Focus Within Big Data is Steered Towards Enterprise Information Delivery
January 10, 2013
The New Year brings about resolutions of all shapes and sizes. We spotted an interesting one from Tech Crunch author Leena Rao in regards to big data. Unlike many CEOs and IT professionals seeking to utilize this cutting edge technology, she wants to abolish the term ‘big data.’ In the article, “Why We Need To Kill ‘Big Data‘” she chalks up the concept to a mere buzz word.
The author states the following in the referenced article:
Why have I grown to hate the words “big data”? Because I think the term itself is outdated, and consists of an overly general set of words that don’t reflect what is actually happening now with data. It’s no longer about big data, it’s about what you can do with the data. It’s about the apps that layer on top of data stored, and insights these apps can provide.
Rao signals an important change in enterprise readiness for big data; companies are prepared to take action by deploying and utilizing big data solutions. We will see many companies use technologies focused on enterprise information delivery across the entire organization. The key is having the right knowledge in the right place and at the right time.
Megan Feil, January 10, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search.
Seize the Moment to Switch to Open Source
January 10, 2013
With 2013 upon us, lots of interesting changes and movement in the technological world could cause the new year to be a good year for a switch to open source. Linux is a hallmark of open source, as an operating system is a software piece that even the most inexperienced of computer users deals with routinely. Katherine Noyes of PC World discusses the rise of Linux in, “Make 2013 the year you switch to Linux.”
Noyes begins by explaining that since Windows 8 is notoriously hard to deal with, a switch to Linux at this point, may be a less painful option:
“Linux today has at least caught up with Windows for most purposes; in many areas, it’s actually overtaken it. And now, with the transition required by Windows 8, it can be a whole lot less painful getting used to a Linux distribution that’s at least based on conventions you’re used to.”
She goes on to explain that even though outside circumstances might influence a switch to Linux at this time, perhaps the greatest benefit is the usage of open source software.
“Last but certainly not least is that Linux is totally free and unencumbered by license restrictions. You can download, use, and customize it at will without fear of the wrath of any vendor. You’re free, in other words, to make it your own.”
Open source technology not only shines in operating systems, but in virtually every genre of software. Open source is particularly valuable in the world of enterprise, where cost effectiveness and efficiency mean higher profits. LucidWorks is an industry standard, offering support, training, and free distributions for years. Their LucidWorks Search is a leader in enterprise search, competing and holding its own against all competitors, including proprietary options.
Emily Rae Aldridge, January 10, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
ThisWeekIn on its Way Out
January 10, 2013
ThisWeekIn podcaster Jason Calacanis throws in most of the towel with Leo LaPorte logos on it. Tech Crunch announces, “Jason Calacanis Says He Will Shut Down Podcast Network ThisWeekIn.com, This Week In Startups Will Continue.” Yes, ThisWeekIn will be no more, and Calacanis is returning leftover funds to his investors. Though the company is closing shop, the associated podcasts “This Week in Startups,” hosted by Calacanis, and “Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show” are to continue.
Calacanis doesn’t want us to get the idea that ThisWeekIn failed, however; he insists the show was moderately successful, but believes it would not be able to scale up to reach breakout success. Very few podcasts do, he notes, and only a team made of those who have already triumphed in this arena (like Leo Laporte, Kevin Rose, Adam Carolla, and Kevin Pollak) would be worth the bother. Hmm.
The article informs us:
“Back in 2010, the company raised $300,000 in funding from Matt Coffin, Sky Dayton, and Calacanis himself. At the time, Calacanis compared the model to Weblogs Inc., the blog network that he sold to Aol. (Before the funding was announced, Leo Laporte, host of This Week In Tech, criticized Calacanis for using the ‘This Week In’ name. Calacanis responded that he’d gotten Laporte’s blessing.)
“Over email, Calacanis . . . emphasized that the company was doing all right, breaking even with $500,000 in annual revenue and two hit shows (Calacanis’ and Pollak’s). He also said that there will be no layoffs, with the five full-time employees continuing to work on This Week In Startups.”
