Deduplication: Flawed Method or Just More Woes for HP?
June 19, 2012
Is HP duping consumers or is SEPATON waging a product war? Its sales versus sales in the article SEPATON: HP Offers ‘Least Capable’ Dedupe in the Industry, with SEPATON full of fire and not pulling any punches. HP did a little dodge and duck, but mainly stayed straight forward.
Linda Mentzer and Peter Quirk from SEPATON stated:
“The HP B6200 offers the least capable de-dupe in the industry. Each tape device on a B6200 is effectively a distinct de-dupe domain. Backups sent to a one drive don’t de-dupe against backups sent to another drive on the same node! What happens when you’re back up exceeds the capability of one drive?”
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and apparently HP finds the B6200 much more appealing than its own creator. Sean Kenney from HP Storage challenged SEPATON’s comments, stating:
“It is important to note that the B6200 is a single logical system. Any emulated tape drive within a VTL completely de-duplicates with all other tape drives in that VTL. The B6200 is a terrific solution for database and multiplexed workloads.”
Ah, hardware performance and software issues it seems. HP doesn’t claim the system to be perfect, but instead presents realistic options to prevent issues. Though SEPATON argues that B6200 lacks functionality, they also make it a point to promote their other products. Could this be a coincidence or just more woes for HP?
Jennifer Shockley, June 19, 2012
Inteltrax: Top Stories, June 11 to June 15
June 18, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, how governments and the voting public are utilizing big data.
In “Government Leads Way in Big Data Training” we discovered the private sector lagging behind the government in terms of user education.
Our story, “U.S. Agencies Analytics Underused” showed that even though we have all that training, some agencies still need more to fully utilize this digital power.
“Cultural Opinion Predicted by Analytics” used the Eurovision song contest to show us the power of people using analytics and gives the nugget of thought as to how this could be used in government elections.
While sometimes the outcomes contradict one another, there’s no denying that big data analytics is a huge part of governments around the world. Expect these facts to only rise as the popularity catches fire.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
June 18, 2012
Fabasoft Sees Share Growth and Profit in the Technology Sector
June 18, 2012
In “Fabasoft Linzer makes 700,000 Euros Profit,” the Futurezone.at blog takes a look at the climbing revenue at Fabasoft. Fabasoft AG (FAA.DE) shares have seen an uptick in recent months and have generally been hovering between €3.5 and €4 since March. According to the Fabasoft Annual Report, 2011/2012 saw an 8.3 percent increase from the 2010/2011 fiscal year.
The company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange Austrian software manufacturer Fabasoft AG announced Friday evening, an operating profit of 700,000 € for the financial year 2011/12. In the previous financial year 2010/11 the company had suffered losses amounting to 300,000 euros. Revenues climbed from 21.1 million euros to 22.9 million euros. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to 2.2 million euros (1.0 million euros a year earlier).
In the Fabasoft Annual Report letter from the managing Board, Fallman and Bauernfeind also have this to say about the growth,
However, it is not only the intensity of use of our cloud products that has increased over the past fiscal year. We have also recorded encouraging growth in the ‘classic’ business sector with software licenses and the associated services. In the key business with public sector clients we have continued to make good progress despite – and in some cases also because of – considerable savings targets. Our government clients benefit from the innovation that characterizes our product development combined with the years of professional experience of a leading and proven supplier in this market segment…Based on our commitment to responsibility and sustainability the Fabasoft Group has, in the fiscal year under review, developed even further in terms of product portfolio, product accessibility, sales and marketing and in respect of providing services.
With such growth, it seems clear that Fabasoft is on the right track. In terms of cloud services and search, you may consider the full suite of solutions available from Fabasoft, including Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise. The cost-efficient and comprehensive search solution creates relevant knowledge from processing data. With extensive search, your users can find the right information at the right time facilitating the reuse of valuable business knowledge. And with mobile and Web site search features, consider Fabasoft Mindbreeze as the comprehensive solution for your information management. Read more about the full suite of solutions at http://www.mindbreeze.com/.
Philip West, June 18, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Sunglass Offers Innovative Collaboration Centered Software
June 18, 2012
One of the essential goals of product lifecycle management (PLM) is to make collaboration between engineers and departments easier. Software designed with this concept of sharing in the forefront of its usefulness is not only much needed but celebrated when created. The latest software offering sharing capabilities is Sunglass as explained in the Design News article, “Startup Sunglass Shining a Light on 3D Cloud Collaboration”.
Relying on cloud technology the article explains how Sunglass helps those in the architecture and engineering industries reliant on CAD:
“With Sunglass, users share 3D files as easily as dragging and dropping a model in any file format on to something called the Sunglass Stage…Once the models are on the Stage, the social design aspect takes over. Collaborators can simultaneously edit 3D models and give real-time feedback through a chat tool (a sort of instant messaging function) or by making a call through voice chat. The Stage also has a sketch tool for marking changes. To facilitate the sharing aspect of collaboration, Sunglass Player transforms hefty 3D models into links that can be shared anywhere on the Web — much like sending someone a link to a YouTube video.”
