Inteltrax: Top Stories, April 16 to April 20
April 23, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, how three of the biggest supporters of analytics are fairing.
Surprisingly, transportation has taken a shine to analytics, as we discovered in “Transportation Analytics Grows Crucial to Success”.
Not so surprisingly, government spending is leaning heavy on analytics. “Intelligence Community Leads Public Sector Analytics” showed how spy agencies love analytics.
Unfortunately, the one-time titan of analytic love, the medical field, is falling behind, as we learned in “Healthcare Analytics Needs a Boost”.
While there are thousands of industries that utilize big data analytics, these three are probably the most visible. Their successes and failures are important elements of the analytic story and ones we’ll be monitoring daily.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
April 23, 2012
Algorithms Can Deliver Skewed Results
April 18, 2012
After two days of lectures about the power of social media analytics, Stephen E Arnold raised doubts about the reliability of certain analytics outputs. He opined: “Faith in analytics may be misplaced.”
Arnold’s lecture focused on four gaps in social media analytics. He pointed out that many users were unaware of the trade offs in algorithm selection made by vendors’ programmers. Speaking at the Social Media Analytics Summit, he said:
Many companies purchase social media analytics reports without understanding that the questions answered by algorithms may not answer the customer’s actual question.
He continued:
The talk about big data leaves the impression that every item is analyzed and processed. The reality is that sampling methods, like the selection of numerical recipes can have a significant impact on what results become available.
The third gap, he added, “is that smart algorithms display persistence. With smart software, some methods predict a behavior and then look for that behavior because the brute force approach is computationally expensive and adds latency to a system.” He said:
Users assume results are near real time and comprehensive. The reality is that results are unlikely to be real time and built around mathematical methods which value efficiency and cleverness at the expense of more robust analytic methods. The characteristic is more pronounced in user friendly, click here type of systems than those which require to specify a method using SAS or SPSS syntax.”
The final gap is the distortion that affects outputs from “near term, throw forward biases.” Arnold said:
Modern systems are overly sensitive to certain short term content events. This bias is most pronounced when looking for emerging trend data. In these types of outputs the “now” data respond to spikes and users act on identified trends often without appropriate context.
The implication of these gaps is that outputs from some quite sophisticated systems can be misleading or present information as fact when that information has been shaped to a marketer’s purpose.
The Social Media Analytics conference was held in San Francisco, April 17 and 18, 2012. More information about the implications of these gaps may be found at the Augmentext.com Web site.
Donald C Anderson, April 18, 2012,
Sponsored by Pandia.com
The Heat in SharePoint Semantics April 6 to April 12
April 17, 2012
This week SharePoint Semantics shared many insightful articles and webinars that are bound to help Sharepoint end users and search enthusiasts navigate the often harrowing SharePoint experience. Below are a few that I thought were particularly thought provoking.
In the post “Yes By All Means Call the Intranet SharePoint Says Pienaar” writer Ken Toth references several similar articles when pondering the question “is SharePoint taboo?”
Francois H. Pienaar makes the argument in his white paper that by avoiding using the term SharePoint when promoting an intranet solution, we are hindering users by leaving them out of the loop.
Toth states:
“Pienaar asserts that without awareness of the term SharePoint customers do not know what they are buying and may not be aware of the many advantages that the platform has to offer. He also reminds us that features that may seem simple and obvious to a SharePoint professional may be wondrous to a new SharePoint user, and so we should not forget to communicate about these.”
In the realm of SharePoint development and customization advice, “Think Carefully About the Alternatives Before Beginning SharePoint 2010 Development” we learn that starting from the ground up can be very costly and time consuming so make sure that you do your research. while SharePoint does not offer a lot out of the box, there are some things that it does offer that will make your experience easier.
The article states:
“There are thousands of web parts available for purchase on the Internet today ranging from $50 to thousands of dollars, still cheaper than start the full blown development lifecycle, testing, etc. Worth investing 30 minutes searching on good search engine of some 3rd party tools that maybe already exist?”
In “Extension Options for Out of the Box SharePoint Social Capabilities” shares some third party solutions that have been developed to help close some of the gaps of SharePoint’s social capabilities.
