Maxxcat Offers SQL Connector
August 30, 2013
Specialized hardware vendor MaxxCAT offers a SQL connector, allowing their appliances to directly access SQL databases. We read about that tool, named BobCAT, at the company’s Search Connect page. We would like to note that the company’s web site has made it easier to locate their expanding range of appliances for search and storage.
Naturally, BobCAT can be configured for use with Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and MySQL, among other ODBC databases. The connector ‘s integration with MaxxCAT’s appliances makes it easier to establish crawls and customize output using tools like JSON, HTML and SQL. The write-up emphasizes:
“The results returned from the BobCAT connector can be integrated into web pages, applications, or other systems that use the search appliance as a compute server performing the specialized function of high performance search across large data sets.
“In addition to indexing raw data, The BobCAT connector provides the capability for raw integrators to index business intelligence and back office systems from disparate applications, and can grant the enterprise user a single portal of access to data coming from customer management, ERP or proprietary systems.”
MaxxCAT does not stop with its SQL connector. Their Lynx Connector facilitates connection to their enterprise search appliances by developers, integrators, and connector foundries. The same Search Connect page explains:
“The connector consists of two components, the input bytestream and a subset of the MaxxCAT API that controls the processing of collections and the appliance.
“There are many applications of the Lynx Connector, including building plugins and connector modules that connect MaxxCAT to external software systems, document formats and proprietary cloud or application infrastructure. Users of the Lynx Connector have a straightforward path to take advantage of MaxxCAT’s specialized and high performance retrieval engine in building solutions.”
Developers interested in building around the Lynx framework are asked email the company for more information, including a line on development hardware and support resources. MaxxCAT was founded in 2007 to capitalize on the high-performance, specialized hardware corner of the enterprise search market. The company manages to offer competitive pricing without sacrificing its focus on performance, simplicity, and ease of integration. We continue to applaud MaxxCAT’s recently launched program for nonprofits.
Cynthia Murrell, August 30, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
MaxxCAT Launches Program for Nonprofits
July 11, 2013
MaxxCAT has implemented a program designed to help nonprofits, we learn from “MaxxCAT Hopes to Bring Search Appliances to Nonprofit Organizations with NPO Buyers Program,” posted at PRWeb. The limited-time NPO Buyers Program pairs a choice of search appliances (the EX-5000 enterprise search or SB-350 search) with extended integration and support services.
The program aims to fill one particular gap NPOs often face; the press release tells us:
“While all MaxxCAT search appliances are easy to integrate, nonprofits often face resource shortages in their IT departments. To address this concern, MaxxCAT will include three hours of Integration Services with each appliance purchased under the NPO Buyers Program. The Integration Services Group provides top-level service from the experts who design and build MaxxCAT’s appliances, and three hours is typically enough time to implement a search.
“Each MaxxCAT appliance comes with a year of email support plus software updates as well as a one year hardware warranty. In addition, nonprofits will receive an extra year of email support plus software updates.”
This is a limited-time offer, so interested NPOs should check out this link soon. Perhaps if they get a good response, the company can be persuaded to extend the program.
Based in Pittsburg, MaxxCAT was founded in 2007 to capitalize on the high-performance, specialized hardware corner of the enterprise search market. The company also provides integration services and managed hosting. A focus on performance, simplicity, and ease of integration keeps MaxxCAT at the fore of the high-performance field. This foray into serving nonprofits can only help the company’s standing.
Cynthia Murrell, July 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
MaxxCAT Enhances Enterprise Search Applications
June 28, 2013
Specialized-hardware firm MaxxCAT has upgraded their enterprise search appliances while remaining one of the most cost-effective options in the field, we learn from “MaxxCAT EX-Series of Enterprise Search Appliances Enhanced with Upgraded Storage and Performance” at PRWeb. Mirrored index storage is one of the most welcome features. The write-up tells us:
“The EX-5000 and EX-6000, competitors of the Google Search Appliance, now start at 2 x 1TB of Index Storage. The improved hardware combines the appliances’ existing performance and reasonable cost with the security of redundancy for customers’ Index Storage.
“‘When you buy a search appliance, you want to get it started and then not worry about it anymore.’ said Zach Reinhardt, MaxxCAT hardware support engineer. ‘Knowing that in the event of a hard drive failure, their appliance will still perform gives our customers the peace of mind so they can concentrate on other projects.'”
Ah, stress reduction! All of MaxxCAT’s search appliances can index a wide variety of file formats with no document limits. The EX-Series perform 12,500 to 25,000 queries per minute for a very reasonable starting price that’s under $9,000. One year of email support and software updates are included, as is a one-year hardware warranty.
MaxxCAT sweetens the pot for any Google Search Appliance owners tempted to switch with its Google Search Appliance Replacement Program. This incentive combines either the EX-5000 or EX-6000 with access to MaxxCAT’s excellent Integration Services Group.
