Enterprise Search and a Chimera: Analytical Engines
May 1, 2017
I put on my steam punk outfit before reading “Leading Analytical Engines for Enterprise Search.” Now there was one small factual error; specifically, the Google Search Appliance is a goner. When it was alive and tended to by authorized partners, it was not particularly adept at doing “analytical engine” type things.
What about the rest of the article? Well, I found it amusing.
Let me get to the good stuff and then deal with the nasty reality which confronts the folks who continue to pump money into enterprise search.
What companies does this “real journalism” out identify as purveyors of high top shoes for search. Yikes, sorry. I meant to say enterprise search systems which do analytical engine things.
Here’s the line up:
The Google Search Appliance. As noted, this is a goner. Yep, the Google threw in the towel. Lots of reasons, but my sources say, cost of sales was a consideration. Oh, and there were a couple of Google FTEs plus assorted costs for dealing with those annoyed with the product’s performance, relevance, customization, etc. Anyway. Museum piece.
Microsoft SharePoint. I find this a side splitter. Microsoft SharePoint is many things. In fact, armed with Visual Studio one can actually make the system work in a useful manner. Don’t tell the HR folks who wonder why certified SharePoint experts chew up a chunk of the budget and “fast.” Insider joke. Yeah, Excel is the go to analysis tool no matter what others may say. The challenge is to get the Excel thing to interact in a speedy, useful way with whatever the SharePoint administrator has managed to get working in a reliable way. Nuff said.
Coveo. Interesting addition to the list because Coveo is doing the free search thing, the Salesforce thing, the enterprise search thing, the customer support thing, and I think a bunch of other things. The Canadian outfit wants to do more than surf on government inducements, investors’ trust and money, and a key word based system. So it’s analytical engine time. I am not sure how the wrappers required to make key word search do analytics help out performance, but the company says it is an “analytical engine.” So be it.
Attivio. This is an interesting addition. The company emerged from some “fast” movers and shakers. The baseball data demo was nifty about six years ago. Now the company does search, publishing, analytics, etc. The shift from search to analytical engine is somewhat credible. The challenge the company faces is closing deals and generating sustainable revenue. There is that thing called “open source”. A clever programmer can integrate Lucene (Elasticsearch), use its open source components, and maybe dabble with Ikanow. The result? Perhaps an Attivio killer? Who knows.
Lucidworks (Really?). Yep, this is the Avis to the Hertz in the open source commercial sector. Lucidworks (Really?) is now just about everything sort of associated with Big Data, search, smart software, etc. The clear Lucid problem is Shay Bannon and Elastic. Not only does Elastic have more venture money, Elastic has more deployments and, based on information available to me, more revenue, partners, and clout in the open source world. Lucidworks (Really?) has a track record of executive and founder turnover and the thrill of watching Amazon benefit from a former Lucid employee’s inputs. Exciting. Really?
So what do I think of this article in CIO Review? Two things:
- It is not too helpful to me and those looking for search solutions in Harrod’s Creek, Kentucky. The reason? The GSA error and gasping effort to make key word search into something hot and cool. “Analytical engines” does not rev my motor. In fact, it does not turn over.
- CIO Review does not want me to copy a quote from the write up. Tip to CIO Review. Anyone can copy wildly crazy analytical engines article by viewing source and copying the somewhat uninteresting content.
Stephen E Arnold, May 1, 2017
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