Oracle Endeca Democratizes Data Discovery
November 19, 2013
Oracle is on a mission to empower its clients with self-service discovery capabilities for enterprise systems. The recent announcement came to us via Market Wired in, “Oracle Democratizes Data Discovery With Oracle Endeca Information Discovery 3.1.” The new Endeca software allows users to maintain enterprise features, while offering high-end collaboration that does not pose a security risk.
The new data discovery platform comes enabled with analytics features that incorporate more information varieties and support better decision-making. The new features that enhance better decision-making are self-service data mashup and discovery dashboards, deep unstructured analysis, enterprise class self-service discovery, enhanced integration with Oracle business intelligence, and Web content integration.
” ‘Data Discovery has been a sea change in the analytics market, driven by a desire to make information more accessible to a broader range of users at all levels of the business. With Oracle’s release of Oracle Endeca Information Discovery 3.1, we anticipate an even more improved ability to spur adoption and improved time to value with enterprise-class self-service discovery,’ said Mark Rittman, chief technical officer, Rittman Mead.”
Oracle will reel in more clients with this platform. There are not any details on how much the licensing fee for “democratized data” will cost. It is easy to surmise that is more expensive than open source alternatives.
Whitney Grace, November 19, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Data Science Explained With an Infographic
November 8, 2013
Data Science is a hot industry. Even though data scientists have been around for decades, but it is only the proliferation of new devices and data streams that have brought the career to the Internet spotlight. Data Science is more than monitoring reports about data or even the big data revolution. Data Science is an intricate and interesting science and to understand it better check out the Visual.ly infographic labeled: “Data Science: More Than Mining.”
The graphic explains that data science has exploded:
“Proliferation of sensors, mobile and social trends provide explosive growth of new types of data. Data scientists are creating the tools that can be used to interpret and help translate the streams of information into innovative new products. Social media platforms such as Facebook depend on data science to create innovative, interactive features that encourage users to get interested and stay that way.”
The basic of data science are data mining, statistics, interpretation, and leveraging. The data scientist interacts with the data by asking questions about how to apply the information in new ways and better the process. Data scientists are hardly people off the street, they require the skills of hacker, mathematician, and an artist. Mixing all those together goes makes a data scientist a very diverse person and able to see how to apply the data in new, unknown ways. It is amazing how data science has shaped society from behind the current since 1790.
Whitney Grace, November 08, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
The Importance of Good Data Visualization
November 3, 2013
A post at Ushahidi’s blog titled, “With Data, Never Underestimate the Power of a Pretty Picture” reminds us how important the arrangement of data into a palatable format can be. The write-up begins:
“There is power in data. Data can tell important stories, from which politicians are corrupt to which corporations are breaking the law. However, like any good story its power is dependent on being compelling to audiences — being a page-turner.”
Writer Chris R. Albon illustrates the point with two tables. The first presents real data in a bare-bones format that can only be read by those with some basic data science training. I, for one, cannot make heads or tails of it. The second is a polished presentation of gibberish; it really looks quite nice. Albon explains:
“The simple fact is that if both the table and image were placed on the desks of policymakers, journalists, business leaders, and politicians, it would undoubtedly be the image that interested them — that enticed them to examine it and kept their attention all the way through. The image’s ability to be compelling means that at the end of the day, it is going have a much stronger chance of having a real impact.”
Of course, the piece concludes by noting that Ushahidi is the place to go for all your data-visualization needs. (There are others out there.) The self-promotion, however, does not undercut the message: readers are much more likely to pay attention to, and understand, data if it is presented in a well-designed graphic.
Cynthia Murrell, November 03, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Bottlenose Helps Users Make the Most of Social Data
November 1, 2013
Silicon Angle recently reported on a new free solution for processing streaming data in the article “Bottlenose Visualizes Twitter Firehouse Trends with Sonar Solo”.
According to the article, the startup, among other things, uses technology from Lexalytics and Nerve Center to help users unwrap social data by offering the visibility in personal data expected by a growing number of today’s customers.
The article states:
“Nova Spivack, the co-founder and CEO of Bottlenose, noted that ‘we wanted everyone to experience the power of Sonar’s real-time trend intelligence visualization, without restricting it to our large enterprise customers. Now, anyone with internet access can search for anything from their favorite celebrities to breaking news and current events, and everything in between, for a real-time view of what’s trending in the collective consciousness.’”
The Bottlenose offers its customers a customizable product that engages their audience. This is something that is very necessary for startups to succeed in today’s competitive market.
