Vodafone Improves Search Management
October 20, 2015
More than 8,000 call center agents use Vodafone’s internal knowledge management platform dubbed AskVodafone to access client information. AskVodafone’s old system was not performing as well as it used, so the company decided to upgrade to Exorbyte. Motor Traffic runs down Vodafone’s upgrade process in the article, “Exorbyte Matchmaker Managed Over 2 million Searches A Month On The Platform AskVodafone.”
Vodafone wanted to shorten an agent’s processing time on phone calls. The solution required faceted search, keyword suggestions, more accurate search results, and information related to a caller’s issue. Exorbyte created an individualized solution for Vodafone and they were given the job:
“Through the experience with the Exorbyte solutions and, of course, the existing site license used in the company the contract has been awarded directly to Exorbyte. These Andreas Vieth, Product Manager Search: ‘Due to the long and successful collaboration with Exorbyte it was logical for us to continue with them in the modernization of AskVodafone portal and to develop synergies between these and the Exorbyte search on the Vodafone website.’”
The solution indexes over 25,000 Web sites and it has increased the center’s data quality and results relevancy. The end result is that over 8,000 calls and 50,000 searches performed on AskVodafone are resolved faster and with better information.
Whitney Grace, October 20, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Lexmark, a Printer Supply Company, Receives Hold Rating from Analysts
October 20, 2015
The article on Dakota Financial News titled Lexmark International Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages (NYSE: LXK) piles on the bad news for Lexmark, a company best known for its printer supply services. It is a tough time to be in the printing business, and Lexmark has received numerous analyst ratings of “Hold” and “Sell.” The article details the trend,
“Lexmark International (NYSE:LXK) traded down 0.59% during trading on Wednesday, hitting $28.59. The company had a trading volume of 259,296 shares. Lexmark International has a one year low of $27.22 and a one year high of $47.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $30.27 and a 200 day moving average of $39.70. The company’s market capitalization is $1.76 billion…The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.12. “
Certainly not a vote of confidence in Lexmark, which owns both Brainware and ISYS Search Software. The article goes into some detail about the companies other work beyond printer supplies including enterprise content and process management software and healthcare archive with integration abilities for unstructured patient information. Perhaps these extras are saving the company from falling entirely into the “sell” category and maintaining at “Hold.”
Chelsea Kerwin, October 20, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
SAS: Predictive Analytics for Every One. Yes, Every One
October 19, 2015
Forget your university statistics course. Ignore the thrill of secondary school calculus. A new world has arrived. The terraformer is SAS, the statistics outfit everyone knows and loves.
I read “SAP Predictive Analytics Software Overview,” and was delighted to learn that I can now have on my desktop (sorry, mobile device users):
- Perform data analyses, including time series forecasting, outlier detection, trend analysis, classification analysis, segmentation analysis and affinity analysis.
- Create visualizations and analyze data through the use of scatter matrix charts, parallel coordinates, cluster charts and decision trees.
- Use the R open source language for statistical analysis.
- Perform in-memory data mining for large-volume data analysis.
What, you may ask, is a user to do if the underpinnings of these operations are not understood?
My hunch is that for the ease of use and point and click functions of tried and true SAS plus KXEN technology is that you may find yourself in need of a specialist.
Knowledge of SAS conventions, R, and possibly third party libraries or Hadoop may come in handy.
I am delighted that SAS, founded in 1976 is delivering innovations. Unfortunately to make predictive analytics deliver fresh bread in an optimized way will require a grasp of statistical procedures, the ability to validate input data sets, and manipulate the options presented.
In short, statistics and math skills coupled with the fundamentals of data analysis should do nicely to help you get the most from this new bundle from SAS. No word on pricing.
Stephen E Arnold, October 19, 2015
Big Data: The Seven Step Method
October 19, 2015
I hear quite a bit about methods with steps. I, therefore, was not surprised to read “The Seven ‘Simple’ Steps To Big Data.” The main idea is that Big Data can be complicated. I suppose most things can be complicated if certain fundamentals are not mastered. My great grandmother could tat, which I learned was a way to make weird things placed on chairs to prevent the fabric from wearing or staining. I watched her.
Why write a book explaining how to “do” Big Data. It takes seven easy steps. Making a lace thing requires a book, good vision, supplies, and skill.
