Inteltrax: Top Stories, May 7 to May 11
May 14, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, hot trends among the industry.
The hottest trend in most businesses is change and “How an Analytic Firm Handles Challenges” highlights the rapidly evolving Petri dish of data analytics.
The law has been a major topic of talk and “Google Indiscretions Prove Need for Secure Data Mining” looks at how the search giant’s analytics arm might be violating laws and trust.
Partnerships have been the biggest trend in big data this year and “Clients Win When Big Data Partners” examines Cloudera’s recent teamwork.
These are just a sampling of the big time changes moving this industry forward at a frantic pace. It’s exciting and you can catch the thrill every day as we cull analytic news from around the globe.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
May 14, 2012
SharePoint 2015 Highly Anticipated
May 14, 2012
If you are a follower of Microsoft and its products, you are used to the inherent mystery and anticipation that accompanies its often belabored and long-suffering releases of major software. Kurt Mackie updates on the latest information on upcoming releases in, “Office and SharePoint ’15’ Expected in Early 2013.”
Veteran Microsoft reporter Mary Jo Foley unearthed a few clues about Microsoft’s product roadmap for this year and the next. Last week, Foley pointed to two Microsoft charts, reportedly given to partners, that show approximately when we might see certain Microsoft on-premises products and cloud-based services emerge. The documents are a bit dated, originating from Dec. 22, 2011, and lack details about the arrival of Windows 8 and Windows Server 8. However, Microsoft did confirm to Foley that charts were given to partners and show ‘forward-looking information.’
The article goes on to predict that Exchange, Microsoft Office, and SharePoint, all in their “15” versions, are expected for general availability early 2013. We cannot help but wonder why there is so much pageantry surrounding Microsoft major releases. For a company with so much pull in the general technology world, it seems smaller more frequent updates would keep them more relevant as the competition grows stiffer.
One third-party solution keeping the competition tight for Microsoft in enterprise search is Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Mindbreeze is particularly efficient at updating their offerings without major releases that disrupt workflow. Visit the Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise page to note the changes made available in the quarterly releases over the last couple of years. Updates to the Cloud enterprise offering are even more frequent and more subtle.
It seems to us that at a certain point a ship does get too big to turn. This may be where Microsoft is heading, with software offerings so overwhelming that implementers at the local level have to plan months in advance just for an update. For a software solution that is current, intuitive, and less disruptive, consider a smart third-party solution like Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 14, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Complementary Enterprise Applications for Data Management
May 14, 2012
Omnify Software, a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions, will host presentations at the upcoming Consona Connect 2012 conference that will focus on the integration of PLM and enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications within organizations. Among the topics that will be covered are the elimination of manual data entry, the automation and integration of engineering and documentation processes, and product development compliance.
As described in a press release entitled “Omnify Software to Present at Consona Connect 2012” that recently appeared on the PCB 007 website, this tandem implementation of PLM and ERP technologies can provide product development and operational benefits:
“Integration between ERP and PLM systems allows direct sharing of engineering and manufacturing data through an automated process, resulting in improved data integrity across the organization.”
Manufacturers hoping to implement this integrated data management approach and harness its potential for shorter product development cycles, accelerated innovation, and increased operational profitability should seek out secure, cloud-based, scalable, intuitive, and cost-effective PLM solutions that allow the entire enterprise to find, reuse, and share product data with maximum efficiency.
Tonya Weikel, May 14, 2012
HP Politics: Alleged Inside Info about the Autonomy Deal
May 14, 2012
Ah, HP management in action. Business Insider reveals, “HP Finance Chief Tried to Stop $11.7 Billion Acquisition, but Lost.” Believing the proposed purchase of Autonomy to be too expensive, HP CFO Cathie Lesjak aired her objections privately to then-CEO Léo Apotheker. The chief was not swayed. Lesjak felt so strongly that she crossed him in a board meeting, stating her objections.
As we know, the deal went through anyway, but what does the clash say about the culture of the beleaguered business? Columnist Matt Rosoff notes:
“The conflict was just one of many examples of how Apotheker lost control over the complicated political landscape at HP, and he was ousted less than two months later.
“The thing is, the conventional wisdom in Silicon Valley says that Lesjak was probably right. One CEO of an enterprise company that does not compete with HP told us that he thought the valuation was completely insane, and grounds for firing Apotheker even without all his other slip-ups. Some HP partners have also criticized the deal, and Oracle said they passed on the deal at $6 billion because it was too expensive.”