After discussing a few ways that third party solutions have taken on this challenge, Toth suggests:
“One way to increase collaboration in the workplace is by providing a powerful search feature so that users can find, share, and reuse valuable business knowledge. Consider a third party solution that is tightly integrated with SharePoint, rather than replacing existing farm features.”
For proven search and navigation success, look into a third party solution like Smartlogic’s Semaphore Content Intelligence Platform.
Jasmine Ashton, April 17, 2012
Inteltrax: Top Stories, April 9 to April 13
April 16, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, the ways in which money is dealt with in analytic terms.
Saving money is the focus of “Knowing Needs and Wants Save Tons with Big Data” which aims to help buyers decide what they want in an analytic package before buying.
Making the right investment for you is covered in “Speed is the Analytic Key” which says, above all other factors, spend extra money on speed because that’s the quickest to get outdated.
Finally, “Series-B Investments Expand Analytic Growth” shows how smaller firms and startups depend on private investors to compete with the big names in a big data.
Money makes the world go around and the big data planet is no different. But the ways in which it is saved and spent and acquired could fill a book. We are writing a new chapter every day and hope you’ll join us.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
April 16, 2012
The Heat in SharePoint Semantics April 2 to 6, 2012
April 10, 2012
This week SharePoint Semantics delivered some informative posts that show some unique and not so unique ways for end users to get the most out of their Microsoft SharePoint experience.
In the post “Use of Microsoft SharePoint May Reduce Exam Dishonesty,” points readers to an article that asserts that, depending on the culture in your workplace, one of SharePoint’s benefits is that it lowers chances for dishonesty.
The article states:
“SharePoint works to reduce fraud in a case where SharePoint passwords are usually kept secret because it might give them access to private information or allow actions that could reflect badly on the user.”
Often times when we talk about SharePoint, we get so bogged down in the details that we forget that there are quite a few folks out there that are brand new to this software. “A Useful Microsoft SharePoint Overview for Beginners By David Severn” addresses primary issues of concern for SharePoint novices.
The article explains the fact that while SharePoint has a lot to offer, it is important that users take it upon themselves to utilize all of its features which can take some time:
“It is massive and complex but SharePoint isn’t simply a product that you install and start using. SharePoint is an impressive framework upon which is built many components. Some of which can be used pretty much out of the box such as basic team site with lists and libraries to get you started through to Business Intelligence services which can display incredibly meaningful dashboards.”
Since SharePoint isn’t a simple product that’s potential is fully realized right out of the box, many people have mixed feelings about it. “Three Likes and Three Dislikes About SharePoint from SharePoint Stories” reports on a recent Boston panel on SharePoint best practices. Only this article focuses primarily on the question and answer segment.
The article concludes with a statement that I wholeheartedly agree with:
“SharePoint – The good stuff is really good. The bad stuff can usually be made good by one of the many amazing vendors working to make SharePoint better.”
For those looking to make their SharePoint experience better and who don’t necessarily have the time or desire to read through the multitude of literature on the subject, a product like Smartlogic may be right for you. Smartlogic’s Semaphore Content Intelligence Platform enhances SharePoint’s less than ideal navigation and gives unstructured content the findability advantage.
Jasmine Ashton, April 10, 2012
Inteltrax: Top Stories, April 2 to April 6
April 9, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, lesser known industries falling in love with analytics.
“Safety Analytics Fits Every Industry” showed us how big data is adding major advances in public and private security.
“Small Biz Gaining in Big Data” told more about what we already know: data analytics helps level the playing field for small businesses.
“Customer Service Propels Many BI Companies” delves into the ways in which supporting users is helping vendors succeed.
Analytics is invading our world, often in the most unexpected places. This is just a small sampling of the deep research we provide every day.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
April 9, 2012
The Heat in SharePoint Semantics March 23 to March 29
April 3, 2012
This week SharePoint Semantics delivered some excellent best practice related posts that end users and search enthusiasts will equally enjoy.
Solutions to help make companies more social have increasingly been incorporated into the workplace, it’s only natural that SharePoint would hop on board the train. In the post, “Examples of Social Media Solutions Such as SharePoint Aiding Productivity” we learn how several companies used SharePoint as a tool to help their employees become more productive at work.
