Yippy for Vivisimo
June 6, 2016
I read “Yippy Buys MC+A, a Veteran Google Search Appliance Partner.” Yippy, if memory serves, is a variant of Vivisimo. In the good old days, before Vivisimo sold to IBM and suddenly became a Big Data company, Yippy did search and retrieval. I assume the old document limits were lifted. I also assume that the wild and crazy config file editing has been streamlined. I also assume that Yippy is confident it can zoom past Maxxcat and Thunderstone, two outfits also in the search appliance business. Buying a Google reseller provides some insight and maybe leads into which companies embraced the GSA solution. When the GSA was first demonstrated to me, I noted the locked down relevance system. There were other interesting “enhancements” the Googlers included to eliminate the complexity of enterprise search. I recall working on the training materials for a DC reseller of the GSA. Customization was like a Google interview question.
The Fortune write up is one of those reinventions of enterprise search which I enjoy. I circled this comment:
Google Search Appliance was a great idea for companies that deploy a welter of different applications, so important data can be scattered about in different file systems and repositories. It also gave Google a toehold in corporate server rooms, which is why some wondered why Google would cut the product at a time when it’s trying to sell more cloud services to these very companies.
I was unaware that Alphabet Google was in the search business. I thought it was an online advertising outfit. Who at Google wanted to work on the wonky GSA products? For years Google relied on resellers and outfits like Dell to make the over priced gizmos.
Love live Vivisimo. I mean Yippy. If you cannot pin down an integrator, why not buy one?
Stephen E Arnold, June 6, 2016
Galaxy Consulting Explains Vivisimo at IBM
September 5, 2014
The Galaxy Consulting Blog shares information on all things information. Recently, they spelled out details on one of IBM’s smarter acquisitions in the profile, “Search Applications – Vivisimo.” In our opinion, that outfit is one of the more solid search providers. The write-up begins with a brief rundown of the company’s history, including its purchase by IBM in 2012. We learn:
“Vivisimo Velocity Platform is now IBM InfoSphere Data Explorer. It stays true to its heritage of providing federated navigation, discovery and search over a broad range of enterprise content. It covers broad range of data sources and types, both inside and outside an organization.
“In addition to the core indexing, discovery, navigation and search engine the software includes a framework for developing information-rich applications that deliver a comprehensive, contextually-relevant view of any topic for business users, data scientists, and a variety of targeted business functions.”
As one should expect, InfoSphere handles many types of data from disparate sources with aplomb, and its support for mobile tech is a feature ahead of the curve. Perhaps most importantly, the platform boasts strong security while maintaining scalability. See the article for a detailed list of InfoSphere’s features.
Before IBM snapped it up in 2012, Vivisimo passed through the hands of Yippy, which had purchased it in 2010. The firm is headquartered in Pittsburgh but maintains other offices on the East Coast and in Europe.
Cynthia Murrell, September 05, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Video from Vivisimo Examines Big Data Management
January 15, 2014
The nine minute video article Big Data and Vivisimo- Managing and Extracting Insights From Large and Heterogenerous Data from IBM on Optimized Target Traffic explains the four V’s of Big Data as they pertain to Vivisimo. Typically only three V’s are named, “volume, velocity and variety.” Volume covers such questions as how does one get multiple data sets into Hadoop? Velocity is related to asking about frequency of updates and whether there is a single static repository, while variety refers to analytics to perform and applications to build. But the video also offers the fourth V of variability.
Bob Carter of Vivisimo explains:
“Lastly there is the issue of variability, in the sense that I need to deliver the information to different audiences. It could be done in different implementations, let’s say it’s a cross domain environment where I’m putting a Big Data system on a secure network and I have to offer up a subset of that information to a higher level network or to a different domain. How do I smartly share that information with other agencies or other commercial customers on my supply chain?”
Variability, according to Vivisimo’s agent, also encompasses considerations of different security settings and management requirements. Omitted from consideration however is the cost of “touching” a single record in an exception file. But serial processing is expensive, just like handling variety in Big Data.
Chelsea Kerwin, January 15, 2014
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Media Spotlights Vivisimo
April 15, 2013
If there’s one thing we can count on with analytic news it is the idea of familiar names popping up in unexpected places. That was our initial instinct upon reading a recent Sys-Con story, “Innovative Analytics—Changing the IT Landscape.”
The biggest surprise was this tidbit of news:
“IBM is a late entrant into developing a core product focused on log analytics leveraging new technologies. Their new product is promising as it integrates competencies from multiple software divisions as well as the recent Vivisimo acquisition. This combination of products brings the challenge of integration and installation, while allowing the new product to pull strengths of multiple best-of-breed products. By integrating systems manuals as an additional source to identify specific problems, this new workload analytics capability will be a good addition for existing and new IBM Tivoli customers.”
We were pleased to see a solid company like Vivisimo get so much praise here. It is well deserved as their stock continues to rise. To illustrate, we also caught them in a recent edition of Washington Business Journal. There’s something to be said for garnering so much press in a small window of time. To us, it means people are catching on and focusing on this company. The media can tell you a lot in that way.