Founded in 2007 and based in Pittsburgh, MaxxCAT produces two high-quality product lines, search appliances and cloud-integrated storage, at some of the lowest price points around. The company also offers integration services and managed data hosting. A focus on performance, simplicity, and ease of integration keeps MaxxCAT at the fore of the high-performance field.
Cynthia Murrell, June 28, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Companies Need Reliable Results Not another Plug and Play Experiment
December 10, 2012
The name Google instantly brings internet search, Android and mobile apps to mind, but that is just not enough for the Big G anymore. TechWeek’s article “Google Enterprise: More Than Just Apps” talks about a new device that Google representatives feel will take the enterprise by storm.
So, what is the next big step for Google? World enterprise domination via plug and play technology:
“This involves something called the ‘Google Search Appliance’ – a yellow box that can be plugged into the data center to look through and index business data. Recently launched Commerce Search is a similar project, but based in the cloud and focused on retail. A different part of the Enterprise department deals with geospatial products: Google Maps, Google Earth and the brand new Google Coordinate – the company’s first geo app to provide not just asset tracking, but the workflow management too.”
Of course this updated Google technology will be compatible with Chrome, Android and existing Google apps, but is this plug and play devise the right answer for sophisticated enterprise needs? What happens when a changes is needed to match unique enterprise requirements? We have found that the mature solutions and dedicated customer service from Intrafind often meets the needs of enterprises with sophisticated requirements. Perhaps a commercial solution, built on open source can better match unique enterprise search needs than a plug and play appliance.
Jennifer Shockley, December 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Thunderstone Offers Smooth Transition from Google Mini
August 23, 2012
If you have been using Google Mini as your search appliance of choice, then probably by now you know that you’ve been forcefully exiled. But worry not, Mini refugees. There’s still good news.
Thunderstone, a leading player in search and content processing has announced that they will be offering an upgrade path that will allow Google Mini owners to transition to the Thunderstone Search Appliance smoothly.
The write-up “Thunderstone Provides Special Competitive Upgrade Offer for Google Mini Owners” gives us more details:
“For customers upgrading to the Thunderstone Search Appliance, Thunderstone will honor the remaining warranty and support contract on the Google Mini as an extension to the standard two year support contract on a Thunderstone Search Appliance. In addition Thunderstone will provide assistance in the migration and a 30-day money back guarantee, so that the entire process is painless.”
For a long time, many felt sorry for Thunderstone for having been forced to fight head-on with Google even though they pioneered the search appliance. It’s such a pity that the first runner in the field doesn’t necessarily win. But good thing that it was able to stick around. Now, it even offers a good upgrade package for Google Mini after it was announced that the latter’s production will be discontinued. What a relief for Mini users.
Lauren Llamanzares, August 23, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Kapow Buddies up with Google
July 25, 2012
Kapow Katlyst announced this week that it will be joining the Google Enterprise Partner Program.
Through this partnership, Kapow, leading innovator in the application integration market, will be extending the power of Google search across the enterprise and will hopefully help enrich the relevance and quality of search results for users.
An article on Yahoo Finance, “Kapow Software Joins Google Enterprise Partner Program,” tells us about the partnership. The Google Enterprise Partner Program provides “experts” in various services and products to Google customers. Kapow offers the ability to make any application searchable.
John Yapaola, CEO of Kapow Software, commented in the press release:
“Joining the Google Enterprise Partner program helps us provide enhanced Google search to enterprise users. With Kapow Katalyst our customers rapidly create fully enriched feeds from any content source, maximizing the return on their search technology investment. Kapow Katalyst extends the reach of Google Search Appliance to incorporate content locked within applications, even those without APIs, and enhances its value by enabling powerful metadata enrichment that dramatically improves search quality and content findability.”
Look for Kapow to become a big player in the search technology realm. The array of features offered by the company will be an asset to the Goog. We believe the technology is worth a look if you are looking for something that is powerful, proven, and beginning to get recognition.
Andrea Hayden, July 25, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Search Appliance MaxxCAT Speed Test
June 8, 2012
MaxxCAT has a created speed test where prospective customers can see just how their “lightning fast” search appliances compare to their Googley rivals. They pit their SB-250 against Google Mini, and the heftier EX-5000 against Google Search Appliance version GB-7007. The page instructs:
“Use the drop-down list of queries, or enter new search terms to experience the different search performance demonstrated by this network search comparison. . . . Users of the enterprise search comparison will discover that the entry-level SB-250 and Enterprise-level EX-5000 network search appliances return results with lightning speed, saving time – which translates to dollars for businesses and enterprises. It is important to note that during the search appliance comparison, as the Google mini and Google Search Appliance reach their maximum capacity, the SB-250 and EX-5000 still have enough space for collections three times as large as those in the demo.”
