IDC Publishes Polyspot Vendor Profile
August 22, 2012
IDC published “Polyspot: Unified Information Access Vendor Offers Flexibility and Performance.” The vendor profile is part of IDC’s open source search series. The document includes IDC’s opinion of the vendor, an overview of the company, its management, and its strategy. The profile explores the future outlook for the company and provides essential guidance about the privately-held firm. Earlier in August 2012, IDC published a vendor profile about LucidWorks.
The report was written by Sue Feldman and Stephen E Arnold with additional assistance provided by Dave Schubmehl, Constance Ard, and Dr. Tyra Oldham.
Stephen E Arnold said:
The emergence of open source search is one of the more notable developments in information retrieval. In the last two years, acquisitions of proprietary search vendors have created an opportunity for open source search solutions. Traditional vendors of closed search systems now face innovators such as LucidWorks and Polyspot. These and a dozen or more other commercial firms offer the cost and technical benefits of open source software as well as robust professional services. Open source search vendors provide viable alternatives to such solutions as HP Autonomy and Oracle Endeca. The many small, Independent vendors of proprietary search technology now face the formidable task of competing with with such companies as IBM Vivisimo and Microsoft Fast as well as solutions from fast-growing open source search providers.
He added:
IDC has licensed ArnoldIT’s exclusive research about open source search and content processing. In addition to the profiles created for IDC, ArnoldIT offers an open source sector analysis which compares the functionality of open source search technology with that of proprietary search vendors. In addition, ArnoldIT maintains a competitive matrix which allows a procurement team or investor to compare market strategies of each vendor with the firms’ actual technical capabilities.
Stephen E Arnold’s publications AppRapids, Beyond Search and Open Search News provide up-to-the-minute coverage of business and technical developments in open source search and content processing.
The new IDC open source search reports represent an important milestone in coverage of this disruptive sector of information retrieval. For more information about ArnoldIT’s open source research, write seaky2000 at yahoo dot com.
Stuart Schram, August 21, 2012
Sponsored by Augmentext
Tips for Empowering User Search in the Enterprise
August 22, 2012
Susan Hanley shares some SharePoint tips in her NetworkWorld.com post, “10 Essential SharePoint Search Hints.” Hanley points out that rich metadata is necessary for improved findability, but users also need to be taught how to search for better results.
Aside from using metadata and meaningful file names and titles, the author has this to say about search suggestions:
Use best bets. A great way to ensure that people can easily find the common things that you know they need in your organization is to create a directed best bet for them. Even if you are not monitoring search logs to identify candidate best bets (which you should be doing, by the way), I can promise you that you know something about what people need to find on your intranet.
We agree with the search tips. Empowered users can really add efficiency to their search and overall production. But to save time and training resources, consider adding a third party solution that gives your users a friendly interface with intuitiveness for search.
Here you can read about Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise:
Highly efficient enterprise search and specific connectors link together data sources in companies and organizations. Be well informed – quickly and accurately. The data often lies distributed across numerous sources. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise gains each employee two weeks per through focused finding of data (IDC Studies). An invaluable competitive advantage in business as well as providing employee satisfaction.
Read more about the full suite of solutions available from Mindbreeze at http://www.mindbreeze.com/.
Philip West, August 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
PLM and ERP Merge as Data Management Advances
August 22, 2012
Companies with a lot of data, especially data spread out over various systems and platforms constantly struggle to connect said data. Traditionally, both product lifecycle management (PLM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software has been utilized to manage data but were separate systems without much communication. That is changing as PLM providers are realizing the need for all systems to work together as evidenced in the recent announcement in the IT News Online article, “Arbela Technologies and Saratech, Inc. Announce Strategic Partnership to Deliver Process and Data Integration between Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) Business Solutions”.
The article describes the partnership:
“Arbela Technologies Corporation, a leading Microsoft Dynamics AX and CRM Certified Gold Partner, has announced that it is forming a strategic partnership with Saratech, Inc., a national platinum partner of Siemens PLM software, to offer proven process and data integration between Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) business solutions to the aerospace and defense, hi-tech, automotive, industrial equipment, and life sciences industries.”
Other PLM providers are also working hard to create new data management solutions that work with existing ERP platforms. Inforbix, an up-and-coming PLM provider, has a unique take on ERP as described in the Engineering Matters article, “Inforbix: Access to Enterprise Information for the Engineer?”:
“Using API toolkits, Inforbix crawlers go into enterprise systems like ERP, PLM, procurement systems and others. It also has crawlers that spider your desktops and share drives. So Inforbix crawlers are unique in that they traverse enterprise systems and drives in your product development IT ecosystem.”
