Microsoft AI Faves
February 9, 2016
I noted a blog post called “From Discovery to Selection: Announcing the Seattle Accelerator’s Third Batch.” The post lists companies which Microsoft wants to nurture. Here’s the list:
- Affinio: Audience insights
- Agolo: Summarization of text
- Clarify: Rich media search
- Defined Crowd: Natural language processing
- Knomos: Palantir style analysis
- Medwhat: Doctor made of soft software
- OneBridge: Middleware for Microsoft cloud
- Percolata: Retail staff monitoring
- Plexuss: Palantir style analysis
- Sim Machines: Similarity search and pattern recognition
Net net: Microsoft continues to hunt for solutions in search and analytics. There is a touch of “me too” in the niche plays too. Persistence is a virtue.
Stephen E Arnold, February 9, 2016
Squiz and Verint Team up to Save the Government from Itself
February 9, 2016
The article titled Verint and Squiz Announce Partnership to Further Enable Digital Transformation for Government on BusinessWire conveys the global ambitions of the two companies. The article positions Verint, an intel-centric company, and Squiz, an Australian content management company, as the last hope for the world’s governments (on the local, regional, and national level.) While things may not be so dire as all that, the merger is aimed at improving governmental organization, digital management, and customer engagement. The article explains,
“Today, national, regional and local governments across the world are implementing digital transformation strategies, reflecting the need to proactively help deliver citizen services and develop smarter cities. A key focus of such strategies is to help make government services accessible and provide support to their citizens and businesses when needed. This shift to digital is more responsive to citizen and community needs, typically reducing phone or contact center call volumes, and helps government organizations identify monetary savings.”
It will come as no surprise to learn that government bureaucracy is causing obstacles when it comes to updating IT processes. Together, Squiz and Verint hope to aid officials in implementing streamlined, modernized procedures and IT systems while focusing on customer-facing features and ensuring intuitive, user-friendly interfaces. Verint in particular emphasizes superior engagement practices through its Verint Engagement Management service.
Chelsea Kerwin, February 9, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
US and Europe Split After Much Attensity
February 9, 2016
Most companies that are split across oceans usually have a parent company they remain attached to, however, PR Newswire shares that “IMCap Partners Acquire Attensity Europe.” Attensity Group Inc. is a leading provider in customer interaction management and its sub-company Attensity Europe headed its solutions across the pond. Recently, IMCap Partners invested money in a deal for Attensity Europe to split apart from the parent and become an independent company. Thomas Dreikauss will remain the CEO and also become a new shareholder in the new company. None of the details related to the purchase price and other details remain private.
Attensity Europe plans to focus on developing its omni-channel customer service and its market-leading product Respond, multilingual and omni-channel response management software. Respond increases productivity processing customer written requests and ensures better transparency over the service level.
“ ‘The market for CRM solutions is growing by just under 14% a year on average, according to Gartner, and therefore at a much more rapid rate than the overall software market. With Respond Attensity Europe is focusing on the highly attractive and rapid-growth customer interaction management/customer care segment, providing a solution that also fully meets the requirements of very large customer service units. The solution’s analytics, scalability and integration capacity are setting standards in the industry. Respond is a highly flexible, future-proof platform for customer service covering all written communication channels, including social media,” indicated Rolf Menne, operating partner at IMCap. “In cooperation with the highly motivated team at Attensity Europe, we see extremely attractive growth potential.’”
Attensity Europe will be rebranded and already has plans to take off in the coming year.
Whitney Grace, February 9, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Google DeepMind: Headhunters Rejoice
February 8, 2016
Google is not keen on publishing lists of employees. Sure, one can dig through public documents like patent applications, blog posts, and journal articles. But wouldn’t it be wonderful for Google to make available a list of key people for a hot discipline like artificial intelligence? Sort of an artificial headhunters’ list?
You can find a partial list of DeepMind Googlers in “The 14 Most Impressive AI Scientists Working at Google DeepMind.” I assume that folks looking for smart software wizards will be checking out LinkedIn, white pages, and conferences to have a chat.
Stephen E Arnold, February 8, 2016
Jargon Watch: De-Risking
February 8, 2016
“De-Risking Technology Projects” presents some interesting factoids; for example: “Fewer than one in three software projects present successful outcomes.”
