LucidWorks Gains Funding for Unlocking Big Data Opportunities
May 16, 2013
With the flood of interest in big data solutions and technology that can chop the masses of unstructured content down to size, we are also seeing much VC funding go towards startups in this area. Linux Today reports that “LucidWorks Pulls in $10M to Turn Open Source Data into ‘Business Gold’”
LucidWorks started as Lucid Imagination in 2008 and focused on provided support, training and consulting for open source search technologies Lucene and Solr. Opportunity arose when the company saw a need for open source search to become more accessible by entering into the big data market.
Providing a quick rundown on LucidWorks current technology offerings, the article tells us:
“LucidWorks product suite contains two development platforms that enable organizations to search, discover, and analyze their data. LucidWorks Search is built on top of Apache Lucene/Solr open-source search project and seeks to simplify and improve the process of building embedded search applications. The other product, LucidWorks Big Data, then helps businesses make sense of the data.”
We have been following LucidWorks since before their name changed and their exciting news comes as no surprise. As one of the leaders in open source enterprise search technology they will undoubtedly remain one of the top on our list to follow.
Megan Feil, May 16, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Enterprise Search Climbing in Europe
May 15, 2013
Enterprise search is a must for American organizations, but new numbers show that enterprise search adoption is also on the rise for European organizations. Read more about the trend in the KM World piece, “Open Source, SharePoint, Big Data and User Experience Take Center Stage at Enterprise Search Europe.”
The author begins:
“Search has been steadily climbing up the attention ladder in many European organizations in recent years, according to Martin White, Conference Chair of Enterprise Search Europe which takes place in London on May 15-16. He identifies a number of reasons for this, ranging from a recognition of the power of open source search applications, the enhanced search functionality in SharePoint 2013, the fact that Big Data initiatives are causing organizations to look at wider issues of information discovery, and the need to improve user experience.”
The author goes on to explore the trend of European organizations seeing search as a long-term investment, and rightly so. When taking this long-term view, organizations are best off with a strong solution that produces results now, but offers a scalable and sustainable future. LucidWorks is one option for these companies who are new to the enterprise search market. Their open source foundation of Apache Lucene/Solr ensures a safe and promising future.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 15, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Updates to Apache Lucene Solr Released
May 14, 2013
Apache Lucene and its compliment, Solr, are highly used open source software components, particularly for search. Both have received an upgrade to version 4.3 as of the second week in May. The update enables even more powerful full-text search. Read the full details in the ZDNet story, “Apache Lucene and Solr 4.3 Released.”
The article says:
“Lucene/Solr 4.3.0 was released and made available for immediate download. The 4.3.0 package includes improvements in numerous areas, including query performance, spatial processing, and the read-side schema API. 4.3.0 also includes numerous enhancements to Lucene’s faceted search capabilities, whereby dimensions can be used in search, much as they are used for drill-down analysis in data warehouses and OLAP cubes.”
These updates provide great news not only for developers who utilize Lucene/Solr as components, but also for users of value-added open source software built on the Lucene/Solr platform. One such value-added solution is LucidWorks, offering both Search and Big Data solutions. LucidWorks is built on the solid foundation of this widely supported open source software, but also boasts an industry-trusted support and services team.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 14, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
List of New Open Source EHR Software Solutions
May 14, 2013
The innovative community of open source software developers have created many new applications in a variety of fields, but a recent Datamation article narrows in on one field in particular — health care. “50 Open Source Replacements for Health Care Software” shares a rundown on all fifty electronic health record software solutions.
A study from PricewaterhouseCooper revealed that 79 percent of health care execs expect to see an increase on their technology spending this year. EHR capabilities are a major area in need of an upgrade at many health care institutions but still others anticipate needing analytics to help improve care for patients. Costs may be an issue for some.
In light of expenses, the article states:
“However, expensive, proprietary software isn’t the only option for these sorts of initiatives. The open source community has a wealth of projects related to EHR, imaging, and hospital, laboratory and practice management. Small practices and facilities in developing countries, in particular, have found that these applications met their needs while minimizing their expenses. We’ve put together a list of fifty of these applications and noted proprietary applications they resemble.”
We found this to be a useful resource. While it may not be completely comprehensive it appears to be a step in that direction, which is always beneficial in such ever-evolving marketing like health care technology.
Megan Feil, May 14, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Principles of Open Source and Social Media Align
May 13, 2013
One of the newest major paths of technology, social media, owes much to a well-established model, open source. Giovanni Rodriguez draws many similarities between the two technologies (and ways of thinking) in his article for Forbes, “What Social Media (And the World) Owes to Open Source.”
Rodriguez finds some application:
“First, the principles of open source are not just restricted to technology projects; they can be applied — and have been applied, even before the OS movement got its name — to almost any market that depends on an ecosystem of different players. Second — and this is something that so many tech-marketers and non-tech social media marketers ignore, forget, or never quite got: the principles don’t just apply to online engagement, but offline as well.”
At the beginning of the article, the author states he was inspired to write the piece after attending a conference. The event that the author references is Lucene Revolution hosted by LucidWorks. LucidWorks is a great example of how these two worlds collide. Their value-added software is based on open source Apache Lucene/Solr, and their devoted developers and users form a strong social community. These types of value-added solutions are strongest when reinforced by the principles of both social networks and open source innovation.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 13, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Open Source Trends for CMS in 2013
May 10, 2013
CMS Wire does a great job of providing a monthly update of the latest in CMS news and releases. In their latest edition for the month of May, open source software is taking the spotlight. Read all the details in their article, “Alert: What’s Coming Up for Open Source CMS in May 2013.”
