Not All PLM Solutions Translatable to Mobile Apps
April 13, 2012
Over the last few years the demand for ‘an app for that’ has grown to the point that every software designer is rushing to spit out an app for just about every product. A recent blog post on PLM Twine, “Mobile PLM Gold-Rush. Did Vendors Miss the Point?”, explains why mobile apps are not always the best solution. In author Oleg Shilovitsky’s opinion PLM software designers are missing the point entirely of apps for mobile devices – to simplify on-the-go work. Instead, software designers are creating miniature versions of their software for mobile devices.
As Shilovitsky explains,
“I think, a better idea for mobile and tablets is to think about applications that can be used to perform a specific task. I want to have ECO mobile app on my iPhone to make an approval when I’m on go. Alternatively, I can review my tasks list before working day or in the airport. Sales person or maintenance technician may have an app that can search for a particular drawing or visualization.”
As more PLM solutions are moving to the cloud the temptation to make an app for every single process can be all-consuming. Small companies, like Inforbix, are not as concerned with appeasing every whim and trend and focus, rather, on providing the best service possible to their clients with their cloud-based PLM software.
Catherine Lamsfuss, April 13, 2012
Complexities of Enterprise Search
April 12, 2012
As more enterprise options flood the market, one would expect the task of tackling enterprise search to be simplified, but it has not been the case. Alan Pelz-Sharpe dives into the complexities of enterprise search infrastructure in the aptly named, “Enterprise Search Is Not Easy.” Three major players dominate the search market: Google, Microsoft, and Apache Lucene. However, a big ship can be hard to turn:
“The enterprise search market can well be described as ‘slow moving.’ Though the names change over the years, the underlying technology remains much as it was a decade ago. On the one hand, this is a positive thing because it has delivered mature, scalable, well-tested offerings that generally work well. On the other hand, we have search engines that continue to fall short of end users’ expectations (no matter how unrealistic those expectations may be). As has become the norm, expectations are set largely by Internet search experiences via the likes of Google and Bing – a very different search paradigm with few of the necessary restrictions or challenges of enterprise search.”
So if employees are truly end-users, and demand a good user experience for their enterprise appliance, how does an organization choose the right fit? Pelz-Sharpe weighs in again:
“For IT managers faced with updating or replacing existing search technology, I advise you to look at the different options available; it’s not just a two or three-horse race. There are many interesting options to explore from vendors including Endeca, Vivisimo, dtSearch and Exalead, each with differing strengths and weaknesses. Whichever option you finally decide upon, if your ultimate goal is to provide a single point for search within your organization, do not underestimate the complexity and potential cost of your project.”
We would add another up-and-coming industry success story to the list of third-party vendors above, Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Many customers offer their recommendation for Mindbreeze, especially regarding its flawless Cloud capabilities. Wolf Hengstberger of ADV Austria says:
“As head of IT and organization at ADV, I found the solution particularly impressive. After registering for the service on the Mindbreeze website, we immediately received the necessary embed code for the integration in our website. The search was available straight away. Exactly what I expect a contemporary modern Cloud service to be: Quick. Flexible. Easy.”
Check out the suite of enterprise and search solutions offered by Fabasoft Mindbreeze and see if they can simplify the complexities of enterprise for your organization.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 12, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
The Question of PLM or Not to PLM
April 12, 2012
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is a hot button issue with its share of skeptics. Does PLM assist with complex problems or is it a rigid computer program that makes it impossible to work with? Adam Ohern takes a look at both sides in his article “Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Software: The War Rages On.”
Ohern says that PLM is making life easier for designers and manufacturers by linking everything from engineering to logistics. However, the cynics find PLM software to be oppressive and too structured to make things easier.
“The PLM-skeptic crowd see PLM software systems as antithetical to a truly creative, dynamic working culture. They see PLM as a way of squeezing every last inch of flexibility out of a system, and forcing everyone in an organization to comply with a particular way of thinking and working.”
Even though PLM is a source of conflict, it is definitely a step in the right direction. As it evolves and becomes more integrated into companies, we believe that the skeptics will lessen. Innovative software companies like Inforbix are making sure of that. They are revolutionizing the way companies find, reuse and share product data. Companies are starting to take notice and we believe that PLM will eventually win this war.
Jennifer Wensink, April 12, 2012
New Book Helps Organizations Increase the Value of SharePoint
April 11, 2012
Frequent SharePoint blogger and author Christian Buckley has co-authored a book devoted to SharePoint 2010. Market Watch provides full details in, “Axceler Product Evangelist Christian Buckley Co-Authors New Book on Microsoft SharePoint 2010.”
“Christian Buckley, Director of Product Evangelism and a Microsoft SharePoint Server MVP, has co-authored a new book titled, ‘Microsoft SharePoint 2010: Creating and Implementing Real-World Projects.’ Buckley and co-authors Jennifer Mason, Brian T. Jackett, and Wes Preston help readers build effective business solutions with Microsoft SharePoint 2010 by following repeatable business analysis and design principles from real-world projects. This hands-on book, published by Microsoft Press, focuses on a different business scenario in each chapter, using a standard template to guide the reader through the solution-building process from start to finish. Readers can also learn how to utilize SharePoint out of the box to develop a corporate intranet, a media hub, a system to support distributed teams, and solutions to many other scenarios.”
Buckley often focuses his efforts on getting the most out of a SharePoint deployment, knowing that most organizations will not be satisfied with its out-of-the-box functionality. This book will no doubt improve the quality of life for many a SharePoint developer.
However, we wonder if there is not a simpler solution. Third-party solutions like those offered by Fabasoft Mindbreeze provide a seamless and intuitive add-on to an existing SharePoint installation. Bringing together semantic pairing, mobile capabilities, and a scalable solution for the Cloud or an on-site installation, Fabasoft Mindbreeze can save organizations from the cost of customization suggested by Buckley.
“Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise understands you, or more precisely understands exactly what the most important information is for you at any given moment. It’s a center of excellence and simultaneously your personal assistant for all questions. The information pairing technology brings enterprise and Cloud together.”
The more information, the better, and Buckley’s book is worth a read. However, do not neglect smart third-party options like Fabasoft Mindbreeze when analyzing the customization needs of your organization.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 11, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Efficiency Gain through PLM
April 11, 2012
Given the ever-increasing amount of complex product information both created by and retained by most companies, the implementation of an intuitive and scalable product lifecycle management (PLM) solution is vital to enforce the internal data management efficiency that these enterprises need to develop a competitive edge.
In a press release from the Siemens Industry Automation Division entitled “Siemens PLM Software Significantly Enhances Decision-Making with New Active Workspace‘,” which is excerpted in the blog CAM Logic, the necessity of integrating PLM into a company’s information technology infrastructure is underscored:
“Today, many companies have massive amounts of information generated throughout their product lifecycle management processes, which currently lies dormant, often spread across many sites and several different unconnected databases. This information could potentially be used to enhance decision making. However, finding, understanding and acting on all of this information can be difficult, time consuming and ultimately expensive.”
Inforbix, whose cloud-based, cost-effective, user-friendly, and highly customizable PLM product helps companies “find, reuse and share product data,” recognizes the internal and external advantages that enterprises will quickly discover once they implement a PLM solution that allows them to quickly organize and access such information and to consequently uncover the latent value of all their previously fragmented product data.
Tonya Weikel, April 11, 2012
Search Infrastructure Advice from PolySpot
April 11, 2012
We think highly of PolySpot. The open source search experts have published a new white paper titled “How Agile Enterprise Search Infrastructure Can Help CIOs.” The paper is a must-read for any organization working to bridle its data. The summary states:
“Implementing advanced enterprise search applications yields significant and helps solve major technical and business issues:
- Facilitate access to valuable information through a single gateway or profiled pushed content
- Deliver comprehensive information, not fragmented information
- Increase employees satisfaction thanks to higher relevance and findability
- Ease expertise finding
- Enhance access to legacy information systems
- Provide access to time sensitive information such as pricing, regulations, and procedures
- Federate legacy document management content locked in proprietary systems
- Reduce harmonization costs and contain software license fees”
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Paris, PolySpot designs search and information access solutions that help clients around the world boost efficiency even as big data multiplies at an astounding rate. Their tools offer universal connectivity, covering all business needs and ensuring that organizations can access the data they need, regardless of their structure, format or origin. They handle structured data with aplomb, of course, but pride themselves on their innovative cross-functional solution to unstructured data.
Cynthia Murrell, April 11, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Microsoft Watched and Learned as Markets Matured Over the Years
April 10, 2012
There are currently over 125 million SharePoint users and the goal is to reach 500 million with next release of Office. It is clear SharePoint is a ubiquitous system that continues to grow. And with consumers driving social and mobile demands, it is clear that SharePoint, and all of enterprise search, needs to keep up with the growing demand. Jeff Shuey continues the SharePoint mobile and social discussion in his post, “Social SharePoint – An Oxymoron?”
Shuey had this to say,
I wrote a post in 2009 asking — Is Microsoft late to the game? The answer then was yes. However, over the last few years the market has matured and Microsoft has watched and learned. They have taken the long standing Microsoft mantra of Any Place, Any Device and Any Time and have applied some SharePoint salve to it. As the Forbes article states … Microsoft is in a prime position to make it happen.
This is by no means the first discussion on social demands in the enterprise search world, but Shuey does add another interesting level to the discussion by bringing in other sources, like Forbes, and quotes and expert opinions.
Collaboration and social technology development is inevitable as business gets social. To tap into the new possibilities now without having to wait for a new release, consider a third party solution to complete your enterprise search system. We like Fabasoft Mindbreeze. The Mindbreeze solution:
. . . smoothly integrates itself into your website so that the user doesn’t even realize that Cloud services are working in the background. Furthermore, InSite always knows what a user is interested in. Navigation behavior on the website serves as the basis for recognizing their interests. If the user finds themselves on one of your sub-pages on the topic mobility for example, even at this level Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite still displays further information such as blogs, news, Wikipedia etc. on the relevant topic.
Check out the full suite of solutions at Mindbreeze to see what works for you.
Philip West, April 10, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
PLM not a Quick Fix
April 10, 2012
As many industries are learning about the many cost-cutting opportunities product lifecycle management (PLM) offers they are jumping in headfirst. While PLM will most definitely help streamline production processes and integrate disparate information it must be used with caution and implemented correctly to see results. This responsible use of PLM is discussed in a recent article, “PLM 2.0: Achieving PLM’s Promised Value”, on KurtSalmon.com, as it applies to the retail industry. The article examined how a poorly implemented PLM system would create more work and do more damage to a company than no PLM at all.
The advice given in the article is,
“Clearly, a fundamental understanding of when and how to use PLM is as essential as the tool itself. Implementing PLM to increase process adherence won’t necessarily work if those processes are broken. Using technology to focus communication and drive decision-making can help ensure the right processes are in place.”
We couldn’t agree more that PLM is not a quick fix for any industry. To prevent companies from thinking of PLM in this regard we recommend turning to PLM providers specializing in customer service and training, like Inforbix, so that expectations are clear before embarking on PLM integration.
Catherine Lamsfuss, April 10, 2012
Protected: Exclusive Interview: David B. Camarata, IKANOW
April 9, 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
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