What Does Attivio and Its $34 Million Mean for Other Vendors?
October 16, 2012
Boston.com’s “Attivio Collects $34 Million in New Funding to Help Companies figure Out What They Know” caught the attention of the goslings here in Harrod’s Creek. I have spoken with several senior managers in the content processing and analytics space, and I can report that none of these individuals had his or her arms around the broader meaning of the $34 million Attivio landed.
Boston.com reported:
“One thing our software does is correlations,” Riaz explains. “You may have an unpaid invoice that belongs to Cisco, and we help you figure out that the reason its unpaid is that you may have all these support issues with them that you need to address.” Riaz says part of the appeal of Attivio’s software, which it calls the Active Intelligence Engine, is that “we can merge into their existing information infrastructure so that we’re adding value in days.”
What the reports of Attivio’s funding omits is the possible impact of the money on the search and content processing sector. Let me outline four consequences of this funding deal:
First, the competition is going to have to find a way to cope with Attivio’s marketing and sales activities. Attivio is a pretty good marketing operation. However, with additional funding, Attivio will be able to compete against its traditional competition and push into sectors which are more familiar with IBM- and Oracle-type solutions.
Second, the prospect pool for Attivio will grow. Money today works like catnip. Companies looking for a way to cope with distributed and fractionalized data will include Attivio in their short lists. Money works this magic.
Third, people who are working at smaller analytics firms or who are in a cube at a Google-type operation will consider Attivio as a job hop option. This means that smart people will gravitate to Attivio because it offers a green field opportunity.
Fourth, innovators are likely to knock on Attivio’s door. Raw invention is one thing, but turbo charging comes from learning about hot new systems and methods. I think Attivio will benefit from a flow of ideas from small outfits looking for a mover and shaker.
Good news for Attivio. Maybe some other investment firms will look at the information delivery sector and another hot prospect. Exciting times.
Stephen E Arnold, October 16, 2012
Microsoft Mastery Becoming Harder to Find
October 16, 2012
It is often said that the power of a solution and its ease of use are conversely proportional. If a solution is powerful, it will no doubt be very difficult to master, or vice versa. The rule holds very true for SharePoint. Even as SharePoint 2013 is unveiled, highly trained developers are being warned that additional training will be needed. The Redmond Channel Partner covers the issue in, “Office 365, SharePoint and SQL Server: Our Experts Weigh In.”
The author states:
Meanwhile, as the flagship Microsoft database and collaboration platforms become more entrenched, provisioning and managing them have become more complex. The new capabilities and use cases of Windows Server — combined with the new requirements of SQL Server and SharePoint — require organizations to offer extensive new skill sets.
So how is a small or medium size organization supposed to cope with the growing demands? Fabasoft Mindbreeze offers an entire suite of solutions for the enterprise, all designed to be intuitive and powerful, even for an end-user who is not a highly skilled developer. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise is a small third-party solution that adds quality, usability, and style to the enterprise seamlessly. Read more to see if the solution can optimize your organization’s intranet.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 16, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Automation to Cure Duplicate Content Issues
October 15, 2012
Search Engine Land is shining a light on a common Web site search problem, duplicate content issues. Read the full report in, “An Automated Tool To Eliminate Duplicate Content Issues.”
The author begins:
BloomReach announced a new software product named Dynamic Duplication Reduction (DDR) that aims to eliminate duplicate content issues on web sites. Typically, software tools are known to cause duplicate content issues but this tool promises to reverse it. The tool deeply crawls your web pages and continuously interprets all content on a site. It will automatically discover and act on duplicate pages.
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and in this case the prevention needed is effective Web site indexing. Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite quickly crawls and indexes all Web site content delivering search results based on relevancy. Misspellings are even corrected with InSite and duplication is prevented. Fabasoft Mindbreeze is a longstanding leader in third party solutions for the enterprise. InSite is quickly becoming the icing on the cake of this industry leader.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 15, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
IntelTrax Top Stories: October 5 to October 11
October 15, 2012
This week’s top stories from the IntelTrax advanced intelligence blog focused on the impact of big data analytics solutions on a multitude of different industries.
According to “New Pike Research Report Analyzes Smart Grid Analytics” there will be a spike in smart grid data analytics spending that is forecasted to reach more than $34 billion. The bulk of this spending, which will occur worldwide, will be in the Asian Pacific.
When describing the report, the article states:
“This Pike Research report analyzes the global market opportunity for smart grid data analytics across four key solution segments: meter analytics, grid analytics, asset analytics, and renewables integration for business intelligence, operations, and customer management. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the demand drivers, business models, policy factors, and technology issues associated with the rapidly-developing market for smart grid data analytics. Key industry players are profiled in depth and worldwide revenue and capacity forecasts, segmented by application and region, extend through 2020.”
“Expert Suggests You Ask Your Analytics Vendor the Tough Questions” explains the importance of advocating for yourself and your business by asking the hard questions when choosing between a myriad of solutions that solve the same or similar data management problems.
The article states:
“SAP customers looking at the possibility of deploying text analytics software within their operations should be diligent about asking vendors lots of questions, according to one expert.