The factoid comes from a mid tier consulting firm’s “Chaos” report. The diligent folks who did the research analyzed 50,000 projects.
But the hook which snagged me was the use of the term “de-risking.” The idea is that one takes an assignment at work, works on it, and keeps one’s job even if the project goes down in flames.
How can this state of regular paycheck nirvana be achieved? The write up offers some advice which is obvious and probably has been embraced by those who crank out a collapsing bridge or a search and content processing system which cannot locate information or keep pace with inflows of content.
Here are the tips in case you napped during one of your business school lectures:
- Balance scope and time available
- Figure out how and what to deliver
- Design and implement the solution
- Prioritize simplicity and performance.
Now how does one get from high rates of failure to success?
Let’s consider implementing a search, content processing, and discovery solutions. Most of the information access systems with which I have examined deliver disappointment. Years ago I reported on the satisfaction users of enterprise search systems reported. The rate of dissatisfaction fell somewhere between 55 and 75 percent of users.
This means that if one third of enterprise software projects like search and content processing fail, the two thirds which survive crank out astounding users who are not happy with the deployed system.
The question “How does one make an enterprise search and content processing?” a success calls into question the products, interfaces, and functionality of many vendors’ work.
My view is that users cope. The belief that information access technology is making corporate work a joy is widely held. Like some other beliefs, reality may not match up.
Wonder why vendors are embracing open source technology? It is part of the de-risking approach. Let others figure out how to fix this stuff.
Does de-risking deliver excellence? In my experience, nope. Jargon is a means of closing a deal. Making something work for its users is a different challenge.
Stephen E Arnold, February 8, 2016
Google Search Appliance: Like Glass It Broke
February 8, 2016
I read “So Long Google Search Appliance.” Farewell, happy yellow and blue boxes. So long integrators who have been supporting these wildebeests for a decade. Au revoir easy-as-pie search.
According to the write up:
The tech giant told its reseller and consulting partners the news via email on Thursday, noting that they can continue to sell one-year license renewals for existing hardware customers through 2017, but that they will be unable to sell new hardware. Renewals will end in 2018.
I recall writing about the Google Search Appliance when I was reporting about enterprise search for specialist publications. I was the first or one of the first to run down the pricing for the wonky boxes. I pointed out that a redundant multi million document system would ring the Google cash register in the high six figures with seven figures not out of sight. I thought I mentioned that the number of engineeers supporting the GSA had dwindled to a couple of folks. I thought I pointed out that the assumption a Web search system would work like a champ on corporate content was a wild and crazy notion.l
Like so many others who assumed enterprise search was not a tough problem, the Alphabet Google thing has bailed. Google essentially failed to revolutionize enterprise search. Cheaper and more usable appliances are available, including products from Maxxcat and Thunderstone. There are reasonable cloud solutions. And there is a cornucopia of outfits offering repackaged open source systems. Heck, if one pokes around long enough, a bold enterprise can license a system from companies with proprietary information access systems; 3RDi, Fabasoft, Lexmark, etc.
What will organizations do without the Google Search Appliance? Yard sale, Goodwill?
Stephen E Arnold, February 8, 2016
Hackers Revive Dark Web Forum Called Hell
February 8, 2016
After personal details of over four million Adult Friend Finder users was found on the Dark Web site called Hell, this notorious internet hacking forum was shut down by authorities around July 2015. Reported by Instant Tricks, an article Hell is back with Hell Reloaded on the Dark Web explains Hell is currently accessible again on the Dark Web. The article states,
“The exact date of the website’s returning on-line is troublesome to determine, for the posts don’t have a date next to them for security functions. However, judgement by the quantity of posts, it’s honest to mention that the web site came back simply over every week past. Hell is a web portal on the Dark internet that’s employed by hackers everywhere the globe to share their hacking tricks moreover as transfer and post taken knowledge.”
Hell is one of the world’s largest hacking forums on the Dark Web and, as such, is difficult to imagine the site will ever kick the bucket. Interestingly, in its re-emergence, it has been rendered with the same branding as if nothing had changed. “Stephen E Arnold’s Dark Web Notebook” describes this Dark Web resource. We recommend this read for security, law enforcement and information technology officials as these industries’ landscapes evolve due to the enduring presence of sites like Hell on the Dark Web.