It looks like Lesjak, who, incidentally, sat in the CEO chair for a while in 2010, may know what she’s talking about. We hope Meg Whitman heeds her words better than Apotheker did.
Cynthia Murrell, May 14, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Publishers Sour on Apps
May 12, 2012
Have you noticed a slowdown in attempts to app-ify traditional publications? Technology Review describes "Why Publishers Don’t Like Apps." Writer Jason Pontin describes early attempts of publishers to cure their Internet woes with apps. They seem to have expected tablet and smartphone users to relate to the written word more like, well, the written word than like a Web site. Sure, most of the projects supported some limited interactability, but publishers also expected people to be happy viewing simple replicas of print materials. And, they expected to be able to charge for this paltry access.
Problems abounded from the beginning, including grossly underestimating costs (an age-old problem), and technical difficulties converting print matter into apps. The write up emphasizes:
"But the real problem with apps was more profound. When people read news and features on electronic media, they expect stories to possess the linky-ness of the Web, but stories in apps didn’t really link. The apps were, in the jargon of information technology, ‘walled gardens,’ and although sometimes beautiful, they were small, stifling gardens. For readers, none of that beauty overcame the weirdness and frustration of reading digital media closed off from other digital media.
"Without subscribers or many single-copy buyers, and with no audiences to sell to advertisers, there were no revenues to offset the incremental costs of app development. With a couple of exceptions, publishers therefore soured on apps."
Ah, so publishers don’t like apps because the golden goose is a sparrow and lays small monetary eggs. Got it.
Cynthia Murrell, May 12, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Document Management, The Future and the Cloud
May 11, 2012
There is a lot of serious negotiating going on regarding the future of document management and the inevitable movement to the Cloud. Transitioning to the Cloud eases the burden of ownership and upkeep. Yet, there are other issues to consider such as security, compliance, and buy-in from employees. A full discussion is provided in the story, “Does the Future of Document Management Lie in the Cloud?”
The author discusses the needs of IT managers, and even conveys that IT managers are finding their users to have increasingly higher expectations:
They also want secure remote access from anywhere, and not just via computers, either: smartphones, netbooks, and tablet computers must be full participants. Corporate management has its requirements as well: reliable backup and resilient business continuity, so that a localised outage doesn’t leave information workers idle. And both groups never want to be told that storage has filled up.
So how does an organization juggle the needs of user experience, security, compliance, and storage? Many third-party solutions are emerging that do a good job of attending to all of these needs, while providing continuous updates as the technology progresses. One such third-party solution that we like is Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Their Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise solution is highly adaptable and intuitive, all while performing well against the competition in the Cloud.
In its integration with Mindbreeze Insite, Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise utilizes the power of Wikipedia and internal sources to feed public-facing websites.
Mindbreeze InSite integrates itself smoothly into Mindbreeze’s hybrid model. As before in Fabasoft Folio Cloud and Wikipedia, you can now make your own website searchable in the Cloud with InSite and make this data source instantly available to all internal users.
For users who want to move to the Cloud, but are concerned about potentially negative side effects, consider smart third-party solutions such as those offered by Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 11, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Technology Solutions for CAD Based Document Control
May 11, 2012
Since many of their business decisions require quick action, manufacturers must remain aware of emerging technology and should implement those solutions that allow for the most efficient access to and application of their internal operational and product information.
For example, as described in the press release entitled “Global Competitiveness in Mining Industry Depends on Technology” that recently appeared on ITWeb’s site, Kumba Iron Ore’s Sishen Mine in South Africa recognized that its SAP-based system for managing the documents associated with its production processes as well as its computer-aided design (CAD) engineering drawings required an update to reflect the operation’s need for a more functional and secure electronic document control system that allowed for version control and document digitization. A supplementary product to Sishen’s SAP system that addressed these product lifecycle management (PLM) needs was designed and implemented in partnership by NokusaEI and CIDEON Software. As described by Dolf Engels, a solution analyst with Sishen, this updated system has benefits beyond enhanced document access and security:
“Changing to the new system is also a huge improvement to the maintenance timescale. Processes were sped up, efficiencies were enhanced and value-add was received through additional compliance and risk reduction components.”
Inforbix also provides cloud-based, scalable, and affordable PLM solutions that enable enterprises to find, reuse, and share CAD drawings and other vital product and operational data.