Giving vendors the third degree is especially important when shopping for text analytics technology because there is a wide range of offerings on the market at various levels of maturity, said Hanns Koehler-Kruener, a research director with Stamford, Conn.-based IT research firm Gartner Inc.
Additionally, text analytics technology is still emerging into the mainstream and therefore terminology and performance expectations will vary from vendor to vendor. As a result, the only real way to find out if a particular text analytics product meets specific needs is through questioning and trial and error, the analyst said.”
While most companies see big data as a huge benefit when channeled appropriately, consumers may see it as a threat to their privacy. “The Threat of Big Data” explains how big data can be misused.
The article states:
“What those breadcrumbs tell is the story of your life. It tells what you’ve chosen to do. That’s very different than what you put on Facebook. What you put on Facebook is what you would like to tell people, edited according to the standards of the day. Who you actually are is determined by where you spend time, and which things you buy. Big data is increasingly about real behavior, and by analyzing this sort of data, scientists can tell an enormous amount about you. They can tell whether you are the sort of person who will pay back loans. They can tell you if you’re likely to get diabetes.”
Whether you are looking to utilize big data for good or evil, there are companies out there that are willing to help your company harness data. Digital Reasoning uses automated understanding to take the pressure off employees and gain valuable insights from big data.
Jasmine Ashton, October 15, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
SharePoint Training Essential to Success
October 12, 2012
The secret to a successful SharePoint implementation is in planning and training. Research and Markets has added new training pieces to their class offerings. Herald Online provides a full story in their article, “Research and Markets: Comprehensive Microsoft SharePoint Training – Manage SharePoint Sites like a Professional.”
Read about their latest SharePoint 2010 End User class:
The SharePoint 2010 End User class is for end users working in a SharePoint 2010 environment. The course teaches SharePoint basics such as working with lists and libraries as well as basic page customizations. The SharePoint 2010 Power User training class teaches students to manage SharePoint sites.
This class is hands-on and interactive, with exercises, presentations and readings to ensure students stay engaged and learn the material presented.
Training is important for complicated enterprise solutions, but there are some third party options that focus on intuitive ease of use. Fabasoft Mindbreeze offers Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise, one such smart third party solution. Data is given meaning and is made more easily retrievable. Therefore, training is still important, but becomes less urgent. Usability is brought down to the level of a more common user, meaning small or medium size businesses can save time and money on both training and specialized developer positions.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 12, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Familiar Architecture and Improvements in SharePoint 2013
October 11, 2012
J. Peter Bruzzese, a writer for InfoWorld’s Enterprise Windows blog, takes a look at what he terms welcome enhancements for SharePoint 2013 in his InfoWorld post, “SharePoint 2013: A Low-Key Update You’ll Love.” Bruzzese first points out that architecturally, the upcoming SharePoint release is similar to its predecessor, but with added benefit of increased support for touch based devices. He has this to say about the overall improvements:
SharePoint 2013’s social networking enhancements provide more interaction options for people in a company, such as via community sites and portals that offer a forum-style experience within SharePoint. The My Sites user interface…has been streamlined. New microblog and newsfeed features allow for shorter conversations and quick updates, similar to what Yammer provides.
He adds that overall SharePoint 2013 is an improvement, but also has this to say:
I only wish that SharePoint was released more frequently, not tied to the three-year cycles of the Office and server lines, so it could better keep up with the rapid changes in social networking, mobile, and other user technology spaces.
Bruzzese points out that greater scalability and integration of FAST Search, rather than being a stand-alone program, are also two improvements. But when it comes to taking advantage of social capabilities and search, we know that FAST has its gaps and users need efficient and easy access to information. Fabasoft Mindbreeze offers Enterprise Search with SharePoint Connectors so to easily snap into your existing farm. In addition to all-inclusive search, Mindbreeze creates relevant knowledge by storing data according to type and relevance while processing data in a comprehensible form.
Philip West, October 11, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Tips for Creating Content to Attract an Audience
October 10, 2012
Simon Penson started his career as a journalist and magazine editor before turning to the world of online audience creation and has owned and run his own sites. He is also the founder of content led digital marketing agency Zazzle Media, which specializes in content marketing and strategy. In his article, “46 Ways to Kill It with Content,” he concisely delivers a variety of tips to boost online content. Penson includes discussion on creating content ideas and structure, strategy development, as well as content execution and measuring effectiveness. He has this to share about understanding users as part of measuring effectiveness,
Set up goal and funnel tracking as part of any major content creation process and track users through to action. Just ensure that time frames are set in a realistic manner. Too many times this is measured over weeks or a couple of months when it should be a 6-12 month investment that will continue to deliver engaged and targeted visitors for many month to come.
Don’t simply measure outreach by the links earned. Look at referral traffic and brand visibility value also as part of the measurement process.
A successful Web presence depends on having useful and attractive content. MindBreeze InSite understands that an attractive Web site is a company’s digital business card. InSite “turns your website into a user-friendly knowledge portal for your customers. Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite recognizes correlations and links through semantic and dynamic search processes. This delivers pinpoint accurate and precise “finding experiences.” With no installation or configuration required, InSite can save you valuable resources that can otherwise be spent on developing and managing stellar content.