Jasmine Ashton, November 01, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIt.com, developer of Beyond Search
Newspaper Companies Attempt to Catch Up with Data Analysis
October 31, 2013
The jargon-heavy article on Nieman Journalist Lab titled The Newsonomics of “Little Dad,” Data Scientists, and Conversion Specialists introduces the push big news companies are making towards data analysis. The article suggests that although news companies have lagged behind other web-based companies, they have started to seriously invest in their engineers and in mining the data they have on their visitors habits. Some expected emphasis is misplaced, instead of Big Data, Little Data is suddenly of great import. The article explains what one company experienced,
“We might have thought that progressive Schibsted would be farther along in the data sciences… Long-time Schibsted strategist Sverre Munck says that despite the company’s great successes and acute reading of changing consumer behavior, it still felt like it didn’t know what it needed to know. “Our analytics were haphazard, ad hoc, case-by-case,” says Munck, Schibsted’s soon-to-be-retired executive vice president. Where Schibsted believes its unique strategies are right…— it invests heavily. It’s now doing that in analytics.”
Some of the article is difficult to grasp, which may be a good thing. One surprise that caught the engineers off-guard was that a huge number of digital subscribers never registered for free before paying for a subscription. The focus on registered users shifted with this development, and this is only the beginning.
Chelsea Kerwin, October 31, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Better Data Is Out There
October 29, 2013
Many have been operating under the assumption that the digital age has been providing us with reliable and accurate information. David Soloff noticed that this was incorrect when he was comparing grocery store prices against a government claim that they had dropped for the first time in more than half a century. Soloff discovered that prices, however, had increased by 5%. People are relying on misconstrued data, so Soloff founded Premise Data Corp. to sell better data. The San Francisco Gate details Soloff in “Google-Backed Startup Seeks Clearer Economic Signals Through Better, Faster, Stronger Data.” Backing the company are Google Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Harrison Metal.
Premise gathers data with a “global Internet trawl” that reads data from the Internet as well as using the old-fashioned approach of sending people into the field. The company plans on selling its “better” data to financial institutes, packaged good companies, and government and international organizations. So far the only customer they have is Bloomberg, but starting off with a big name like that is not a bad start.
John Morgan, an economist at UC Berkley, does not think it will be as easy to collect data as Premise hopes. He points out that governments change data for their own political aims and stores are not too keen on having people take photos of their wares. These are obvious observations, but Morgan goes on to say that not many people are going to want to buy Premise’s product:
“Meanwhile, he’s dubious that many consumer product companies will pay for this information because there are already many reliable sources on pricing for packaged goods. He’s also doubtful governments will be in the market for this information because they’ll insist on control over the collection and analysis. Morgan said the remaining question is whether Premise can earn a comfortable profit supplying tools to remaining potential customers, such as financial institutions, while paying a worldwide army of data collectors.”
It looks like we will have the choice of data vendors in the future. Who provides the best data? Who is going to be providing Google with the better results? A new market just opened up and Wall Street has not caught on yet.
Whitney Grace, October 29, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Visionary Talend Looks to the Future
October 24, 2013
Talend is a visionary, according to research firm Gartner. Virtual-Strategy Magazine reveals, “Talend Positioned as a Visionary in the Magic Quadrant for Data Quality Tools.” To land in the annual report’s Visionaries column, Gartner says, companies must “understand where the market is going or have a vision for changing market rules.” The report cites two Talend products as evidence of the company’s foresight: their Open Studio for Data Quality and their Platform for Data Management.
Apparently Talend’s vision includes fresh leadership, for hard on the heels of the above press release came another, “Talend Appoints Mike Tuchen as CEO” posted at 4-traders. The write-up explains why Tuchen is their choice for the company’s next phase:
“Prior to joining Talend, Tuchen served as the CEO of Rapid7 and led the company through an exponential growth, dramatically expanding its marketing, sales, partnerships and product line. A former Microsoft executive and seasoned marketing and product strategist, he also served as the General Manager of Microsoft’s SQL Server Marketing team, helping grow that business from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion. Tuchen is also a board member of ThousandEyes.”
Already a leader in open source data management, Talend boosted that standing in 2010 with its acquisition of Sopera. The company supplies data-management and application-integration middleware to organizations of all sizes. They cite their scalable platform, flexible architecture, and easy-to-use tools as reasons they have grown to serve more than 4,000 enterprise customers. Talend was founded in 2005, and is based in Los Altos, California.
Cynthia Murrell, October 24, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
The War Of The Officers
October 22, 2013
It is time for a another geek vs. geek or nerd vs. nerd, battle depending on your preference, says Guided Wire in the article: “Chief Data Officer (CDO) vs. Chief Science Officer (CSO).” Christina Colby, the author, noticed that in last October’s Harvard Business Review that data scientists are considered to be one of the “sexiest jobs” of the twenty-first century. She was delighted to hear that her love for data was finally being recognized and how people were realizing information’s power. She also pointed out that two key jobs are gaining prominence: chief data officer (CDO) and chief science officer (CSO).