She explained. I did not get it 60 years ago, and I don’t know how to tat. I can, however, write about it. Most of the comments about Big Data fall into this category. Folks cannot “do” Big Data, but, by golly, many people can write about Big Data.
The article presents seven steps. Before you try to follow these steps, you may want to consider whether you or your organization has the resources to get the foundational knowledge and processes in place before you “do” Big Data.
Here are the steps:
- Get a “business rationale.” I think this means that one should have a reason to “do” Big Data and then explain how Big Data will make an immediate and direct contribution to one’s organization. Accountants may not understand Big Data, but they do get the idea of cost overrun and spending for something that generates grousing in carpetland.
- Learn the lingo. Yep, knowing what words mean can be important. However, if one employs a mid tier consultant, why not let that expert translate? Works well, at least for the compensated consultant.
- “Care about data lineage.” With regard to terminology, I am not sure what data lineage means. My hunch is that data should be valid, in a processable form, and fresh.
- When and where factor. This is another puzzler to me. The idea remains murky, which may inhibit one’s ability to “do” Big Data. But maybe not?
- Correlation does not imply causation. Ah, a chestnut from various classes which taught me about mathy things. The idea is that bonehead mistakes occur in Statistics 101 and real life in Fortune 1000 outfits. See www.TylerVigen.com/spurious-correlations.
- Be a trained seal: Balance “new innovation” with “hardened enterprise grade tech.” I think this means use what is in the text book and whizzy new system.
- Rely on “reference architectures.” I assume this means buying a name brand Big Data system to “do” one’s Big Data activity.
Does the list appear simple? Not to me. Tatting is a walk in the park compared to figuring out how this list of sophisms makes Big Data easy. Maybe tatting will make a come back? Is there a market for tatted antimacassars into which terminated Big Data experts can dive.?
Stephen E Arnold, October 15, 2015
Bye-Bye Enterprise Storage
October 19, 2015
Storage is a main component of the enterprise system. Silos store data and eventually the entire structure transforms into a legacy system, but BusinessWire says in “MapR Extends Support For SAS To Deliver Big Data Storage Independence” it is time to say good-bye to old enterprise storage. MapR is trying to make enterprise storage obsolete with its new extended service support for SAS, a provider of business software and services. The new partnership between allows advanced analytics with easy data preparation and integration in legacy systems, improved security, data compliance, and assurance of service level agreements.
The entire goal is to allow SAS and MapR clients to have better flexibility for advanced analytics within Hadoop as well as to help customers harvest the most usefulness our of their data.
Here is a rundown of the partnership between SAS and MapR:
“The collaboration makes available the full scope of technologies in the SAS portfolio, including SAS® LASR™ Analytic Server, SAS Visual Analytics, SAS High-Performance Analytics, and SAS Data Loader for Hadoop. Complete MapR integration delivers security and full POSIX compliance for use in “share everything architectures,” as well as enables SAS Visual Analytics to easily and securely access all data. With SAS Data Loader for Hadoop, users can prepare, cleanse and integrate data inside MapR for improved performance and then load that data in-memory into SAS LASR for visualization or analysis, all without writing code.”
Breaking away from legacy systems with old onsite storage is one of the new trends for enterprise systems. Legacy systems are clunky, don’t necessary comply with new technology, and have slow information retrieval. A new enterprise system using SAS and MapR’s software will last for some time, until the new trend buzzes through town.
Whitney Grace, October 19, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Coveo Touts Secure, Intelligent Cloud Search
October 19, 2015
Security is a perpetual concern, especially for those who work in the cloud. Enterprise search firm Coveo want us to know they take security very seriously. Their press release, “Coveo Completes Security Evaluation for cloud-Based Intelligent Search Offerings,” is posted at MarketWatch. The question is, “What does secure mean?” The definition may depend on one’s knowledge of the exploit world.