So. . . if the company is shutting down, how is it that it is doing alright, two shows are continuing, and there will be no layoffs? I’m a little confused on that point. Oh, well, I’m sure it will all work out.
So, what’s next for the great emulator? Discovering fire?
Cynthia Murrell, January 10, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
New Tech Allows China to Tighten Internet Control
January 10, 2013
If you hoped China might see the light and ease up on its Internet censorship, I’m afraid they’re going the other direction. The Guardian informs us, “China Tightens ‘Great Firewall’ Internet Control with New Technology.” Reportedly, the government is using new tools to interfere with VPN services that some in China have been using to skirt its constraints. This should make search interesting.
The article states:
“China Unicom, one of the biggest telecoms providers in the country, is now killing connections where a VPN is detected, according to one company with a number of users in China.
“VPNs encrypt internet communications between two points so that even if the data being passed is tapped, it cannot be read. A VPN connection from inside China to outside it also mean that the user’s internet connection effectively starts outside the ‘Great Firewall’ – in theory giving access to the vast range of information and sites that the Chinese government blocks. That includes many western newspaper sites as well as resources such as Twitter, Facebook and Google.”
Though VPN providers are just noticing the effects of government interference, Chinese users got an inkling in May of 2011 that the government would attempt to disrupt VPN use. Now, according to VPN provider Astrill, at least four of the common protocols are being blocked by China’s “Great Firewall.” Though Astrill is working on a system it hopes will outstride censors, the company compared the effort to a cat-and-mouse game. Yes, that sounds about right.
Will China ever respect its citizens enough to trust them unfettered online?
Cynthia Murrell, January 10, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
An Algorithm to Limit Inaccurate Tweets
January 10, 2013
Since its famous role in the Arab Spring, Twitter‘s status as an active participant in (as opposed to simply a documenter of) unfolding events has been self-evident. Since then, on several notable occasions, users of the service have supplied crucial information before traditional news sources got their hands on the facts. However, as we saw during the tragic events of December 14, sometimes Twitter users get it wrong. Sometimes, the misinformation causes unnecessary stress, confusion, and even danger. That’s quite a downside to the otherwise helpful contrivance. What is a concerned citizen of the world to believe?
A solution may be on the way. It is after the fact (this time), but it is progress nevertheless. Slate’s “Building a Better Truth Machine” examines the possibility that machine-learning algorithms could identify and halt false rumors before they pervade the Twittersphere. Several studies have recently emerged that identify common characteristics of both true and false tweets. (See here and here for a couple of examples supplied by the article.) Writer Will Oremus tells us:
The authors of the 2010 study [from Yahoo Research, here] developed a machine-learning classifier that uses 16 features to assess the credibility of newsworthy tweets. Among the features that make information more credible:
- Tweets about it tend to be longer and include URLs.
- People tweeting it have higher follower counts.
- Tweets about it are negative rather than positive in tone.
- Tweets about it do not include question marks, exclamation marks, or first- or third-person pronouns.
Several of those findings were echoed in another recent study from researchers at India’s Institute of Information Technology who also found that credible tweets are less likely to contain swear words and significantly more likely to contain frowny emoticons than smiley faces.
Interesting. Oremus admits that those looking to purposely spread lies are sure to find a way around any algorithm that may be put in place, but suspects that it would at least cut down on the proliferation of inaccuracies. Let us hope that he is correct, and that an effective solution is implemented soon.
Cynthia Murrell, January 10, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Small Businesses Find Scalable Big Data Solutions with PolySpot
January 9, 2013
From local municipal government to the education sector to big business, every industry is paving way for big data and the technological solutions inherent to its worth to come in as a jumpstart to success. However, in a recent article from Venture Beat called “Why I Don’t Buy the Hype About Big Data,” technology executive Bruno Aziza advocates for the buzz around big data to slow down to a halt.