As data management solutions grow in scope we expect to see more PLM providers integrate ERP into their PLM offerings.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
The Chinese Google is Gaining Territory
August 22, 2012
The Chinese Google has joined forces with another interactive information company and plans to expand. Baidu is moving to Singapore and possibly beyond according to TODAYonline’s article “Baidu Migrates Tech with Joint Research Lab”.
Representatives say Baidu and I2R have a natural chemistry together:
“Baidu is interested in the Southeast Asian market but we don’t have a lot of projects there right now. On the technology front, Singapore has the best innovation, R&D and Technology research in SEA.”
“Baidu is a research company and we have a lot of technologies in natural language processing. Our chief scientist has had a lot of contact with Dr. Li from I2R, and we’ve had a lot of communications in International conferences with the Singaporean group so there is a natural chemistry to working together.”
I2R was founded in 2002. Their research expertise lies within information technology, wireless and optical communication networks, interactive and digital media signal processing and computing in Singapore. They will be providing Baidu with their Vietnamese and Thai Language technology along with Speaker Verification technology.
Baidu was founded in 2000 and is often referred to as the Chinese Google. They provide intelligent, relevant search results to the billions of queries entered into the Chinese search platform daily.
Baidu offers proprietary phones much like Google’s Android, and the I2R technology could be a beneficial application. If the chemistry stays active between these two companies, Baidu might gain quite a bit of territory. It would be interesting to see what might happen if Google and Baidu crossed borders.
Jennifer Shockley, August 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Trouble Looms for HPs Autonomy
August 22, 2012
CRN recently reported on dissent within the Autonomy leadership team in the article “HP Shuffles Autonomy Leadership, Departed Execs Cite Stifling Bureaucracy.”
According to the article, there have been recent changes to the Autonomy management team on the company’s Web site. While some people have been shuffled in from other sectors of the organization, other names have simply vanished. HP has declined to comment on whether or not these positions are being replaced. In addition to this news, or lack thereof, 250 Autonomy employees have quit, but a recent email to remaining employees has discussed a bright future.
In January, CEO Meg Whitman told CRN that HP would roll out Autonomy to channel partners carefully so as not to flood them with leads that they can not fulfill.
The article states:
“Whitman, who has often referred to Autonomy as a “baby tiger” to describe its vulnerability in the vastness of HP, also spoke of the care with which HP integrated the company after the deal closed.
‘It’s easy for a big company to roll over a little company in an acquisition. HP is so huge that we could have overwhelmed them, so we tried to do a really smart job of setting that up,’ Whitman said at the time. “
Regardless of what was intended, it appears to us that HP has not succeeded in their plans to shelter the little company that they acquired.
Jasmine Ashton, August 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Machine Learning Paragons Square Off
August 22, 2012
It is an AI kerfuffle, we learn from Tor.com’s “Norvig vs. Chomsky and the Fight for the Future of AI.” The two prominent machine linguists, one old-school and one new, are at philosophical odds over the future of machine learning. Simply put, the esteemed Noam Chomsky seems to have started it when he criticized today’s researchers for using statistical methods to mimic behavior without attempting to understand the meaning of that behavior. Google’s director of research Peter Norvig shot back, insisting that such understanding is overrated. Instead, he advocates a statistical reasoning approach underpinned by huge amounts of data populating huge lookup tables.
Tor’s Kevan Gold describes the conflict well. This issue embodies the conflict between getting the answer and understanding the answer; Gold’s math homework analogy captures it well. In his conclusion he extrapolates:
“What seems to be a debate about linguistics and AI is actually a debate about the future of knowledge and science. Is human understanding necessary for making successful predictions? If the answer is ‘no,’ and the best way to make predictions is by churning mountains of data through powerful algorithms, the role of the scientist may fundamentally change forever. But I suspect that the faith of Kepler and Einstein in the elegance of the universe will be vindicated in language and intelligence as well; and if not, we at least have to try.”
Christopher Berry also contributes to the discussion in his Eyes on Analytics blog post, “Norvig, Chomsky, Science, Models.” Check out his umbrella analogy. I like his succinct conclusion:
“Machine learning is as a power tool in the belt. It isn’t a substitute for the objective itself.”
Though both of these writers seem to bolster Chomsky, I suspect this issue will not be resolved quickly, if at all. Stay tuned.