Patrick Roland, April 15, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
IBM Forgets About Vivisimo
January 1, 2013
IBM wants to take a bite out of Big Data by educating people on the topic and then encouraging them to use their products. One of the ways that IBM does this is through its Redbooks publications. A recent publication called IBM InfoSphere Streams V3.0: Addressing Volume, Velocity, and Variety that discusses how a Big Data platform will allow people to structure and use their data:
“There are multiple uses for big data in every industry—from analyzing larger volumes of data than was previously possible to driving more precise answers, to analyzing data at rest and data in motion to capture opportunities that were previously lost. A big data platform will enable your organization to tackle complex problems that previously could not be solved using traditional infrastructure. As the amount of data available to enterprises and other organizations dramatically increases, more and more companies are looking to turn this data into actionable information and intelligence in real time. Addressing these requirements requires applications that are able to analyze potentially enormous volumes and varieties of continuous data streams to provide decision makers with critical information almost instantaneously. “
The publication suggests using IBM InfoSphere as the enterprise platform for Big Data developments. The InfoSphere can be used as a testing ground for analyzing the data and deciding the best ways to govern it. Did IBM forget about its “other” Big Data” platform, though? Vivisimo was acquired to be the spotlight of Big Data for IBM. Why is it not discussed here?
Whitney Grace, January 01, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
IBM Does Big Data With Vivisimo
November 13, 2012
Computer World recently reported on IBM’s release of a number of new add ons and services designed to expand data sets more quickly, in the article, “IBM Refreshes Analysis Offerings.”
According to the article, these releases are aimed to help enterprises address their big data challenges. Unlike some other companies. IBM’s goal is to consolidate all information management systems into a single architecture in order to share data across systems.
When explaining other additions, the article states:
“IBM’s in-house Hadoop distribution, called IBM InfoSphere BigInsights, has been augmented with new capabilities as well. IBM has generated new report templates, ones that can conduct sentiment analysis on data from social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter.
BigInsights now includes the federated search capability from the Vivisimo search engine, which IBM acquired in April. Using the Vivisimo interface, now called InfoSphere Data Explorer, users can execute a single search across multiple data repositories, including both structured and unstructured data.”
It is nice to see that IBM is hopping on the big data bandwagon. But whatever happened to Watson?
Jasmine Ashton, November 13, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Ontology Systems Bests Vivisimo and Information Optimization
May 8, 2012
I read “Ontology Systems Set to Unveil OSS/BSS Intelligence Semantic Search Apps at Management World 2012.” The write up focuses on a forthcoming announcement of technology for “enterprise data alignment.”
When I read this, I thought of IBM Vivisimo’s “information optimization” catchphrase. I am not exactly sure what information optimization means. I think I am unclear about OSS BSS intelligent semantic search apps for enterprise data alignment. The Ontology Systems’ Web site includes detailed information about the company’s method.
My hunch this technology is a search system with semantic functions. The company describes itself this way:
Ontology Systems have caused Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to rethink the way they find and align customer, equipment and service information. CSPs spend vast sums of money attempting to do this via integration but getting usable results is hard. The world’s largest misaligned system is the Internet and you search the Internet. Ontology believes you should search your systems too.
The benefits of the company’s approach are explained in terms of an “ontology” seasoned approach:
Using state-of-the-art semantic search technologies, Ontology quickly finds and aligns business entities in operational, business and infrastructure systems. We provide a single, accurate, enterprise-wide view of customers, services and network assets. An organization using OSS BSS intelligent semantic search apps for enterprise data alignment can, according to the write up, “increase profit and reduce costs by preventing revenue leaks, improving service management, enhancing customer experience, maximizing network assets and improving the speed and accuracy of migration.”
The conclusion which the company suggests for me is “Ontology is semantic search for Enterprise Data Alignment.”
Stepping back, I had several observations:
- Vivisimo’s use of “information optimization” allowed IBM to perceive Vivisimo as a “big data” company. My hunch is that with a phrase which is ambiguous, convincing a cash rich purchaser to buy becomes easier. There are no pesky concrete explanations to block a “pivot” or deft repositioning. The Ontology Systems’ catchphrase is, to me, similar to Vivisimo’s choice of words.
- I am not sure what the undefined acronyms mean. I thought briefly about trying to untangle the “OSS BSS” pair, but if the writer did not explain them, it is not important to an addled goose. A brief explanation to an uninformed reader such as I was obviously unnecessary for the company’s target market.
- The “ontology” buzzword is used without associations to big data, analytics, and social media. Most of the articles I read about enterprise semantics are shifting from the taxonomy/ontology hooks to concepts which are getting more sales traction. There is a notable example of a well known Microsoft centric vendor scrambling to find a market positioning that captures SharePoint licensees’ interest. Ontology Systems seems to have a unique angle to make money with an ontology centric approach.