Megan Feil, February 08, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
How Often Do You Use Vocal Search
February 8, 2016
Vocal search is an idea from the future: you give a computer a query and it returns relevant information. However, vocal search has become an actual “thing” with mobile assistants like Siri, Cortana, and build in NLP engines on newer technology. I enjoy using vocal search because it saves me from having to type my query on a tiny keyboard, but when I’m in a public place I don’t use it for privacy reasons. Search Engine Watch asks the question, “What Do You Need To Know About Voice Search?” and provides answers for me more questions about vocal search.
Northstar Research conducted a study that discovered 55% percent of US teens used vocal search, while only 41% of US adults do. An even funnier fact is that 56% of US adults only use the search function, because it makes them feel tech-savvy.
Vocal Search is extremely popular in Asia due to the different alphabets. Asian languages are harder to type on a smaller keyboard. It is also a pain on Roman alphabet keyboards!
Tech companies are currently working on new innovations with vocal search. The article highlights how Google is trying to understand the semantic context behind queries for intent and accuracy.
“Superlatives, ordered items, points in time and complex combinations can now be understood to serve you more relevant answers to your questions…These ‘direct answers’ provided by Google will theoretically better match the more natural way that people ask questions in speech rather then when typing something into a search bar, where keywords can still dominate our search behaviour.”
It translates to a quicker way to access information and answer common questions without having to type on a keyboard. Now it would be a lot easier if you did not have to press a button to activate the vocal search.
Whitney Grace, February 8, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Semantic Mitosis: Attensity Splits Apart
February 7, 2016
Attensity is now two outfits. According to “Attensity Europe Breaks from US Parent Company.” The write up does not address the loss of synergy between the US and European sides of the semantic coin.
I learned:
The parties involved have agreed to not disclose any information on the purchase price or further terms of the transaction.
Not too helpful.
The news release points out that the European version of Attensity which is named Attensity Europe GmbH will focus on the customer support line of business; specifically:
the [Attensity Europe] company will focus on the growth segment of omni-channel customer service. Attensity Europe’s core product is the market-leading solution “Respond”, a multilingual and omni-channel response management software, which was designed by the German team of developers in Saarbrücken and has been systematically developed into the market-leading enterprise solution for omni-channel customer service over recent years.I assume that the US Attensity does not have a market leading product; otherwise, why not mention it? Omni-channel gets quite a bit of play. But I am not sure what “omni channel means.”
As an aside, Saarbrücken divorced itself from Germany: Once in 1925 and again in 1947. Might the water in the Saar be a factor in the split ups?
Many questions percolate through my discount coffee pot brain, but these are the questions I routinely ask when reverse mergers, no investment acquisitions, and de-synergies are at work.
My hunch is that US Attensity may have been perceived as slowing down the speeding bullet of Attensity Europe. Worth monitoring the situation.
Stephen E Arnold, February 7, 2016
Googlies: Post Financial Factoids
February 7, 2016
I read a number of articles about Google’s stunning financial results. I took out my trusty 5×8 note cards and jotted down the items which I found interesting.
Here are the Googlies for February 2016:
- The Google science club projects cost $3.6 billion in losses. (Source: “Big Bets Cost Alphabet…”) Does this mean that Google has no other revenue streams except online advertising which was inspired by GoTo, Overture, and Yahoo?
- Google wants to control Android and be more like Apple, the second most valuable company in Bubble Land. (Source: “Google Wants to Take Apple Like Control over Nexus Devices) Perhaps Eric Schmidt should rejoin the Apple Board of Directors.
- Gmail has a handful of users, about one billion. Okay, that’s a start. (Source: “Gmail Now Has More than 1 Billion Monthly Active Users…”)
- YouTube aficionados consume more video than the Zuckeroids. (Source: Google’s CEO Reminded Investors…” Question: Has Facebook turned on the spigot for video or is Facebook’s video sort of a limited test?
- The Alphabet Google thing has more than 61,000 employees. (Source: “Google’s Parent Company Now Has…”)
I assume that online advertising is not subject to saturation. Does this mean that Google’s revenue is infinite? Sure it is, but it might be a comfort to some stakeholders if, after 15 years, Google had additional revenue streams. Look at Amazon. It is going to do the brick and mortar bookstore thing to raise dough.
Monocultures are fascinating.
Stephen E Arnold, February 7, 2016
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