Reading the Cloud
February 10, 2011
At the recent New England Database Summit held at MIT, a popular topic was the cloud revolution, and pundits efforts to paint a bright color on its grayish lining.
One speaker in particular, UMass Senior Researcher Emmanuel Cecchet, introduced a “system focused on dynamic provisioning of database resources in the cloud.” Named for the now noteworthy sheep, Dolly is database platform-agnostic and uses virtualization-based replication for efficiently spawning database replicas. The research, a joint venture between Cecchet, a colleague and two graduate students, identifies flaws in the way current databases engage cloud services. The group claims their creation will correct those issues; for example, by improving efficiency in the name of metered pricing.
Another area of interest in the cloud conversation covered at the conference was the increasing strain cloud computation places on databases. James Starkey, whose solution is an SQL based relational database to share the workload among varied clouds, is a former MySQL designer and founder of NimbusDB. Some interesting choices for new terms are tossed out there, all of which can be found in the linked presentation.
While versions from both presenters have been prepared for release, no date has been set, leaving the industry and users alike to speculate on the success of these endeavors. We’ve got the hype, now we just need the technology to back it up. Amazon is taking Oracle to the cloud. Salesforce is moving with Database.com. There is progress. Let’s hope that database Dolly is more robust than cloned Dolly.
Stephen E Arnold, February 10, 2011
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Synthesys Platform Beta Available
February 7, 2011
Digital Reasoning alerted us last week that a new beta program for the Synthesys Platform is available. Digital Reasoning has emerged as one of “the leader in complex, large scale unstructured data analytics.” The Synthesys platform is one of the “leaders in complex, large scale unstructured data analytics.” We have interviewed the founder of Digital Reasoning in our Search Wizards Speak series. These interviews are available on ArnoldIT.com’s Search Wizards Speak series here and here. Digital Reasoning is one of the leaders in making next-generation analytics available via the cloud, on premises, and hybrid methods.
© Digital Reasoning, 2011
This platform version of Digital Reasoning’s software will provide beta users immediate API-level access to the firm’s analytics software and access to tools that will be added through the beta program.
Matthew Russell, vice president of engineering at Digital Reasoning said:
We are excited to introduce Synthesys Platform to the market. By allowing users to upload their data into the cloud for analysis, many more users will get the opportunity to experience next generation data analytics while exploring their own data.
Digital Reasoning Systems (www.digitalreasoning.com) solves the problem of information overload by providing the tools people need to understand relationships between entities in vast amounts of unstructured and structured data.
Digital Reasoning builds data analytic solutions based on a distinctive mathematical approach to understanding natural language. The value of Digital Reasoning is not only the ability to leverage an organization’s existing knowledge base, but also to reveal critical hidden information and relationships that may not have been apparent during manual or other automated analytic efforts. Synthesys is a registered trademark of Digital Reasoning Systems, Inc.
Digital Reasoning will be exhibiting at the upcoming Strata Conference on February 28 and March 1, 2011. For more information about Digital Reasoning, navigate to the company’s Web site at www.digitalreasoning.com.
Stephen E Arnold, February 7, 2011
Reading Clouds for the Future of Databases
February 5, 2011
At the recent New England Database Summit held at MIT, a popular topic was the always controversial Cloud and the industry attempts to color its lining.
One speaker in particular, UMass Senior Researcher Emmanuel Cecchet, introduced a “system focused on dynamic provisioning of database resources in the cloud.” Named for the now noteworthy sheep, Dolly is database platform-agnostic and uses virtualization-based replication for efficiently spawning database replicas. The research, a joint venture between Cecchet, a colleague and two graduate students, identifies flaws in the way current databases engage cloud services. The group claims their creation will correct those issues e.g. by improving efficiency in the name of metered pricing.
Another area of interest in the cloud conversation covered at the conference was the increasing strain cloud computation places on databases. James Starkey, whose solution is an SQL based relational database to share the workload among varied clouds, is a former MySQL designer and founder of NimbusDB. Some interesting choices for new terms are tossed out there, all of which can be found in the linked presentation.
While versions from both presenters have been prepared for release, no date has been set, leaving the industry and users alike to speculate on the success of these endeavors. We’ve got the hype, now we just need the technology to back it up. We also want to see more information about search and retrieval. New cloud, old problems—only modest advancement.