The write-up states:
“Marking its commitment to be the most secure intelligent search provider in the marketplace, Coveo announced that it has completed a comprehensive evaluation of data security and compliance procedures and processes. Coveo engaged with Brightline CPAs & Associates, which conducted a series of tests to evaluate the effectiveness of operations and controls that address data integrity and security. With data security threats on the rise across various industries and around the world, Coveo recognizes how important it is to provide clients of its cloud, intelligent search offerings with the highest security standards. Over the years, Coveo has implemented a set of industry-standard operations, infrastructure and services to ensure the integrity and privacy of customer data, including:
— SOC II and SOC I examinations
— Strong logical and physical access controls
— Systematic application and source code scanning
— Comprehensive background checks on all employees
— 24/7/365 live, dedicated operations and security teams
— Formal, ongoing 3rd party compliance and security reviews”
We are reminded that Coveo was recently named “most innovative leader” for the second year running in the Gartner Enterprise Search Magic Quadrant, with that report lauding the company’s “unusually rich security functions.” Founded in 2005, Coveo maintains offices in the U.S. (SanMateo, CA), the Netherlands, and Quebec.
Cynthia Murrell, October 19, 2015
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
The Central Intelligence Atlas: Use Your Imagination
October 18, 2015
The write up, sourced from ESRI, is interesting because it describes visualizations without displaying any visualizations. Navigate to “The Central Intelligence Atlas: how BI Is Going Visual.” I expected some narrative and then examples of visualizations.
Now the write up references outfits like Google and its Maps. I know what these look like, and I have seen mash ups which display data on Google Maps. But, like the supporters of old fashioned radio say, use your imagination. Okay, I did.
I noticed a couple of statements in the write up which quivered my imaginative Jello.
First, I highlighted in J-E-L-L-O green:
once we are talking about things that exist and happen in the real physical world, there is a significant dimension that a BI system doesn’t typically make use of to find essential correlations between disparate datasets – location. Fortunately, there is a complementary enterprise technology that can fill that gap right now. It’s called Enterprise GIS – Geographical Information Systems – and many businesses are waking up to the fact that visualization using interactive digital maps and applying ‘spatial analysis’, as it’s called, can produce significant results. Recognizing this, forward-thinking BI vendors including Microstrategy and IBM Cognos are starting to embed limited GIS capabilities into their enterprise platforms.
Yep, putting data on maps. I visualize presentations like those from Geofeedia. Here’s what that outfit’s approach looks like:
Source: Geofeedia, 2015
I find this type of example helpful.
I also noted this passage, which I highlighted in what I call cool blue:
Spatial analysis isn’t only useful to businesses with physical property and assets however. Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Underwriting at Lloyd’s Limited (MSIG), for example, has created a dynamic online atlas of hundreds of potential hazards that could impact insured properties and businesses around the world, using GIS. The technology enables it to monitor hazards at specific locations, ranging from tornados and wildfires to terrorist activities.
What I visualized was this overlay of bomber identification on a satellite image:
Source: David Reeths, “IHS Jane’s Satellite Imagery Analysis: Use of Imagery Intelligence within OSINT,” 2014, page 15
I agree that mash ups of maps and data are useful. I would suggest that examples, not just word descriptions based on marketing lingo, help make the ideas more interesting. But content marketing does what it can.
Stephen E Arnold, October 18, 2015
US General Services Administration: Changes Ahead
October 17, 2015
I read “David Shive: GSA Ramps Up IT Consolidation through Acquisition Process Updates, Analytics Adoption.” Then I read “Mary Davie: GSA Updates Federal Acquistion Gateway Platform.” Ah, memories of FAR. You are familiar with the rich, informative compendium known as Federal Acquisition Regulation.
The write ups indicate that changes are afoot at the GSA, where 18f.gov is busy inventing point-and-click Web site services and cloud computing.
According to the Shive write up:
“We are looking at our data management strategies so we can effectively coalesce that data, and putting good predictive analytics on top of that so that we can make good decisions about things that are happening, and predicting things that are going to happen and drive down costs for things like maintenance of infrastructure,” Shive told the station [part of ExecutiveGov maybe?] in an interview.
Efficiency in government is welcomed by those who have the opportunity to interact with the professionals at their stations. One innovation is interesting:
GSA is also working to implement a statement of work library for multiple procurement categories and the a click-and-pay service on the site.
No word about the search system, and not much information about who pays whom and for what.
Stephen E Arnold, October 17, 2015
Short Honks: Google Books Emerges As Fair Use
October 16, 2015
Short honk: I read “Google’s Book Scanning Project Ruled to Be Legal Fair Use.” The legal battles have enriched BMW dealers for years. Here’s the paragraph I highlighted:
The world’s biggest search provider can keep adding to its digital library of millions of books without paying their authors, a U.S. appeals court said, ruling that the effort is “fair use” of published material under copyright law.