That’s quite an assertion, but is difficult for me to gauge because, as of this writing, the MaxxCAT results are not displaying when I click “show results” (oops). Their products did clock in faster, but that means little without that list.
If the company’s claims are accurate, though, their products are well worth a look. According to their cost and features chart, MaxxCAT’s “startup costs” are considerably less than Google’s comparable offerings. However, just what goes into calculating these “startup costs” is left to the imagination. Do some research before hitching to this wagon.
Based in Pittsburg, PA, MaxxCAT was founded in 2007 to capitalize on the high-performance, specialized hardware corner of the enterprise search market. The company also provides integration services and managed hosting, and they pride themselves on quick and painless deployment. MaxxCAT believes in keeping it simple, silly, but still incorporates customer input into its products. Their developers come equipped with experience in the search and systems integration fields.
Cynthia Murrell, June 8, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Is the Google Search Appliance Making a Comeback?
June 7, 2012
Lately, we haven’t been hearing much about Googles Search Appliance. The recent headline, Marval O’Farrell & Mairal Selects Persistent Systems for Enterprise Google Search Appliance Solution announced a bit of news regarding GSA.
Emilio Feliu, CIO of Marval O’Farrell & Mairal stated:
“We’ve been using the OpenText eDocs DMS to manage all our business information documents and records. As a leading law firm, security of data and timely access to information is critical to our business. It’s our company policy to invest in leading-edge information technology and selecting Persistent Systems for its expertise in providing GSA connectors was definitely the right choice in helping us with deploying GSA as our enterprise search platform. The eDocs Connector works great and provides us with timely access to information without us having to worry about information security.”
Persistent Systems is a global company that specializes in software products and technology innovation. They have been a Google enterprise partner since around 2005. Google’s Search Appliance Solution’s (GSA) offer tools that help companies to overcome the challenge of accessing information within its enterprise in order to save time and money. Google offers users easy-to-deploy solutions which will provide their companies with a customizable high search relevancy, performance scaling and third-party content integration.
We were starting to wonder when we’d hear some good news for Google. Now GSA is getting some positive business reviews via their partnership with Persistent. Though we don’t hear much about Google’s Search Appliance, maybe that is about to change. Is it possible that Persistant is helping Google is make a comeback?
Jennifer Shockley, June 7, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
Endeca Gets a Needed Boost from Oracle Big Data Resources
May 29, 2012
InformationWeek’s Cindi Howson recently reported on a recent event that showcased some new products being put out by Oracle and it’s recent acquisition Endeca in the article “Oracle Makes Case For Exalytics, Data Discovery.”
According to the article, last month Oracle showcased recent and upcoming products at its annual analyst conference in San Francisco. Exalytics is one of these products. It is a combination appliance as well as an in memory solution.
Howson says a little about Exalytics:
“The Exalytics appliance can store both Essbase cubes and models from Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) in memory, boosting performance for both planning applications and existing BI apps. Oracle claims an 18X performance boost to existing BI and planning apps. An in-memory summary advisor recommends which data should be stored in-memory, based on usage statistics. I’m waiting to test drive the new release and appliance, but the in-memory summary advisor seems to be a differentiator, particularly if it is self optimizing.”
These new products are sure to be an exciting addition to Oracle’s suite of technology.
Jasmine Ashton, May 29, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
A New Angle on Personalization
November 21, 2011
Web site personalization is a broad category with a variety of facets. Should you personalize? How? CMS Wire tackles this issue in “CXM Practices: Beneficial Personalization.”
Pete Iuvara weighs in:
I have seen this firsthand, the tremendous amount of benefits to personalizing content for your website’s audience. I am a firm believer in embracing a customer-centric implementation. It adds time-saving and relevant-first value for your website’s visitors . . . The key here is being transparent. Your visitors should know that personalization has been implemented in the hopes to benefit their experience first and foremost.
We have found that a user’s web site experience is greatly improved by the implementation of effective search. No matter how attractive a web site, if the search function does not allow the user to quickly remedy a query, the web site is essentially worthless. But personalization options, especially for search, can be costly and clunky. One option that we like is Fabasoft Mindbreeze and their InSite solution.
An attractive website is a company’s digital business card; its shop window. Surprise your website visitors with an intuitive search. Fabasoft Mindbreeze InSite is instantly ready for use as a Cloud service. It 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.’
It’s hard to imagine an organization’s web site being any more essential to their overall image. It is often the first “stop” a potential customer makes when learning more about a company. Personalize your web space in a smart way, and take advantage of smart solutions like Fabasoft Mindbreeze to improve the overall user experience for your patrons.
Emily Rae Aldridge, November 21, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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