Cynthia Murrell, August 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
EasyAsk Taps BrainSell for SugarCRM Embedment
August 22, 2012
Natural language tech firm EasyAsk has turned to BrainSell to help with pre-packaged business intelligence solutions for SugarCRM, the open-platform, web-based customer relationship management software. The press release,”EasyAsk and BrainSell Ink Exclusive Agreement to Deliver EasyAsk Business Edition for SugarCRM Sales,” informs us the new solutions are to be deployed across North America. The write up explains:
“EasyAsk for SugarCRM Sales provides an easy way for entire sales organizations to track, analyze and manage sales operations within SugarCRM. Users simply ask questions about relevant sales topics in English and get fast results from their SugarCRM data. Utilizing a pioneering natural language architecture, similar to that used by IBM in creating Watson and defeating the Jeopardy grand champions, EasyAsk understands both the intent and the content of every sales question an approach that is more intuitive and returns better answers than standard search and analysis products. This is specifically designed for business users, who don’t need to know anything about SugarCRM, to get the information they need, when they need it.”
Invoking the popular Watson—well played. Running directly inside SugarCRM, EasyAsk and BrainSell’s contribution facilitates drilling down into CRM records for the latest results. Display options are customizable, and collaboration tools are designed to be fast and easy to use.
Based in Burlington, MA, EasyAsk was founded in 1994 by a professor of computational linguistics who also happened to be expert in database systems and computerized natural language. As the name implies, the company emphasizes ease-of-use in its products.
BrainSell is headquartered in Topsfield, MA, but has offices across the US. The company stresses its relationships with prominent business software developers, but says its strength lies in its extensive experience integrating and administering business systems.
Cynthia Murrell, August 22, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
The Flaw in Cloud Search: No Connectivity, No Access
August 21, 2012
Sitting in Fairbanks, Alaska, I realized that the cloud does not work. I had my trusty laptop, an iPad, and my smartphone. The only device which allowed me to work was the laptop with its local storage. The wireless connections were unusable due to insufficient network capacity and latency. The iPad was a glorified book reader. The mobile phone simply did not work. My T Mobile hot spot said it was device 330336 and refused to do anything except run down its battery.
Unusual situation? For me, no. For the poobahs, mavens, and self-appointed wizards formerly known as “real” journalists? Yes. Impossible.
Let me assure you that the world contains many places which render mobile devices mostly useless. However, when I read such articles as “Will Google Fiber Waste $28 Billion”, I perceive a disconnect. Google is investing in a high speed demonstration network in Kansas City, a metropolis with what I consider adequate connectivity. WiFi works from Boingo.com hot spots. My mobile phone allows voice and data access. My iPad displays Pulse headlines.
A happy quack to http://athenspio.posterous.com/athens-co-is-under-a-severe-thunderstorm-warn
The New York centric Forbes’ article asserts:
At a societal level, Cioffi [an expert in telco matters] argues that the benefit of Google Fiber would be way below its costs. After all, if a billion phone lines were replaced by fiber, the cost would be $3 trillion. But DSL and shared WiFi — currently in use by 400 million subscribers according to research firm Point Topic — could boost the speed by a factor of two or three — to between 200 megabits/second (Mbps) and 400 Mbps. If Cioffi is right, it does not look likely that Google Fiber will reach the critical mass needed to get the additional advertising revenues from faster Internet access it would need to come close to justifying its enormous investment.
If Google cannot deploy high speed connections in Kansas City, who will be able to foot the bill for providing basic high speed connectivity in smaller communities.
So what?
First, with the shift to the promise of the cloud, individuals may find themselves like me without access to basic communications for considerable periods of time. The fact that those in New York City or Los Angeles have the resources and connectivity does not help those in underserved areas. Perhaps this is not a big deal because the real money comes from customers in densely populated areas. For those outside those areas, tough luck.
Second, as people become less dependent on local storage both magnetic and paper, access to information decreases. The yap about information overload is a problem for those with access and the money to pay for bandwidth. For those just relying on cloud services, a certain segment of the population may be information starved.
Third, the models for pricing such as the analysis summarized in the Forbes’ article don’t work where there are too few people or geographic locations which cannot be economically served with today’s technology. Forget the next generation technology, more primitive methods are not part of the equipment for living.
Little surprise, then, that there is investor panic setting in with regard to online services such as Facebook, Groupon, and even Google. When the models don’t work in densely populated areas, it does not take much thinking to realize that the shift to the cloud will deliver big bucks from the hinterlands.
I can’t search if I can’t connect. What’s this mean for cloud search? A potential hurdle?