Tonya Weikel, May 11, 2012
SharePoint Users Beware Framesniffers
May 10, 2012
Security is a topic which is getting increased attention, particularly in the SharePoint community. I want to call attention to “Microsoft SharePoint and LinkedIn Data at Risk from Framesniffing Attacks” from ITWire.com. The Safari, Chrome, and Internet Explorer Web browsers are inadvertently allowing hackers to steal information from private Microsoft SharePoint Web sites and mine data from public Web sites like Linked In.
A Framesniffing Attack occurs when a hidden HTML frame loads a target Web site in the hacker’s Web page to mine information about the content and structure of the framed pages. The hacker can then overcome browser securities and read the sensitive information.
As explained in the ITWire.com article:
“Paul Stone, senior security consultant at Context said, “Using Framesniffing, it’s possible for a malicious Web page to run search queries for potentially sensitive terms on a SharePoint server and determine how many results are found for each query. For example, with a given company name it is possible to establish who their customers or partners are; and once this information has been found, the attacker can go on to perform increasingly complex searches and uncover valuable commercial information.”
The problem deals with the X-Frame-Options header that turns off the Web browser framing feature and in SharePoint it is not turned off by default. Microsoft has stated in the next SharePoint version they will set the X-Frame options, but until then, SharePoint gurus, it is up to you to find a solution. If your organization discovers a way to keep its information from prying eyes, you will still need a way to find the data.
Search Technologies implements solutions which are secure and do not impede findability or system performance. For more information, navigate to www.searchtechnologies.com.
Iain Fletcher, May 10, 2012
Staff Sergeant Discusses Managing a SharePoint Implementation Overseas
May 10, 2012
To be able to get the right information to the right people on time and in the right format is key for a successful business, but also imperative in a military situation. We also know that the ubiquitous SharePoint platform can deliver information access in an organization.
On deployment to Afghanistan, Staff Sergeant Jamie Leishman was tasked with managing the vital information flows and data dissemination for over 2000 users across the Brigade. Leishman designed and built a SharePoint service, and the story is shared in the Bdaily Business Network post, “Army Specialist Helping Businesses to Win the Information.”
Ultimately, the deployment of the SharePoint service in Afghanistan significantly improved the ability of the Helmand HQ to process and disseminate information. Leishman said: “One of the key benefits of SharePoint is that it creates a virtual office environment for disparate groups to communicate and collaborate, which is particularly important in military theatre where activity is high tempo and in an ever changing environment. Passing information and orders to people at the right time is critical in the military just as it is in business.
Leishman also comments on the immediate benefits that led to successful user adoption after implementation. SharePoint’s powerful features prove to meet the needs of a variety of customers, including energy firms, airports, government agencies, and nonprofits. But the ubiquitous content management software also has some holes in it, namely search. It seems the search experts at Fabasoft Mindbreeze also understand the importance of meeting customer needs and expectations with clients like the Salzburg City Council and Federal Ministry of Justice in Austria. Dr. Berthold Rauchenschwandtner of the Salzburg City Council has this to say about Mindbreeze:
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise makes our everyday work easier. Obtaining relevant information fast is something we now take for granted and it has become a key feature of our work and our approach to it. Above all our citizens benefit from it. They receive their information much faster.
Mindbreeze snaps seamlessly into the SharePoint system to give your users an enhanced search and navigation experience with secure, reliable, and efficient action. Read more about the solutions at http://www.mindbreeze.com/.
Philip West, May 10, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Data Management Conference Attracts Record Crowd
May 10, 2012
Siemens just completed hosting a PLM conference with an amazing attendance of over 1800 PLM users. Proof of the growing reliance on PLM software these numbers speak for themselves. The conference was covered in the Automation World article, “Siemens PLM Conference Attracts 1,800 Plus”.
Some of the highlights of the conference’s 400 sessions were explained by the article as,
“Significant trends impacting manufacturing and the product lifecycle management (PLM) market according to (Chuck) Grindstaff were Big Data, product complexity, integrated systems and computational expansion. He mentioned Siemens PLM’s commitment to open–open culture, open data, open products and open communities–something reiterated by other executives the remainder of the day.”
Siemens is not the only PLM provider dedicated to the idea of open. As more smaller and midsized companies realize the need for PLM to manage their growing data open source cloud-based solutions are beginning to emerge with more frequency. We recommend companies looking for a personalized data management solution with the best customer service to be found contact Inforbix, a company dedicated to helping clients find, share and reuse data to streamline processes and minimize waste and duplication.
Catherine Lamsfuss, May 10, 2012
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