AIG is a major company that has recognized these two roles and is actively working on how to grow them. These two data related jobs were once merged, but they have grown distinct, as data has become more complex. How do they differ?
Let us take a look:
“Chief Data Officer (CDO) – Think of this role as the structure and the rigor. It may not be very stimulating, but you can’t do the big stuff without first getting the fundamentals right. Responsibilities for the role can include:
- Oversees Data Management Office (DMO) and related shared services
- Accountable for Data Governance
- Defines data standards and policies
- Manages standard business taxonomy and data dictionary
- Provides common tools and platforms
- Responsible for data quality monitoring and management
- Drives prioritization, provides budget, and oversees execution for related business and technology initiatives
- Oversees data audits and largely supports regulatory compliance requirements
Big stuff, though rather basic to many in management who can misunderstand its importance. What about the science officer?
Chief Science Officer (CSO) – Now things start to get a bit more exciting… The CSO role is focused on what you can find in the data, not what you may think you’re looking for. But, it’s important for the organization to set expectations about what should be and what can be achievable in terms of outcomes. The CSO:
- Manages an emerging capability of data exploration, often utilizing techniques atypical in the Insurance industry (i.e., beyond actuarial sciences)
- Seeks patterns and trends in structured and unstructured data through big data initiatives
Responsible for R&D activities and data-driven proofs-of-concept (POCs), including topics like social media analytics, usage-based insurance (UBI), and speech analytics (e.g., Verint / Nice)”
Similar to the data officer, but it works more on the analytical and metadata. As I mentioned above, there is a big lag in companies understanding the importance of information and how to properly use it. These roles play an essential role companies, but few comprehend it. We hope they do soon.
Whitney Grace, October 22, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Big Data Challenges Explained
September 24, 2013
According to the recent Info World story “Big Data Means Big Challenges in Lifecycle Management” Whereas we thought that managing data was an old challenge, there are more Big Data challenges on the horizon.
As the article explains, integrated lifecycle management faces a whole set of new problems when it comes to tackling big data. The issues addressed have to do with: volume, velocity, and variability.
The article highlights issues surrounding big data scales:
“Big data does not mean that your new platforms support infinite volume, instantaneous velocity, or unbounded varieties. The sheer magnitudes of new data will make it impossible to store most of it anywhere, given the stubborn technological and economic constraints we all face. This reality will deepen big data managers’ focus on tweaking multi-temperature storage management, archiving, and retention policies. As you scale your big data environment, you will need to ensure that ILM requirements can be supported within your current constraints of volume (storage capacity), velocity (bandwidth, processor, and memory speeds), and variety (metadata depth).”
As data continues to grow in size and become more ephemeral, tech companies must keep up by creating software to tackle it.
Jasmine Ashton, September 24, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
The Risks of Data Fragmentation
September 20, 2013
Our big-data age has grown a new challenge—”data fragmentation.” ITProPortal examines the growing problem in, “Shadow IT: The Struggle to Protect Corporate Information in the Face of Growing Data Fragmentation.” The extensive interview with Mimecast’s chief strategy officer, Matthew Ravden, examines the issue, from defining the problem to offering advice on how to deal with it. (Note that Mimecast offers services to combat fragmentation.)
The more fragmented (or widely dispersed) a company’s data is, the harder it is to control who can access it. The problem lies largely in the cloud, but also with information distributed across a company’s network. Complicating the issue are workers who skirt their IT department and its fussy rules, storing data however and wherever, they see fit. Revden explains:
“Ultimately, the employee is at the heart of this issue; using multiple applications and devices, often without the IT manager’s knowledge. You can understand why they do it; they want to be able to use the same applications and embrace the same ‘sharing’ culture at work that they do in their personal lives. They also sometimes feel forced to use consumer-grade tools because of the restrictions placed on them by IT, including the size of files that can be sent via the corporate email system. Of course, most employees are not conscious of the risk – they just want to use a fast and easy service which will help them get their job done. As well as identifying the potential third-party services used, IT managers need to educate users on the risks involved, in order to ensure corporate policies are respected.”
The interview discusses the business and security risks of fragmentation, the roles cloud services and email play, and steps businesses can take to fight the problem (including educating workers to the importance of the issue). It even touches on the responsibility of cloud vendors. The piece does conclude with a plug for Mimecast, but that should not deter one from reading the article. Check it out for more information on this uniquely modern issue.
Cynthia Murrell, September 20, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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