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
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
Open Source Search: Momentum Building
May 10, 2012
It has happened.
The self-appointed experts have discovered open source search, reveals CIO in “Wide-Open Search.” With exponentially growing amounts of data to contend with, organizations from Twitter and Facebook to the Library of Congress are turning to open source solutions. Such groups, Stacy Collett writes:
“. . . venture into the seemingly untamed world of open-source search applications, not just for the cost savings, but also for the ability to customize and modify applications quickly. Plus, open source has an active community that can help solve related problems.”
All true. Collett points to Lucene, developed by Lucid Imagination, as her open source example, which seems like a good choice to us. She emphasizes that Lucene is a formidable application built for enterprises with sophisticated search needs. Smaller-scale tools based on Lucene are also available, like Elasticsearch.
Lucid Imagination provides an enterprise open source search solution as well as consulting and engineering services. Lucene Solr leads the field in independent enterprise search platforms, with 200,000 to 300,000 downloads per month. As other search application vendors get snapped up by the giant companies, Lucid relies on adaptability. The write up informs us:
“Lucid Imagination plans to move into the business intelligence and data warehousing spaces and enable integration with big-data technologies, [Lucid CEO Paul] Doscher says. ‘If you put traditional data warehouse or business intelligence-type applications on top of Hadoop, in some instances, it’s almost like trying to take this manhole cover of opportunity and shove it through a garden hose,’ he says.”
Nice metaphor.
We’re okay with Lucid, but he mid-tier consultants. . . . Well, mid-tier exists for a reason. You can get profiles of key open source search vendors for free by clicking on the Profiles link at our sister information service, OpenSearchNews.com.
Cynthia Murrell, May 10, 2012
Sponsored by HighGainBlog
New SharePoint On-Demand Release from Ascendum Seeks to Ease SharePoint Implementation
May 9, 2012
SharePoint is becoming the industry standard for content management with over 65,000 companies using the software and more than 100 million licenses in place worldwide. In “Ascendum Unveils Latest Innovation: New SharePoint On Demand(TM) Changes the Rules by Taking Away the Hassles but Not the Power of Industry-Leading Platform,” Eric Weissmann discusses a new SharePoint On Demand ™ program that seeks to take the worry and hassle out of managing a SharePoint integration. The release aims to meet the needs for companies that have limited budget and administration resources but are still looking for the full power of the SharePoint platform.
A spokesperson from Ascendum comments on the release:
This simple yet powerful solution will unleash the true power and functionality of the SharePoint platform for our customers,” said Tim Ryan, Ascendum’s Vice President of Business Development. “This new product shows again how we at Ascendum are continuously innovating to meet the needs of the market here in Cincinnati and throughout the Midwest.
Two levels, Basic and Advanced, are available in SharePoint On Demand ™ and each comes with a set amount of administrative time from Ascendum and off-premises hosting. Ascendum is a global IT services firm headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm focuses on IT consulting, application development management, infrastructure management services, talent management, and on-demand services.
The press release is a brief read that may be worth looking at to stay in the loop on the new application that may help your company implement SharePoint. To maximize your SharePoint investments beyond implementation, consider Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Part of the full suite of solutions is the Fabasoft Folio Connector, which provides uniform, reliable management of your digital content. Here is a highlight:
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise is able to search all data sources connected to the platform simultaneously. In addition to data from, for example, Microsoft Exchange or the file system, the Fabasoft Folio Connector allows to query information objects and documents from Fabasoft Folio, too.
With on-premise and Cloud information pairing capabilities, Mindbreeze provides a comprehensive and enterprise-grade solution that adds rich value to your business knowledge. Read more at Mindbreeze, where they seem to have the benefits of a proper installation down pat.
Philip West, May 9, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Inktomi and Fast Search: Two Troubled Search Companies, One Lesson
May 8, 2012
I found the write up by Diego Basch interesting and thought provoking. I have a little experience with Inktomi. For the original FirstGov.gov system, the US government used Inktomi for the public facing index of US government unclassified information. (FirstGov.gov is now www.usa.gov)
Inktomi had in 2000 a “ready to go” index of content from Dot Gov Web sites. The firm’s business model matched the needs of the US government. There were the normal contracting and technical hurdles for a modestly sized US government project with a fairly tight timeline. No big deal. Job done. Inktomi worked.
When I read “A Relevant Tale: How Google Killed Inktomi,” I thought the write up had some useful information. However, I don’t think Google killed Inktomi or any other search system. Google did not kill Fast Search & Transfer, Excite, HotBot, or any other search system in its rise to its alleged 65 percent share of the search market. (Google share is actually much higher, based on my analyses.)
Excite’s early 1997 attempt at portalization. Can you spot the search box? Does this look like the current version of Google? Say, “No.” Now log into Google and run a query for rental car. Now do you see the similarity between the early portal craziness and the modern Google? I do.