The article states:
“MindTree turned to Microsoft SharePoint to create a portal they named People Hub to make it easier for their employees to locate needed data. The effort has been so successful that they are now looking to extend the system to customers as well.”
In the vein of creating a successful SharePoint experience for companies, “Tips for a Successful Microsoft SharePoint Online Deployment” shares an article that recaps a presentation that states the seven most important factors that are indicative of SharePoint success.
The article states:
“The detailed article covers the decision making involved with a SharePoint Online deployment and how to determine and support ROI. The article focuses on the practical and effective points of Harbridge’s presentation, including how to improve user adoption and plan for growth.”
When figuring out if SharePoint is a good fit for your company, size is often not one of the factors that is considered. The post, “Large Versus Small Companies for the Best SharePoint Professional Work Environment” weighs the pros and cons of working for a large or small company as a SharePoint professional.
Ken Toth states:
“Working for a larger company means larger challenges, budgets, and environments. However, deployments can also become complicated in such a large environment with so many stakeholders. You will have access to more equipment and will find it easier to take time away for conferences. You will have more colleagues, but also more managers and meetings. In a smaller company, you will find yourself doing a wide variety of tasks with a wide variety of challenges. It will be easier to have working relationships with other people in the organization and there will be less bureaucracy.”
While best practice stories are always useful when deciding how to incorporate SharePoint into your organization, often times investing in a third party solution like Smartlogic’s semantic technology can provide end users with the guidance they need to succeed.
Jasmine Ashton, April 3, 2012
Inteltrax: Top Stories, March 26 to March 30
April 2, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, the ways in which unstructured data is impacting the big data industry.
Our feature story this week, “Digital Reasoning Makes Major Move in Military,” shows how the leader in unstructured data wrangling is helping the military increase its reach.
“Unstructured Data Demands Right Tools” proves that not all unstructured data softwares are created equal. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just a shell game for users to find the right one for their needs.
“Governments Get Self Conscious with Analytics” showed how clever government agencies are clearing up inaccuracies and becoming more efficient by utilizing the massive collections of unstructured data lingering in their systems.
If you aren’t familiar with the term “unstructured data” you will be. It’s the big horizon in the analytics world. We, fortunately, are well versed in the ephemeral stuff. It’s going to change the way the entire industry works and we’ll be following it every day.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
April 2, 2012
SAS Gets More Visual
March 31, 2012
Inxight (now owned by BusinessObjects, part of the SAP empire) is history at SAS or almost history. Now the company is moving in a different direction.
Jaikumar Vijayan writes about a new visual analytics application recently unveiled by SAS in his article “SAS Promises Pervasive BI with New Tool.” Einstein is believed to have once said “computers are incredibly fast, accurate, and stupid. Human beings are incredibly slow, inaccurate, and brilliant. Together they are powerful beyond imagination.” We noted this passage from Mr. Vijayan’s write up:
Unlike many purely server-based enterprise analytics technologies, Visual Analytics gives business users a full range of data discovery, data visualization and querying capabilities from desktop and mobile client devices, the company said.
The initial version of the new tool allows iPad users to view reports and download information to their devices. Future versions will support other mobile devices as well, SAS added. The quote is actually a good description of the concept that underlies Visual Analysis. The process uses analytic reasoning to detect specific information in massive amount of data. For example, a clothing manufacturer might use it to determine current trends in ladies’ fashions. The results are presented in charts and graphs to the users, who can fine-tune the parameters until their specific queries are answered.
SAS is known for its statistical functionality, its programming language, and its need for SAS-savvy cow pokes to ride herd on the bits and bytes. Will SAS be able to react to the trend for the consumerization of business intelligence.
While the technology is impressive, SAS may be a little late to the game. Palantir and Digital Reasoning have already introduced applications that offer clients powerful Visual Analysis capabilities. Time will tell if SAS is able to catch up to some competitors’ approach. We are interested in Digital Reasoning, Ikanow and Quid.
Stephen E Arnold, March 31, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Protected: You Do Not Need Hot Water to Shrink Your SharePoint Crawl Database
March 27, 2012
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