My view is that the Alphabet Google thing may have had Books to fry in 2004. Today the company is into a different fare. Alphabet Google does mobile, hot air balloons, and, of course, Glass 2.
Yes, legal eagles will drag this matter back into the courts. But today’s Alphabet is not yesterday’s Google. Next stop? Maybe the Supreme Court.
By the time the matter is resolved, will millennials notice whether books are searchable on the Google from their mobile phone? My hunch is that the Google Books project reaches back to the era when the Alphabet Google thing was still thinking fond thoughts about academic endeavors. Today, the Alphabet Google thingy may be preoccupied with thoughts about revenue, Facebook, and the annoyances of querulous European authorities.
Stephen E Arnold, October 16, 2015
Enterprise Search Is a Growth Industry: No, Really
October 16, 2015
I noticed two things when we were working through the Overflight news about proprietary vendors of enterprise search systems on October 14, 2015.
First, a number of enterprise search vendors which the Overflight system monitors, are not producing substantive news. Aerotext, Dieselpoint, and even Polyspot are just three firms with no buzz in social media or in traditional public relations channels. Either these outfits are so busy that the marketers have no time to disseminate information or there is not too much to report.
Second, no proprietary enterprise search vendor is marketing search and retrieval in the way Autonomy and the now defunct Convera used to market. There were ads, news releases, and conference presentations. Now specialist vendors talk about webinars, business intelligence, Big Data, and customer support solutions. These outfits are mostly selling consulting firms. Enterprise search as a concept is not generating much buzz based on the Overflight data.
Imagine my surprise when I read “Enterprise Search Market Expanding at a 12.2% CAGR by 2019.” What a delicious counterpoint to the effective squishing of the market sector which husbanded the Autonomy and Fast Search & Transfer brouhahas. These high profile enterprise search vendors found themselves mired in legal hassles. In fact, the attention given to these once high profile search vendors has made it difficult for today’s vendors to enjoy the apparent success that Autonomy and Fast Search enjoyed prior to their highly publicized challenges.
Open source search solutions have become the popular and rational solution to information access. Companies offering Lucene, Solr, and other non proprietary information access systems have made it difficult for vendors of proprietary solutions to generate Autonomy-scale revenue. The money seems to be in consulting and add ons. The Microsoft SharePoint system supports a hot house of third party components which improve the SharePoint experience. The problem is that none of the add in and component vendors are likely to reach Endeca-scale revenues.
Even IBM with its Watson play seems to be struggling to craft a sustainable, big money revenue stream. Scratch the surface of Watson and you have an open source system complemented with home brew code and technology from acquired companies.
The write up reporting the double digit comp9ound growth rate states:
According to a recent market study published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), titled “Enterprise Search Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2013 – 2019”, the global enterprise search market is expected to reach US$3,993.7 million by 2019, increasing from US$1,777.5 million in 2012 and expanding at a 12.2% CAGR from 2013 to 2019. Enterprise search system makes content from databases, intranets, data management systems, email, and other sources searchable. Such systems enhance the productivity and efficiency of business processes and can save as much as 30% of the time spent by employees searching information.The need to obtain relevant information quickly and the availability of technological applications to obtain it are the main factors set to drive the global enterprise search market.
TMR, like other mid tier consulting firms, will sell some reports to enterprise search vendors who need some good news about the future of the market for their products.
The write up also contains a passage which I found quite remarkable:
To capitalize on opportunities present in the European regional markets, major market players in the U.S. are tying up with European vendors to provide enterprise search solutions.
Interesting. I do not agree. I don’t see to many US outfits tying up with Antidot, Intrafind, or Sinequa and their compatriots. Folks are using Elasticsearch, but I don’t categorize these relationships as tie ups like the no cash merger between Lexalytics and its European partner.
Furthermore, we have the Overflight data and evidence that enterprise search is a utility function increasingly dominated by open source options and niche players. Where are the big brands of a decade ago: Acquired, out of business, discredited, and adorned with jargon.
The problems include sustainable revenue, the on going costs of customer support, and the appeal of open source solutions.
Transparency Market Research seems to know more than I do about enterprise search and its growth rate. That’s good. Positive. Happy.
Stephen E Arnold, October 16, 2015
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