You can keep up with some of the vendors in the taxonomy and ontology sector with a subset of our Overflight service. Take a look at our free subsite http://www.arnoldit.com/taxonomy/. When you click on a company name, you can determine if the company is active in the market and get an indication of what is being said about the firm. We will add Ontology Systems to the public facing service so you can track this firm with a mouse click.
Stephen E Arnold, May 7, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Vivisimo Value
April 30, 2012
Okay, azure chip consultants, the goslings and I have completed our review of the Vivisimo information in our Overflight system. We have reviewed the data available to us for the IBM buy outs of Cognos, i2, and SPSS. We have reached some hypothetical conclusions. Keep in mind that this is our own Kentucky analysis, fueled by mine run off and our Overflight data.
First, we think the IBM Vivisimo deal was a pretty good move for IBM. More to the point, IBM gets some technology and some employees. But the amount of dough IBM coughed up for Vivisimo was probably not much above $25 million and may be as low as $18 to $19 million. The reason is that Vivisimo just did not have market traction, a fact I documented in The New Landscape of Enterprise Search, which is now out of print. (We are still doing briefings, so if you are interested, write us at seaky2000 at yahoo dot com.
Second, the Vivisimo technology was not up to the rigors of the enterprise. In fact, we believe that the “big data” public relations spin was one of those deals which reach back through college fraternities and obligations which the Facebook generation do not understand. We hypothesize that this was a “white knight” deal, not a crafty business move to thwart Oracle or SAP, among others in the enterprise game.
Third, the value of the recent spate of acquisitions says more about what a company will pay for customers, consulting opportunities, and ways to extend the life of an existing product line. Lexmark printers anyone? Vivisimo is more of a utility; it is not an Autonomy or an Endeca type of outfit.
How wrong are we? Well, since this is a free blog, you need to do your own calculation. We think our hypothesis is pretty strong and we think the value of the deal is in the range we calculated. Azure chip outfits will want to avoid search. The money days may be over. Hello, big data and analytics. Goodbye, gentle search.
Stephen E Arnold, May 1, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
IBM Buys Vivisimo Allegedly for Its Big Data Prowess
April 25, 2012
Big data. Wow. That’s an angle only a public relations person with a degree in 20th century American literature could craft. Vivisimo is many things, but a big data system? News to me for sure.
IBM has been a strong consumer and integrator of open source search solutions. Watson, the game show winner, used Lucene with IBM wrapper software to keep the folks in Jeopardy post production on their toes.
A screen shot of the Vivisimo Velocity system displaying search results for the RAND organization. Notice the folders in the left hand panel. The interface reveals Vivisimo’s roots in traditional search and retrieval. The federating function operates behind the scenes. The newest versions of Velocity permit a user to annotate a search hit so the system will boost it in subsequent queries if the comment is positive. A negative rating on a result suppresses that result.
I learned that IBM allegedly purchased Vivisimo, a company which I have covered in my various monographs about search and content processing. Forbes ran a story which was at odds with my understanding of what the Vivisimo technology actually does. Here’s the Forbes’ title: “IBM To Buy Vivisimo; Expands Bet On Big Data Analytics.” Notice the phrase “big data analytics.”
Why do I point out the “big data” buzzword? The reasons include:
- Vivisimo has a clustering method which takes search results and groups them, placing similar results identified by the method in “folders”
- Vivisimo has a federating method which, like Bright Planet’s and Deep Web Technologies’, takes a user’s query and sends the query to two or more indexing systems, retrieves the results, and displays them to the user
- Vivisimo has a clever de-duplication method which makes the results list present one item. This is important when one encounters a news story which appears on multiple Web sites.
According to the write up in Forbes, a “real” news outfit:
IBM this morning said it has agreed to acquire Vivisimo, a Pittsburgh-based provider of big data access and analysis tools.
Okay, but in Beyond Search we have documented that Vivisimo followed this trajectory in its sales and marketing efforts since the company opened for business in 2000. In fact, the Wikipedia write up about Vivisimo says this:
Vivisimo is a privately held enterprise search software company in Pittsburgh that develops and sells software products to improve search on the web and in enterprises. The focus of Vivisimo’s research thus far has been the concept of clustering search results based on topic: for example, dividing the results of a search for “cell” into groups like “biology,” “battery,” and “prison.” This process allows users to intuitively narrow their search results to a particular category or browse through related fields of information, and seeks to avoid the “overload” problem of sorting through too many results.
Vivisimo Does Paper.li for Content
March 21, 2012
Vivisimo, the information optimization software provider, recently rolled out an automated blog called the Vivisimo Daily. We find it interesting that the blog’s appearance coincides with the company’s step up in customer support marketing.
This microsite has a variety of different media sources in which it displays content, ranging from posts to videos. They even have a CXO mobile contest.
In reference to CXO, the editor’s note states:
Customer eXperience Optimization (CXO) connects customer-facing professionals in your sales, support and customer service organizations with all of the information they need for successful customer, partner and sales prospect interactions.
The service is operated by Paper.li, a quick and easy way for organizations to publish their own online newspapers. This is an example of a company utilizing Paper.li to assist with a content play. More original content might be a plus.
Jasmine Ashton, March 21, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