Innovators in the field of PLM, like Sunglass, are a welcome breath of fresh air. Their keen understanding of the relationship between social networking and collaboration and their wise observations of how engineering design collaboration is akin to gaming make them a company to watch. Hopefully, other companies will take a note on Sunglass’s reception in the PLM marketplace along with other popular companies, like Inforbix, who also profit off of the notion of making sharing easier.
Catherine Lamsfuss, June 18, 2012
Assumed Pain of SharePoint and Proposed Solutions
June 15, 2012
There seems to be a disconnect between what employees say they need from their enterprise storage and search system, and what SharePoint delivers. However, SharePoint has become an assumed presence, regardless of the pain of configuration and upkeep. “Is SharePoint a Pain Point? Maybe It’s Time to Ditch It.” gets right to the point.
The disconnect is explained:
According to a number of studies, the No. 1 justification for spending money on a corporate intranet is to reduce the time and effort on enterprise search. With that being said, I personally haven’t met an employee at a company that feels their SharePoint system meets their needs. There is clearly a disconnect between theory and practice in the IT world.
So what are the major complaints about SharePoint? SharePoint is slow to deploy, difficult to configure, and users do not like it. Interestingly, it is estimated that SharePoint is not as cheap as it’s often said to be. For every $1 spent to license SharePoint, an additional $6 is spent to make it work.
Approximately 80 per cent of large organizations have a SharePoint system and while it can do a lot for you, it asks a lot in return. This system, designed to let people within a company collaborate and share information, requires heavy customization, has poor social computing capabilities and is not based on intuitive navigation whatsoever, making it difficult for most people to use.
So what’s the solution? We recommend using a smart third party solution like Fabasoft Mindbreeze to bridge the gap between what enterprise search should do and what SharePoint can do. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise can stand along or work alongside an existing SharePoint infrastructure. The addition of Connectors ensures that the Fabasoft Mindbreeze platform works seamlessly across all manner of software.
See what the Federal Ministry of Justice Agency in Austria had to say about Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise:
Mag. Jürgen Atzlsdorfer: ‘In introducing ELAK light we have made it possible to manage and store data, some of which are highly sensitive, in a secure and traceable way. Using Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise as an integrated search solution simplifies our information search. This speeds up case processing, which in turn saves time and money.’
SharePoint has its shortcomings, so for those who need to rescue an existing infrastructure, look into Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 15, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
PaaS Newest Fad in PLM Solutions
June 15, 2012
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has been a popular option for many companies unable to afford PLM platform solutions because it runs on cloud technology lowering costs. Now, according to the Software Advice article, “Three Manufacturing Apps Taking Advantage of Platform as a Service (PaaS)”, a new service is taking the manufacturing industry by storm despite the small number of providers, namely SAP, Salesforce and Net
According to the article,
“For now, the target audience for PaaS applications are smaller manufacturers because there are still computing and integration limitations that make it difficult to run complex manufacturing operations in the Cloud. However, large and complex manufacturers can still find value from point Cloud solutions or running Cloud ERP in subsidiary locations.”
PaaS and SaaS are great alternatives to entire PLM platforms for smaller companies because they keep costs low while still delivering results. Providers such as Inforbix rely on cloud technology to simplify PLM for their clients and thanks to such technologies “cloud based applications that need or can benefit from access to data from many different file types and disparate sources now have a means of increasing the value of their solution to their users.” As the article mentioned cloud technologies might just be the best thing to come along in a long time for the small and midsized manufacturing enterprise.
Catherine Lamsfuss, June 15, 2012
Connected Car Technology
June 14, 2012
Since city dwellers are spending an increasing amount of time in their cars, automobile manufacturers are adopting technology that effortlessly converts vehicles into fully functional mobile offices. The features of this technology are described in an article by Roudra Bhattacharya entitled “Drive Easy with a ‘Connected Car’” that recently appeared on The Hindu Business Line’s website:
“Most top technology firms such as Microsoft, Google and Siemens PLM are working on ‘connected car’ platforms with top carmakers today. Their aim? To help you make calls, browse the internet, watch videos and be virtually present at work meetings, while still keeping your hands free to do the most important thing – hold the steering wheel. Additionally, the car can also act like your ‘credit card’ by paying your toll fees wirelessly. GPS-based navigation systems can also be updated remotely via the Internet, enabling accuracy in directions even for the newest localities.”
Recognizing the growing need for mobile computing applications, Inforbix offers a cloud-based, scalable, and affordable product-lifestyle management (PLM) solution that can be launched through in-car technology systems so that workers can effortlessly find, reuse, and share product data on the go.
Tonya Weikel, June 14, 2012
Enterprise Search Questions Answered by the Expert behind Fabasoft Mindbreeze
June 14, 2012
When it comes to managing your data, you sometimes need to consult with an expert. Daniel Fallmann is the founder of the independent distribution Mindbreeze Software GmbH. Fallmann holds a Master’s degree in computer science from Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria, and before founding Mindbreeze, he worked in systems architecture, systems development, parallel computing and systems management/monitoring. While working on his Master’s degree, Fallmann worked at Fabalabs, a division of Fabasoft Corporation dedicated to ensuring Fabasoft’s products seamlessly run within enterprise-class environments on an open source stack.