Here is a portion of the many new releases, updates, and products they cover:
“Every month we like to serve up a little open source CMS roundup, and like most months in this busy segment, May is packed with interesting tidbits . . . Content, portal and collaboration expert Liferay has announced an integration with Tibco this week, and the two companies have developed a combined product that will itself integrate with multiple systems. Liferay Portal will begin offering several enterprise Connectivity Adapters that use Tibco’s ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks starting in the third quarter, the company announced.”
Liferay is definitely up to good things as they seek to round out their portal offerings. But the emphasis on open source offerings should encourage users with enterprise needs to explore offerings outside of the realm of CMS. For instance, LucidWorks offers all-encompassing enterprise search for organizations that need a solution ready to go, but can choose to do some customization as desired. The best part is that solutions like LucidWorks are built upon the best of open source strength (in their case Apache Lucene/Solr) but are fully supported with training and customer service.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 10, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
MapR Offers Enterprise Grade Search Through LucidWorks Partnership
May 8, 2013
MapR Technologies M7 Edition is launching MapR into the world of enterprise with a platform for NoSQL and Hadoop. As everyone is trying to find a way to meet the needs of Big Data, MapR wanted to be in the game. Naturally, they sought a partnership with one of the existing leaders in the field, LucidWorks. Read more about their partnership and subsequent product offering in the story, “MapR Technologies Distributes Enterprise-Grade Search with Hadoop Platform.”
The press release begins:
“MapR Technologies, Inc., the Hadoop technology leader, today announced the distribution of LucidWorks Search™ with the MapR Platform for Apache Hadoop. On a single platform customers can now perform predictive analytics, full search and discovery; and conduct advanced database operations. MapR also announced today the general availability of its new M7 Edition which combines unprecedented Hadoop and NoSQL capabilities together in a single easy, dependable and fast platform.”
LucidWorks Search brings the added value of security, connectivity, and user management that are powered by the open source platform of Apache Lucene/Solr. Through LucidWorks and the MapR partnership, these are now fully supported benefits of the solution. The shared vision of MapR and LucidWorks makes this a big win for the enterprise industry and a bigger win for enterprise users.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 8, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Liferay Adds Turnkey Business Solutions
May 7, 2013
Liferay is a leading open source portal for the enterprise. They specialize in developing a marketplace where users can find open source solutions that work together and increase efficiency. Their latest addition is a partnership with TIBCO Software which will bring enterprise Connectivity Adapters (eC Adapters) to the portal in Q3 2013. Read more in the press release, “Liferay Announces Strategic Partnership with TIBCO.”
The article says:
“Following the availability of the Liferay eC Adapters, Liferay’s partner ecosystem will be able to leverage the same cost advantages for developing turnkey business solutions that integrate into backend systems using the ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks™ adapters and plugins. Each solution will contain a portal-based application that can connect through ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks to backend systems, providing a complete solution at a significant price advantage.”
Liferay does offer a unique solution in that enterprises can pick and choose, putting together a customized solution from options available via one marketplace and portal. However, some smaller enterprises may find it difficult or overwhelming to try to put together a customized enterprise solution. For those organizations, a smart, scalable out-of-the-box solution might be a better fit. LucidWorks offers an open source enterprise search solution that is ready to go quickly, but offers the scalability and customization options that will allow the solution to go further. Best of all, LucidWorks is built on the power of Apache Lucene and Solr, boasting one of the strongest developer communities in open source.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 7, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Zurmo Adds Major CRM Functionality
May 3, 2013
Zurmo is an open source based customer relationship management application freely available for download. In their latest release, much of the functionality is enhanced. Read the full press release by PR Web in, “Zurmo Open Source CRM Hits Major Release Milestone.”
The release begins:
“Developers of the Zurmo Open Source Customer Relationship Management application today announced the release of Zurmo 1.5. The latest version brings significant additional functionality including Advanced Reporting, a Workflow Engine, new Marketing Automation capabilities, and enhanced Mobile Access. All new features in Zurmo 1.5 are freely available in the Open Source Edition of the application.”
Zurmo’s focus is on “gamified” interactions with users, which is a new twist on CRM technologies. The company seems to be an up and coming contender in the CRM game, with an eye toward creativity, user experience, and scalability. In much the same way, LucidWorks is a leader in the enterprise search and Big Data market. However, LucidWorks adds value to the Apache Lucene and Solr core by fully supporting the solution and providing an all-encompassing platform that is ready to go out-of-the-box. So whether users are drawn to the open source core, or the industry-leading support, everyone is sure to win with LucidWorks.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 3, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Flawed Surveys Attack Open Source
May 2, 2013
A lot of recent research has surfaced regarding the successful adoption of open source technologies, as well as its level of security. However, much of this research is being exposed as flawed. Read one example in the Read Write Enterprise article, “Flawed Survey Tries To Diss Open Source, Fails.”
The article begins:
“Two surveys surfaced last week that paint widely divergent pictures of enterprise adoption of open source. But based on the continued rise of open source in the enterprise, only one is likely correct. The first comes from Univa, a data center automation company that also offers an open-source version of its Grid Engine product. Univa found that while 76% of enterprises surveyed are using open source, a full 75% experience problems running it in mission-critical workloads . . . according to Forrester, ‘developers adopt open source products tactically without the explicit approval of their managers.’”
So open source is being widely adopted, but rather haphazardly and rather poorly. Adoption is only half the battle if implementation is not done well. For enterprises that are struggling to actually make use of their open source infrastructure, improvement begins at the moment of adoption. Choose the right solution. A solution like LucidWorks is ready to go out-of-the-box. However, it is also highly customizable and scalable. Furthermore, since it is built on the power of Apache Lucene/Solr, it is supported by one of the largest open source developer communities.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 2, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
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