He cites Gartner supporting the trend by releasing big numbers: a recent report shows that $28 billion was spent on big data technologies this year, and over $230 billion will be spent through 2016. The problem? Aziza states that technologies and the necessary staff are consequently very expensive.
He continues the discussion by recommending that companies seek out solutions for business intelligence on an appropriate scale:
The amount of data that Facebook and NASA are crunching remains the exception, not the norm. Truth is, you don’t have to be a large company to leverage your data. If you looked at range of companies in the U.S., you’ll find that there are over 50,000 that only have between 20 and 500 employees – most of which, I’d argue, are trying to solve data problems at scale.The biggest market for big data is not just with the Fortune 50, it is with the Fortune 500,000.
We cannot deny that it is vital for small businesses to find the size-appropriate solutions, but that does not mean that the big data hype has no place. The ‘big’ in ‘big data’ is relative to the size of the business as well. PolySpot technologies deliver scalable big data solutions for small businesses, for example.
Megan Feil, January 9, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search.
Cloudera to Sponsor Big Data Forum
January 9, 2013
As Big Data continues to be big news, so does security. The two hot topics collide in a future forum hosted by Cloudera entitled Federal Big Data Apache Hadoop Forum. The Sys-Con Media blog provides a nice write-up in their piece, “Hold The Date: 30 Jan Cloudera is Sponsoring a Federal Big Data Forum Focused on National Security Missions.”
The article begins:
“Friends at Cloudera are lead sponsors and coordinators of a new Big Data Forum focused on Apache Hadoop. The first, which will be held 30 January 2013 in Columbia Maryland, will be focused on lessons learned of use to the national security community. This is primarily for practitioners and leaders fielding real working Big Data solutions on Apache Hadoop and related technologies.”
Big Data is not just a trend, it is a real technology hurdle and it is here to stay. Therefore, the government is taking notice and looking for secure solutions. There are established leaders in the industry who are tackling this new challenge. LucidWorks is a leader in open source enterprise search and now addresses Big Data with LucidWorks Big Data. Most Big Data leaders are founded on open source technology, an advantage in cost-effectiveness and agility. LucidWorks sets themselves apart in name recognition and reliability.
Emily Rae Aldridge, January 09, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Google Pushes into Enterprise Market
January 9, 2013
Google is about to tackle the enterprise market head on, particularly targeting the areas of the cloud, social media, and mobile software. Could this have anything to do with softening ad revenues? Not sure; that is one topic not mentioned in the informative interview from Computer Business Review, “Q&A with Thomas Davies, Head of Google Enterprise UK and Ireland.”
Journalist Steve Evans spoke to Davies about Google’s enterprise push. Davies names three trends, cloud, social, and mobile, that his division focuses on, and specifies mobile as the most influential. Because smartphones and tablets are becoming important tools to many businesses, Google plans to seize the day with Android for the enterprise.
There are those who question whether the security and management capabilities of Android are up to the task. Davies assures us, though, that his team has been communicating with business leaders and is tailoring the OS to meet their specifications. Furthermore, he says, Android is now pushing out updates the way Chrome does, so companies won’t have to contend with different stages. The chaotic way Android versions have historically been distributed, though, suggests that every worker would have to have the same iteration of the same device for that to work; not ideal.
As for social media, Google anticipates that it will soon melt into collaboration tools, rather than remain a standalone destination application. Oh, but make no mistake– Google+ will remain a destination app. They have a lot invested in that project, Davies says. Evans presses that point, asking why Google + is different from failed attempts like Wave and Buzz. Because Google learns from mistakes, of course. Well, that’s good.
Regarding the cloud, Evans notes that it’s a big step for companies. Davies replies that it’s all about the money. Businesses have now been hard pressed for years- years!- to reduce costs, and there’s only so much you can cut. According to him, porting to the cloud can save on operational costs by 30 to 50 percent—a reduction many companies find well worth the bother.
