A Plan to Save the Manufacturing Industry
August 17, 2012
“Americans want to see action to help struggling manufacturers. A recent survey by the American Alliance for Manufacturing showed that 53 percent of those polled rated manufacturing as the most important sector of the economy and noted that a large majority of Americans want assistance provided. The Block Grant Program offers a critical, cost-effective, common sense solution to this serious economic problem. Economic recovery in the United States depends on a thriving, healthy manufacturing sector and resources must be targeted achieve that goal.”
Web Content Management in SharePoint 2013
August 17, 2012
John Ross gives us an updated view of web content management (WCM) in light of SharePoint 2013 in his piece, “SharePoint 2013: WCM and Search Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly.” With SharePoint 2013 the FAST search engine has been fully integrated into the platform and will be the primary force behind WCM.
Ross states:
Search will be a far more efficient way to surface content in almost all circumstances. The way we’ll plan and think about WCM in SharePoint will fundamentally change. For example in the past, content needed to be in SharePoint for us to roll it up. With the new model, as long as content is in the search index we can surface it where ever [sic] we need. So the biggest limiting factor we’d have would be whether we’d be able to get SharePoint to crawl a datasource. This has massively huge implications!
While the web content functionality of SharePoint has been improved, there are good third party solutions that integrate search more successfully into the platform without needing additional customization. Fabasoft Mindbreeze is an Austrian vendor worth keeping an eye on. In addition to increasing the intuitiveness of in-house enterprise search with Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise, Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite can also enhance search on public facing Web sites.
Emily Rae Aldridge, August 17, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Toast to CMO or CMO Toast
August 17, 2012
Once upon a time, CMO’s were company heroes. They were known to roam about the region promoting business via merit and word of mouth with their merry band of quality sales staff. However, Reuters’ article “CMOs Could Be Extinct, Says Strategic Marketing Growth Expert Lisa Nirell” tells us that times have changed.
Marketing is done via the web now. Merit is gained by comments and testimonies and companies move up the open search ladder to popularity. So, what exactly do today’s marketing personal do?
It appears the CMO’s chair has been replaced by a hard drive:
“Their current perceived role is limiting them from reaching their true potential. When I reflect on the traditionally sought after competencies for a CMO, an image of ‘order taker and service provider’ emerges. Unfortunately, that perception has three limitations: it has become outdated, if not extinct; it restricts Marketing’s true potential; and finally, it perpetuates the belief that anyone can be a marketing expert.”
Thus, CMOs are struggling with career threatening market shifts for these reasons:
- Budgets are shifting.
- Social media exacerbates cross-departmental and customer tensions.
- Pressure to demonstrate a return on investment with Marketing has reached a fever pitch.
- Lines of responsibility across marketing sales are disintegrating.
Who would have thought that chief marketing officers would go from being the toast of the town to just plain toast? Marketing is more important than quality, the service, the product—everything except revenue. Maybe traditional marketing no longer works but this is not the end of the story. It is simply the start of a new chapter.
Jennifer Shockley, August 17, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Oracle Gets Some Open Source Love
August 17, 2012
Oracle is introducing another upgrade according to the Technews article “Oracle Announces Update to Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse.” This new design time tool will be for Oracle Application Development Framework the standards based, strategic framework for Oracle Fusion Applications and Oracle Fusion Middleware.
Just as previous packs, this one will offer Oracle’s latest steps to compete with open source search:
“This package offers enhancements for developing secure Web Services. The release is the first to support Eclipse Juno and provides new JAX-WS design-time features for developers targeting both the Oracle Web Services Manager and Oracle WebLogic Server service security stacks. Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse is a free set of Eclipse-based plug-ins that enables developers to build Java EE, Web Service, Cloud, Spring and Oracle ADF applications for the Oracle Fusion Middleware platform.”
A package that contains this many improvements cannot be developed over night. The amount of time spent and cost of coders alone must have been monumental. Open source search continues to grow and evolve, so it makes sense that Oracle would make attempts to evolve as well. Still, the continual addition of user packs will become monotonous over time.
Oracle is getting a little Open Source love, but they could use a lot more. How long will it be before Oracle embraces open source search in order to chop off the brutal costs of maintaining and enhancing proprietary search systems?
Jennifer Shockley, August 17, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Europe Goes Open with Research
August 17, 2012
Europe appears to be changing the way publishing licenses operate with releases of open-access policies from two groups that may set the pace for the entire country.
The European Commission and Research Councils U.K. both recently adopted requirements concerning open-access policies for journal articles. The EC will require journal articles based on research funded through its Horizon 2020 program to be accessible for free either online immediately upon publication or in a repository after an embargo period. Research Councils U.K. adopted a similar policy which will apply to all publically funded research in the U.K., beginning with papers submitted in April 2013.
An article from Chemical and Engineering News, “Europe Opens Up,” tells us more about the changes:
“When an author pays a fee for immediate open access, the U.K. policy requires the author to get a liberal publishing license. The license allows others to modify, distribute, and build upon the work, provided they credit the original author.
The EC encouraged all other member states to take similar steps for research funded by their domestic programs, setting a goal of having 60% of European-government-funded research freely accessible by 2016.”
The rest of Europe will likely be encouraged to follow suit by these groups. We think this is an interesting pressure applied to professional publishing outfits, but are curious to see if the exploitation of scientific results will make science move faster.
Andrea Hayden, August 17, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Will Video Inject New Revenue Into Venerable Kiplinger
August 17, 2012
Why just read advice when you can watch it? According to MSN Money’s article “blinkx Partners with Kiplinger for Personal Finance Wisdom” Kiplinger wants to go viral with their well-respected advice.