What killed off these outfits was their business models. Let me explain using Inktomi and Fast Search as examples. I could cite other cases, but these two are okay for a free blog post for the two or three readers I have.
Inktomi, for whatever reason, concluded that people wanted to offer search, not do the heavy lifting. In the portal fever that was raging from 1998 to 2001, Web sites wanted to be the “front page” of the Internet. The result was that America Online, Excite, Lycos, and Yahoo among others jammed links on the splash page. At one time, I counted more than 60 links on the Excite home page. Once I hit 50 links, I quit counting. My eyes and patience can cope with three to five things. More than that, and I move on.
Inktomi’s analysts did the spreadsheet fever thing, making assumptions about how many Web sites would license Inktomi results, pay Inktomi’s fees, and generate revenue from the front page of the Internet craziness. The reality was that Inktomi did not have enough customers to support the cost of the spidering, bandwidth, investment in performance, research and development for precision and recall, and the other costs that are underestimated or just ignored. The result was the collapse of the company.
Managing Change and User Adoption during a SharePoint Deployment
May 8, 2012
Symon Garfield discusses transition in the 16th installment of his Art of SharePoint Success series at the CMSWire.com Blog. In the article, “The Art of SharePoint Success: Transition – There’s No Such Thing as a SharePoint Project,” Garfield uses Transition as an umbrella term to include change management and user adoption. He also looks at Transition as the fourth element, behind Governance, Strategy, and Architecture, in a four point framework for ensuring long term return on a SharePoint investment.
SharePoint’s potential as a catalyst for a big change in an organization means you need a plan. Garfield explains:
A structured approach means that we have a plan. Transitioning from the current state means that you understand the current situation and know where you are starting from. A desired future state means you know what you are trying to achieve and will recognize when we have done it. A controlled manner means that you have some means of measuring your progress. If you don’t have all of these elements in place then you’re not ready to start.
Because SharePoint can facilitate change in business processes, organizational structures, power shifts, individual behavior, and business relationships, Garfield stresses understanding the different types of change and how to plan for them. For example, an incremental or gradual change, versus a radical or fundamental change, is often the secret to success with SharePoint, according to Garfield. Other types of changes, including organizational versus sub-system and remedial versus developmental, are also covered. Managing change and user adoption is no doubt a challenge for organizations. Garfield brings up some valid points that may be worth the read if you’re implementing a SharePoint system.
To help manage the change, consider a quality third party solution, like Fabasoft Mindbreeze, that gets your users the right information and the right time. Mindbreeze can really get you the most out of your enterprise search investments and extend the capabilities of your SharePoint system. For a deep solution that connects your business information with the Cloud and gives your users the search and navigation experience they need, check out Mindbreeze.
Philip West, May 8, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Inteltrax: Top Stories, April 30 to May 4
May 7, 2012
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, specifically, where the power lies in the analytic world.
Our story, “Korea Gets Analytic Attention” shows that China doesn’t deserve all the analytic attention when discussing Asian superpowers.
However, that doesn’t mean that China isn’t astoundingly powerful in the big data market. Our story, “Beijing Set to be the new Analytic Wall Street” all but solidifies that notion.
However, nations don’t hold all the strength. “Analytic Partner Power” highlights the growing shift of strong analytic companies teaming together to weather any storm.
Whether nations are on the rise, staying on top or innovative business ideas are helping forge new strengths, we’ll be keeping an eye on everything in the big data analytics sphere. Keep up with the news every day.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax.
May 7, 2012
SharePoint 2010 Server Administrator Training Opportunities Announced for Multiple Cities
May 7, 2012
Upcoming SharePoint Server Administrator continuing education opportunities are discussed in the recent Virtual-Stretegy.com post, “SharePoint 2010 Server Administrators Training Now Available in Multiple Cities.” The three-day training session titled Introduction to SharePoint 2010 for Server Administrators is scheduled for May 15 – 17 in Nashville; June 5 – 7 in Washington, DC; and June 26 – 28 in Chicago.
The course, which is intended for server administrators seeking to learn best practices for installing, implementing and managing SharePoint 2010 servers, is explained:
The course serves as an introduction to both SharePoint Foundation 2010 (the free edition of SharePoint 2010) and SharePoint Server 2010 Standard and Enterprise Editions. It uses a sample company in the lab exercises to teach IT professionals how to apply SharePoint 2010 from concept to implementation in a typical environment.
The course author and Senior Instructor for SharePoint Solutions, Ricky Spears, explains the expected student outcomes:
Students will learn how to determine which edition of SharePoint is best for their organization; the tasks end users perform most frequently with SharePoint; and how to establish site security. Then, they will set up SharePoint 2010 from scratch under the watch eye of a Microsoft-certified SharePoint 2010 administrator.