So, it seems that now is the time for Google to aggressively push into the enterprise market. Financial pressure and technical advancement have come together to create the perfect opportunity, and they are not about to let the moment escape them. Davies concludes:
“People want to change. I think the time for personal productivity – going to the office, filling in your spreadsheets and sending them to someone else – is going. There was a standard, monolithic build; SAP in the background, Office and IE on the desktop and BlackBerry. That’s changing and I think the speed of that change has caught IT departments by surprise.
“That plays nicely into our hands. I think where we will win, and where we are winning, is when it comes to the three main benefits: business benefits, technical benefits and cultural transformation. That’s how you change an entire company.”
Cocky, isn’t he? But the man has a point. I predict the company will succeed spectacularly in this venture.
Cynthia Murrell, January 09, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Lexmark Layoffs the Result of Shifting Technologies
January 9, 2013
“Difficult decisions need to be made.” That’s what Lexmark’s executive vice president Marty Canning said about the company’s recent layoff of 550 workers in Lexington, KY, we learn in “Lexmark in Midst of Major Change” from the Lexington Herald-Leader. Under pressure from a shifting industry, the company has chosen to shift with it.
Based in Lexington, Lexmark began as a spinoff of IBM in 1991, offering a series of dot-matrix printers. Remember those? The company moved on to laser and inkjet printers, and expanded its Lexington operations as the sale of inkjet cartridges soared. Since then, of course, laser printers have outpaced their inkjet cousins, and demand for those cartridges plummeted. Lexmark has now made the tough call to abandon the inkjet business altogether. Reporter Scott Sloan describes the company’s new course:
“For the past several years, the Lexington-based printer maker has been in the midst of changing strategies and made five key acquisitions since 2010 designed to take the company further from its roots only in printers and more into computer software and services.
“It’s part of a trend of printer companies working to make themselves invaluable to businesses by getting more involved in the flow of information, regardless of whether it ever shows up on a printed page.
“For some of Lexington’s operations that have been rooted more in Lexmark’s past, it meant a painful contraction, but the company’s leaders say it’s a necessity to evolve and stay strong.”
The article clearly lays out the history of Lexmark, its recent acquisitions, and its vision for the future; it is worth the read. Will the changes by Lexmark lead to a new golden age for the printer company turned software provider? Stay tuned.
Cynthia Murrell, January 09, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Autonomy Tech Features Prominently at HP
January 9, 2013
HP is now committed to cloud services, security, and information, according to one insider. Will the approach gel into a solution that makes Autonomy pay off, despite the recent acrimony? Perhaps. ServicesAngle tells us, “Beyond the Controversy, Autonomy at Center of HP Information Strategy.”
One of Autonomy’s advantages is its approach to storage and analysis. While traditional systems store data and perform analysis in separate systems, the Idol platform runs directly on the storage server. The article says this makes the Autonomy approach 40 times faster than that of the competition. Writer Bert Latamore continues:
“Integrate that with HP’s other major Big Data analytics acquisition, Vertica, which is very good at handling very large structured databases, and you have a system that can tame the largest Big Data databases, [Autonomy VP Brian]Wyse says. That is exactly what HP has done, and now it is embedding the Idol/Vertica system in the heart of a list of Big Data products that do anything from analyzing huge medical databases to predicting which HP products in which client environments may fail in the next month, allowing HP to provide proactive to its customers. ‘This is unique to HP,’ Wyse said.”
The write-up emphasizes advantages of speedier analysis. Primarily, companies can actually do something with all that data they’ve bothered to collect but haven’t had time to process. That is certainly a plus. Latamore also gives an example of the sort of thing quick analysis can catch: When producers of Madagascar commissioned an analysis to see how kids reacted to the film, analysts found that children in one particular venue “were running screaming from the theater.” It seems that locale was running a horror-movie promotion before the show. Oops!
So, it looks like Autonomy‘s technology, particularly when paired with Vertica, is becoming a real boon for HP. It’s a shame about the recent accounting conflict, but at least software doesn’t harbor hard feelings.
Cynthia Murrell, January 09, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