Stephen E Arnold, August 22, 2012
Sponsored by Augmentext
Social Research: Marketing Fluff as Facebook Cools
August 21, 2012
I read “Social Research Key Findings”. The write up summarizes research which has consumed “most of the year.” Read the original article. Judge for yourself. Is social media applied to sentiment, prediction, customer support, and the other buzzwords associated with the phrase “social media” ready for prime time. My view is that as “the end of search” approaches, vendors are scrambling to find marketing Velcro which will lead to new customers and repeat business.
The write up points out that the research was sponsored by some social media luminaries who, it appears, wanted to know what makes customers’ hearts go pitter patter. There is an interesting but almost illegible graph which runs down the survey respondents’ perception of “hindrances” to social analytics and its assorted children.
The graphed data are based on respondents’ selection of True or False. The scale is wonky, running from 0 to 250, and I am not sure if these data represent individual choices, a subset, or a normalized output. I whipped out my trusty magnifying glass and learned the following from the graph:
The respondents were roughly evenly split on True and False votes for this statement: “Not sure which business can leverage.” The respondents were in the same kettle of fish with regard to “Legal Issues, Security issues, the benefits, and fear of negative impacts.
It sure looked to me as if the majority of respondents agreed that their information technology departments were not a hindrance to social media. Company culture also seems not to be a particular barrier.
The article explains the key findings with nine observations. Let me highlight four findings which I found interesting. You will need to consult the original article to get the full payload from the research.
Allegedly the research supports the statement: “It’s still an early market.” My view is that the dismal performance of Facebook’s initial public offering indicates that social fatigue has set in. Social research is not silver bullet. Customers still want to talk to an informed human. Predictive analytics still cannot pick winners in horse races. Sentiment analysis does little more than flag email with inflammatory language. The ClearForest warranty process works, but it is expensive and depended on rules. Rules were expensive to maintain. In large systems with dynamic content, the fancy math helps but it does not deliver results commensurate with the marketers’ promises. Big surprise? Nope.
A second finding is encapsulated in the statement: “It should not be surprising that video and picture sharing are among the top social media.” The only problem is that understanding the content of videos and pictures is a tough computational problem. Pump through a day of YouTube content and you have a system which is expensive to build, maintain, and scale. In short, words are a very difficult problem. Words have not yet been cracked. The social audio and video is an even more difficult problem. Opportunities? Yes. Solutions for a cash strapped enterprise? Not yet, gentle reader.
A third finding is summarized in this way: “Marketing and service have more uses for social media than does sales, so far.” My interpretation: Pumping out big bucks to analyze social media does not generate revenue. My view is that social research boils down to tracking what individuals do. Even with large amounts of data, the social researchers are not able to hook the data, their analyses, and their services to generating revenue for the licensees. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies, in my opinion, remain juicy prospects. The tire company or the waste disposal business may not buy or even sit through a webinar.
The final finding which caught my attention was “Content is king.” I don’t know what this means. The article explains:
Ranking the three major social media for usefulness, Twitter is first followed by Facebook and then LinkedIn. Interestingly, corporate blogs and product/service blogs are rated higher than the top three services indicating that people want specific content and they are not put off by content size or the time it might take to read or view it. So the three popular social tools might help get the conversation started but successful companies will quickly discover that they need more content for follow up. Our CRM Idol experience this year confirms this point: we are seeing a larger-than-normal number of vendors focused on content creation, tracking, and management.
If this makes sense to you, then get out your purchase order form. The sponsors are ready to rumble.
Stephen E Arnold, August 21, 2012
Sponsored by Augmentext
ADV Austria Uses Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite to Enrich Web Site Visitor Experience
August 21, 2012
Rapid changes in technology have also brought along changes in Web expectations. Users more and more want informative, aesthetically pleasing sites that are consistently functioning with real-time data, which can be challenging to achieve.
To give your Web site a powerful search feature with a user-friendly experience, consider a third party solution like Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite. MindBreeze InSite understands that an attractive Web site is a company’s digital business card; it’s your shop window. 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 would otherwise be spent on development and training.
In addition, Mindbreeze InSite boasts an impressive lineup of satisfied customers.
Here you can read the case study from ADV (Data Processing Work Group), Austria:
After testing the free 14-day test version, ADV opted for Mindbreeze InSite 500. This allows up to 500 pages/documents to be searched and 25,000 search inquiries per year. After registering for the product Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite and entering the web address, ADV received the embed code…Within a matter of minutes the search was available.
Search results are clearly structured using tabs and correlations are visible due to semantic search inquiries. The website visitor gets an overview of new events and publications without needing to click through the site.
Navigate to http://www.mindbreeze.com/ to read more about Web site architect solutions from Mindbreeze.
Philip West, August 21, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
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