soon thereafter, Oracle’s Hurd contributed a post that appears to favor the open source approach by suggesting organizations adopt newer, cheaper technology. This despite the fact that his company seems to embody the very opposite of that concept. Asay explains:
“Hurd’s post is somewhat surreal. Basically, it reads like an anti-Oracle screed, talking up the need for CIOs to do more with less, talking down legacy enterprise apps and infrastructure, but conveniently overlooking the fact that it Oracle that dominates IT budgets—and not in a good way. He derides applications and their underlying infrastructure that are 20 years old (some of Oracle’s applications are 20 years old and its database is even older), insisting that ‘they require enormous funding to keep them fed and watered—and that’s why there’s nothing left over for innovation.’
“According to Gartner’s recently released vendor rating for Oracle, Hurd should know. The Redwood Shores giant gets positive marks for its technology, and improved ratings on support. The one area that it went from bad to worse? Pricing.”
Yes, that Gartner vendor rating also shows that—what with price increases, complex license metrics, and ballooning audits—dealing with Oracle gives IT buyers plenty of headaches. Asay cites those increased audits as evidence that the company is trying to get the most from existing contracts, probably because more businesses are indeed turning to newer, cheaper options. He also calls Hurd’s post “audacious” for suggesting that the cost of outdated systems is hampering businesses, since much of that legacy comes straight from Oracle. See the article for more of Asay’s analysis.
But what if Hurd is really signaling a change of course? Perhaps the company will embrace the open source model. If so, is it too late for Oracle to catch up to companies like Red Hat? Another burning question: will open source revenue now fund America’s Cup yachts?
Cynthia Murrell, September 29, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
LinkedIn Pins Hopes on Economic Graph
September 29, 2013
Writer Rachel King at ZDNet shares some of LinkedIn’s strategy for the future in, “LinkedIn’s Long-Term Plan? Build the ‘World’s First Economic Graph,’ Says CEO.” The article describes this vision, which does sound interesting. We here at Beyond Search, though, could wish for more emphasis on search functionality, which seems to be a secondary issue for the professional networking site. Well, maybe tertiary.
King writes that LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner spoke about the company’s plans at TechCrunch Disrupt 2013. We learn from the article:
“Weiner described that LinkedIn’s current value lies its ‘professional graph,’ which explained maps the world’s professional connections through profiles and job listings. The long-term vision for the next decade, he continued, is to develop the world’s first ‘economic graph,’ or mapping the global economy digitally. ‘Increasingly, jobs are fragmented. They’re not always about full-time,’ Weiner reflected. ‘We’d like there to be a profile for every company in the world.’ . . .
“When asked by TechCrunch’s Eric Eldon about potential competitors (notably Facebook, Salesforce.com and Google) in regards to this economic graph, Weiner avoided dropping any names. But he responded that there is ‘no company right now that has the professional focus that we do.'”
Yes, LinkedIn’s focus on the professional realm is indeed what sets it apart. It is also moving into a pre-professional space, if you will, with its new university pages. The project, combined with an age limit that has been lowered to 13, aims to help students find a college that is right for them. The hope is that students who use that feature will stick with LinkedIn throughout their career. Some may complain that lowering the age limit diminishes the professionalism of the site. However, this tactic could help ensure LinkedIn’s relevance well into the future.
Cynthia Murrell, September 29, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Palantir Funding: Exuberance with Alpha Brain
September 28, 2013
I read “Palantir Just Raised a Massive $196M, Filing Shows.” The factoid I noted was:
The rumored value of Palantir is at over $8 billion, and its chief executive, Alex Karp, told Forbes that it’s likely to close $1 billion in contracts next year.
What I found interesting is that none of the write ups I scanned mentioned “Berto Jongman: U.S. command in Afghanistan gives Army 60 days to fix or replace intel network [meanwhile, Palantir spends millions buying legislative intervention].” Perhaps, this report about issues with Palantir is off base. My hunch is that getting more information is going to be difficult.
My conclusion:
Investors may need Joe Rogan supplements to assist them in the Olympic revenue races ahead. Only the heat winners get to compete for after-tax profits.
Stephen E Arnold, September 28, 2013
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