In “Ask the Experts – Daniel Fallmann,” at the Computerwelt.at blog, you can submit your enterprise search questions to Fallmann. His background and product are further explained:
Daniel Fallmann is a recognized expert in enterprise search, information access, enterprise-class architecture and software. The Mindbreeze Software GmbH, based in Linz, is a leading provider of software products for fast and intuitive search to find relevant facts in corporate data and the Internet, particularly in organizations where the size or the variety of data sets to link and cross-search is not yet approved.
Fallmann’s experience with strategy makes him a valuable expert you may want to reach out to with your question. Using open standards, Mindbreeze offers high-performance enterprise search and digital cognition for all kinds of enterprises that also boasts quick and easy install so you can be up and running in no time.
With Mindbreeze Mobile, your users can access valuable business knowledge when they need it, and “Fabasoft Mindbreeze Mobile is living proof that the time-saving use of an extensive mobile information access does not compromise data security.” The Mindbreeze InSite solution is a Web site search solution based on the power of semantic technology so your Web site visitors can take advantage of intuitive search. And with no installation, configuration, or maintenance required, InSite’s ease lets you focus on more business critical operations.
Here you can read more from Fallmann about efficient Web site semantics solution:
The best search machine is one that doesn’t attract attention but that simply always delivers the right results. Individual, personalized, exact and relevant. Wherever and whenever. It knows what the customer wants and leads them with pinpoint accuracy to the relevant information. Your search environment becomes your center of knowledge.
Navigate to www.mindbreeze.com to learn more about the full suite of solutions.
Philip West, June 14, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Microsoft SharePoint: Controlled Term Functionality
June 13, 2012
Also covered “SharePointSearch, Synonyms, Thesaurus, and You” provides a useful summary of Microsoft SharePoint’s native support for controlled term lists. Today, the buzzwords taxonomy and ontology are used to refer to term lists which SharePoint can use to index content. Term lists may consist of company-specific vocabulary, the names of peoples and companies with which a firm does business, or formal lists of words and phrases with “Use for” and “See also” cross references.
The important of a controlled term list is often lost when today’s automated indexing systems process content. Almost any search system benefits when the content processing subsystem can use a controlled term list as well as the automated methods baked into the indexer.
In this TechGrowingPains write up, the author says:
A little known, and interesting, feature in SharePoint search is the ability to create customized thesaurus word sets. The word sets can either be synonyms, or word replacements, augmenting search functionality. This ability is not limited to single words, it can also be extend into specific phrases.
The article explains how controlled term lists can be used to assist a user in formulating a query. The method is called “replacement words”. The idea of suggesting terms is a good one which many users find a time saver when doing research. The synonym expansion function is mentioned as well. SharePoint can insert broader terms into a user’s query which increases or decreases the size of the result set.
The centerpiece of the article is a recipe for activating this functionality. A helpful code snippet is included as well.
If you want additional technical support, let us know. Our Search Technoologies’ team has deep experience in Microsoft SharePoint search and customization. We can implement advanced controlled term features in almost any SharePoint system.
Iain Fletcher, June 13, 2012
New SharePoint Book Features Business Connectivity Services
June 13, 2012
The InfoZine story, “Microsoft Sharepoint 2010: Business Connectivity Services,” introduces us to a new book by the same name. Ideal for all manner of SharePoint engineers and developers, the guide is a good resource for maximizing all the potential that SharePoint has to offer.
The review gives us an introduction:
Led by a team of SharePoint experts, you’ll learn how to integrate data from several systems—such as sales, accounting, and inventory—and then search, display, combine, and modify the information using code and no-code SharePoint solutions. This hands-on guide is ideal for SharePoint project managers, business analysts, architects, and administrators.
Customization is a big part of utilizing SharePoint, and no doubt this book provides a lot of customization details and tips. However, many users find that customization is too consuming in terms of time and staff to be able to do it properly. For these users we recommend a smart third party solution, like Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise understands you, or more precisely understands exactly what the most important information is for you at any given moment . . . The information pairing technology brings enterprise and Cloud together . . . Information pairing brings enterprise information and information in the Cloud together. This gives you an overall image of a company’s knowledge. This is the basis for your competitive advantage. In this way you can act quickly, reliably, dynamically and profitably in all business matters.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise can stand alone or work alongside an existing SharePoint infrastructure, making it a seamless way to add a level of intuitiveness and efficiency without the added investment in customization. Furthermore, Fabasoft offers an entire suite of additional solutions, seamlessly weaving your SharePoint installation together with your other systems.
SharePoint is no doubt the industry leader, and readers will always be interested in more tools, tips, and tricks. However, for the organization that needs increased efficiency and user experience without the added hassle, a smart third party solution like Fabasoft Mindbreeze is worth consideration.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 13, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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