Philip West, October 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Comintelli Releases White Paper Analyzing Knowledge XChanger and SharePoint
October 9, 2012
Comintelli provides enterprise information access software in the realms of competitive intelligence, knowledge management, content delivery, and search. Comintelli recently released a White Paper on knowledge management which looks at Comintelli’s flagship product, Knowledge XChanger, and Microsoft SharePoint. The release can be read at, “Knowledge Management, With or Without SharePoint?” The importance of information assets is explained,
In today’s business environment, knowledge has emerged as the most valuable corporate asset and deserves to be managed as such. Managing knowledge is about the information your company possesses and the people, who increase the value this by adding experience, knowledge and associations in order to produce new insights. This cycle continues endlessly and the companies who succeed in organizing and using this flow will be the winners of tomorrow.
The author goes on to add:
IT tools can extend knowledge networks and make it easier to find information and people who have the knowledge you seek.
It is pointed out that any knowledge management software should be able to find and retrieve internal and external information, successfully use taxonomies to filter and structure information, have an intuitive interface, faceted search, and employ user designed alerts. The complete White Paper is available to order and looks at how applicable SharePoint and Knowledge XChanger are for knowledge management on their own and if they could work together. If you are weighing software options for your knowledge management strategy, consider bypassing ordering a White Paper and take a closer look at the Fabasoft Mindbreeze’s Folio Connector solution. The Connector links systems for enterprise-wide information access with faceted search, a familiar user interface, search results that can easily be processed into actionable information, and more. The Fabasoft Folio Connector includes the SharePoint Connector, as well as eGov-Suite, Exchange, File System, and Web Connectors.
Philip West, October 9, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Oracle Embraces Digital Reasoning
October 8, 2012
Digital Reasoning™, a leader in unstructured data analytics at scale is now a Silver Partner in Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized program. The “silver” designation means that Digital Reasoning benefits from Oracle’s complete solutions addressing unstructured data analytics where extreme scale and high performance are key customer needs. (For more information, see “Digital Reasoning Becomes Oracle PartnerNetwork Silver Level Partner.”
Digital Reasoning has integrated Synthesys®, the company’s software platform for unstructured analytics, with the Oracle Big Data Appliance. A white paper featuring benchmark performance information on the analytics of massive unstructured data sets of documents is available on our website. With the combined power of Synthesys and the Big Data Appliance users can now analyze tens of millions of documents in only a few hours as opposed to months with traditional methods.
Synthesys uses a unique combination of machine learning, patented advanced analytics and tight integration with Hadoop to automatically uncover critical information buried in documents, email, web content and social media. Synthesys has been applied to complex big data analytics challenges in the U.S. intelligence community during the past decade and is now being applied to big data analytics challenges in finance, healthcare and legal markets.
Rob Metcalf, president of Digital Reasoning, said:
We are excited about achieving Silver Level Partner Status in OPN. We see a lot of customer interest in combining Synthesys with the Oracle Big Data Appliance for high performance unstructured data analytics.
With its Silver status, Digital Reasoning is now able to develop, sell and implement Oracle’s 1-Click product portfolio, allowing us to increase competitive positioning and profitability with midsize companies. As an additional benefit, Digital Reasoning can now leverage the OPN Portal tools, resources and experts within the Oracle Partner Business Center to increase their market knowledge and ability to maximize customer sales and retention with Oracle. Silver Level partners are also eligible for discounts on Oracle training, lead registration via Open Market Model, entry into the Oracle Solutions Catalog, discounts on Oracle Linux and VM Support and more.
My view is that Oracle has rich capabilities which are now extended with the state of the art functionality provided by Digital Reasoning.
Stephen E Arnold, October 8, 2012
WalMart Looks to Semantic Technology to Boost Site Search
October 8, 2012
Claudia Bruemmer, Chief Editor of the TopTenWholesale Newsroom, looks at Wal-Mart’s announcement of using Polaris search for its online retail Web site in the post, “New Semantic Search Engine Boosts Wal-Mart Sales.” Polaris uses semantic technology, which works to uncover the connections between people, events, places, and products. The development of Polaris is explained,
Built in 10 months by a small team in @Wal-MartLabs, the retailer’s research and technology hub, the new Polaris search engine is based on the lab’s Social Genome project, which uses public data on the web, proprietary data, and social media, to identify interesting entities and relationships, then adding them to the Social Genome.
The lab was set up after Wal-Mart’s acquisition last year of Kosmix (Mountain View, California), as Kosmix had developed a social media technology platform that filters and organizes content in social networks in a manner relevant to users.
The move is in response to Wal-Mart’s every growing competition with sites like Amazon and eBay. It is hoped the search will also figure out user intent to deliver better results. A business Web site is the new storefront. When it comes to creating a user-friendly Web site and managing a Web presence, all organizations may want to look closer at their site search. With no installation, configuration or maintenance required, Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite is designed to instinctively find information on your site with a familiar interface. Here you can read how InSite “recognizes correlations and links through semantic and dynamic search processes. This delivers pinpoint accurate and precise finding experiences.”
Philip West, October 8, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