The training may be worth checking out if you need to boost your implementation and administration in SharePoint 2010. But we also know that valuable development resources are often limited. Consider a comprehensive out of the box solution, like Fabasoft Mindbreeze, to extend your SharePoint system without the need for extensive training.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise:
finds every scrap of information within a very short time, whether document, contract, note, e-mail or calendar entry, in intranet or internet, person- or text-related. The software solution finds all required information, regardless of source, for its users.
Further, Mindbreeze offers enterprise-grade support and training to help you along the way and maximize your enterprise search investments. The solution is worth a second look at http://www.mindbreeze.com/.
Philip West, May 7, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
New Formotus Release Seeks to Provide Enhanced SharePoint Mobile Experience
May 4, 2012
Formotus recently announced a new version of its mobile business application platform with enhanced SharePoint integration and capabilities. The new release is discussed in the Virtual-Strategy.com press release, “Collaborate without Complexity: SharePoint Mobile Workflow Platform for iPad and Android Released by Formotus.”
The new release is summarized:
Formotus makes it possible for organizations to create and deploy custom mobile business applications built around Microsoft® Office InfoPath™ forms. The new feature set announced today enables companies to implement flexible collaboration frameworks with robust forms that can be routed and shared among mobile users in a wide variety of ways. Formotus mobile workflow forms require no SharePoint modifications and work with any version including on-premises, hosted, and Office 365 SharePoint Online.
The new possibilities, such as mobile workflow forms and social collaboration, are discussed in the release along with example scenarios that are now supported. Formotus CEO Adriana Neagu says that the new version is “a whole new task-oriented mobile experience that is easier, smarter, more beautiful, more powerful. The fact is, a person using our platform on an iPad or Android tablet, won’t be able to tell that there is any SharePoint behind the workflow.” These are big and exciting claims for not only workflows, but the whole mobile experience.
SharePoint is no doubt the go-to content management system for all kinds of organizations and enhanced mobile capabilities will surely be an appeal for users. But for complex workflows and successful social collaboration, users also need efficient and effective access to valuable business knowledge. It seems that the experts at Fabasoft Mindbreeze understand the value of powerful search and mobile access.
makes company knowledge available on all mobile devices. You can act freely, independently and yet always securely. Irrespective of what format the data is in. Full functionality: Search results are displayed homogenously to the web client with regards to clear design and intuitive navigation.
With the full functionality of Fabasoft Mindbreeze for Enterprise and united on-premise and Cloud data, users will be able to act quickly in business matters with smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Read more about the full suite of solutions at http://www.mindbreeze.com/.
More on Formotus: Founded in October 2005 by Adriana Neagu, co-inventor of Microsoft Office InfoPath, and serial entrepreneur Joe Verschueren, Formotus technology enables companies to rapidly create a business solution ? without any coding ? that works across platforms so companies can design once and deploy anywhere. Formotus looks to future-proof companies because the same forms that work on today’s devices will also work on the new devices that they will support tomorrow.
Philip West, May 4, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
A Love Letter to SharePoint
May 3, 2012
SharePoint is indeed everywhere. A reader cannot avoid the topic in the blogosphere. And while SharePoint adoption at times seems obligatory, loving SharePoint does not have to be. Andy Moore tackles the topic of SharePoint devotion in, “SharePoint, I Love You.”
Moore begins:
That conquering sound you hear is SharePoint, and it is nothing short of apocalyptic. You’ll see it mentioned elsewhere a couple times in this White Paper: The fastest growing business application in Microsoft history (making it pretty much everyone’s history), 20,000 SharePoint users have been added every day for the last five years. That’s kind of astonishing.
The white paper he mentions is a KMWorld offering available for download at the above link. Among the reasons listed for SharePoint dominance are: integration between the front office solutions and back-office repository, ubiquitous nature of other Microsoft solutions, and an affordable price point. One contributor talks of a “synergistic combination of tools that you can’t find on any other platform.”
We agree but disagree. Fabasoft Mindbreeze, a leading third-party enterprise solution, boasts an integrated suite of solutions to meet all of your companies information storage and retrieval needs. Products include web site search, mobile appliances, enterprise search, and connectors to address interoperability with other software.
The center of excellence for your company’s digital knowledge, information pairing brings enterprise and Cloud together.
Understanding content, semantic search
Mobility – Access on smartphones and tablets
In real-time – Search as Cloud service
Access to all data sources
Extensible with connectors
Fulfills compliance requirements
While SharePoint may hold the lion’s share of the market, we expect smart third party solutions like Fabasoft Mindbreeze to make bigger and bigger market gains.
Emily Rae Aldridge, May 3, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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