Most people think YouTube when they hear video, but blinkx has more than 35 million hours of audio and video content available with a customized search platform. Now they are combining with a company that holds the prestige of a well preserved antique in the world of finance wisdom.
Kiplinger is broadening blinkx’s financial horizon in hopes of expanding their viewer range:
“Kiplinger’s is one of the most trusted and well-respected sources for consumers seeking financial advice. Whether you’re a recent graduate coping with student loans or a parent looking for tips on tax breaks, our video library has helpful personal finance advice for you. We’re pleased to partner with blinkx to increase our exposure to new audiences and to make our video reports easily searchable for consumers around the world.”
Will video inject new revenue into the venerable Kiplinger? This noble company publishes the longest running newsletter in the US and is only one decade from the century mark. The print newsletters are not what they use to be and more presses collect dust every year.
This gosling does not think Kiplinger will receive any monumental renown via blinkx, but we’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, Kiplinger does deserve a 12 Honk salute for reaching antique status.
Jennifer Shockley, August 17, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Global Report Misses a Significant Player in the PLM Industry
August 16, 2012
In a recent Sacramento Bee article, “Global Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Industry” we learn about a recent industry report that will have some significance in the manufacturing market in terms of efficiency.
The report analyzes the global product lifecycle management market measured by US dollars and broken down into product segments including, cPDm, PLM Tools, and Digital Manufacturing Solutions.The article shares the table of contents for this report and it includes a look at specific manufacturers and other providers.
As the article explains, the report has quite a bit of analysis.
The report profiles 84 companies including many key and niche players such as Accenture, Ansys Inc., Aras Corporation, Arena Solutions Inc., Autodesk Inc., Bentley Systems, Inc., Centric Software Inc., Computer Science Corporation, Dassault Systemes SA, Enginuity PLM LLC, Gerber Technology, Hewlett-Packard Development Company, Intergraph Corporation, International Business Machines Corporation, Lectra SA, MSC. Software Corporation, Omnify Software Inc., Oracle Corporation, Parametric Technology Corporation, SAP AG, Selerant, Siemens PLM Software Inc., Tata Technologies Limited, and T-Systems International GmbH. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain.
Administrative Options in SharePoint 2013
August 16, 2012
The blog world is buzzing with analysis of the public preview of SharePoint 2013. The Cloudshare Community Blog specifically breaks down the issues of administrative options in their post, “Administration Options in SharePoint 2013 with CloudShare!”
There are many things to show with SharePoint 2013, but I have decided to start with a basic one: how to administer the platform. In this article I will show you the available approaches you have to handle administrative tasks for SharePoint 2013. These approaches are essentially the same as in SharePoint 2010 with one big exception: you are not supposed to use (or even see!) the Stsadm command line tool that is now considered as deprecated.
It seems at this point the SharePoint world would be tired of the concept of customization, but apparently not yet. It seems like for every efficiency issue in SharePoint, the answer is customization. This is of course despite the fact that Microsoft does not want customers customizing SharePoint 2013. But how could a user possibly get around it, as SharePoint is still far from perfect?
The answer lies in smart third party solutions that can be added to an existing SharePoint infrastructure. A product like Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise can streamline processes with its intuitive interface, specifically designed to meet users’ needs where SharePoint lags. Additionally, Fabasoft Mindbreeze releases smart and frequent updates, preventing the drama and hassle of huge and infrequent overhauls.
Emily Rae Aldridge, August 16, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
New Visualization Service from BT
August 16, 2012
BT (British Telecommunications) has launched a new product called Assure Analytics, MarketWire informs us in “BT Simplifies Big Data and Security Challenges with New Visualization Service.” The security data analysis service focuses on big data, naturally, and aims to facilitate fast and effective decision making. The press release reveals:
“The service, which instantly fuses together structured and unstructured data from any number of sources – such as emails, reporting systems, databases and internet news feeds – brings the information to life for businesses through insightful imagery and mapping which highlights potential patterns, threats, interdependencies and outcomes across their organization.”
Interestingly, the company is practicing what it promotes. The write up notes:
“BT is already using Assure Analytics in its battle to protect the UK telecoms network from copper theft. The service is helping the company analyze crime statistics, fault reporting and geographical information – highlighting patterns and theft hotspots to inform its prevention and response policies.”
The world’s oldest surviving communications company, BT began as The Electric Telegraph Company in 1846. The company provides a range of communications solutions to customers in over 170 countries. Not surprisingly, it is the official Communications Services partner for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Cynthia Murrell, August 16, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Free Semantics and Ontology Ebook
August 16, 2012
Considering the pace of change within the field of semantic technologies, professionals need all the tools they can get just to keep up. One free resource that may help: “Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist, Second Edition: Effective Modeling in RDFS and OWL” is available at BookShared.com. The description specifies:
“Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist is the essential, comprehensive resource on semantic modeling, for practitioners in health care, artificial intelligence, finance, engineering, military intelligence, enterprise architecture, and more. Focused on developing useful and reusable models, this market-leading book explains how to build semantic content (ontologies) and how to build applications that access that content.”
The second edition of the book has some useful enhancements. It covers the most recent semantic Web tools, includes details about the latest ontologies for prominent Web applications, and supplies more detailed examples than the first edition had.
Authors Dean Allemang and Jim Hendler developed a successful Semantic Web training series through consulting firm TopQuadrant. Allemang is that company’s chief scientist, and has served as an invited expert on a number of international review boards, including a review of the world’s largest Semantic Web research institute, Digital Enterprise Research Institute. Hendler is the Tetherless World Senior Constellation Chair at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and he writes prolifically on the topics of artificial intelligence, the semantic Web, agent-based computing, and Web science. Hendler has been advising the US government on the Data.gov project.
Cynthia Murrell, August 16, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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