Sarah Rogers, February 5, 2011
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Amazon and Its Cloudy Metrics
February 4, 2011
As computing based on shared resources (with the goal of channeling high performance calculation capabilities into consumer based applications) continues to gain popularity, curiosity over long range profitability and short term pest control grows increasingly more aggressive. Since 2002 with its development of cloud based services including storage, Amazon has remained an important player.
Amazon Web Services have released figures to Data Center Knowledge showing the number of “objects” their S3 service holds more than doubled over the last year—262 billion. The same entry goes on to state the request rate has exceeded two hundred thousand per second. Comparable growth has been observed concerning the launching of virtual servers through the Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2).
As recently as 2009 it seemed Amazon had little interest in cultivating a partner program, content to provide the infrastructure and allow others to develop applications. However as the cloud universe expands and Amazon remains at its center, the relationships which were inevitable given the physics of the new cosmos seem to be forged with a whimper rather than a bang. While details are far from obscured, at times it seems one has a better chance of catching sight of a passing comet.
Our view is that it would be more meaningful to report revenues and profit/loss. I can take a single email and decompose it into lots of objects. Without a definition of substance, what’s an object? What’s 262 billion mean.
We would like to see more emphasis placed on search; for example, easy filtering of results for certain tags such as “best selling” or “available”. Just our narrow Harrod’s Creek view sparked by the Amazon Oracle offer. How will one count Oracle metrics: data size, queries per second, index size, fairy dust, or money? We vote for money, not obfuscation.
Sarah Rogers, February 4, 2011
Autonomy: Big Cloud Announcement
February 1, 2011
Check out “Autonomy Unveils Cloud-Based Information Management Platform for Legal Market” at PR Newswire. This offering marks an important advance in the world of cloud-based information. The article explains:
“Autonomy’s cloud-based Information Management platform leverages Autonomy’s private cloud, the world’s largest private cloud with more than 17 petabytes of data. . . . The platform allows inside counsel and outside counsel, as well as service providers to collaborate on a single set of data in the cloud, eliminating the need to proliferate multiple copies of content and information handoffs across disparate networks. This unique legal chaining capability enables rapid deployment, enhanced collaboration, on-demand scalability, tighter security, and lower total cost of ownership for all parties involved.”
See the article for specifics on the platform’s modules: Work Site, Records Manager, Universal Search, Process Automation, and Conflicts Manager.
Visit here to find out more about Autonomy. The scale and integration of this SaaS product is a huge. Not only should it become a vital tool for the legal field, but it might presage similar offerings for other industries. We expect other announcements from the legal technology square dance this week in Manhattan, roost of the legal eagles.
Cynthia Murrell February 1, 2011
Question the Cloud, Question the Experts
January 31, 2011
InfoWorld’s Bill Snyder’s “Beware the Fool’s Gold in the Heated Mobile and Cloud Predictions.” is an in depth analysis of Gartner’s rosy predictions. Finally, a real news publications questions azure chip consultants’ estimates. Let’s hope the critical thinking continues. If you are not familiar with the lingo of Beyond Search, “azure chip” is shorthand for low- or mid-tier consultants, consulting firms that hire retired “experts”, and unemployed journalists, English majors, and Web masters. Each of these groups position themselves as experts, and the knowledge-challenged farm yard animals gobble up the corn and kitchen scraps. Beyond Search has lots of English major and other no-good varmints as well, but, hey, we have to have some fun, don’t we?
Cloud computing and mobile apps are hot topics right now, as Gartner’s research has found. In fact, as portable tools, they go well together.
Though respectful of Gartner, Snyder warns against sinking too much time and money into transitioning to the cloud just yet, especially since analysts have observed inhibited server virtualization.
With regard to mobile applications, there is no doubt that downloads are up and will continue to rise. However, since most are free and the rest are about a dollar, revenue will only be so juicy.
Snyder summarizes the issues:
“I don’t question the trend, but I do question the rate of change. As I’ve said before, the PC era isn’t over — yet — and neither is the day of the enterprise app. We’re certainly moving away from the old paradigms and business models. You’d be blind not to see that. But it’s all too easy to see theoretical money pouring from the skies. . . . Stay skeptical — and beware fool’s gold.”
This article is full of stats to back up Snyder’s opinion. Be sure to check it out.
Cynthia Murrell January 31, 2011
Big Data Action from Cloudant
January 26, 2011
Do you have problems searching big data stored in CouchDB? Cloudant has discovered the solution to your problem by taking CloudDB’s full text indexing and applying them to search. CMS Newswire provides the details in, “Cloudant Has Found the Answer to Searching Big Data.” Three MIT particle physicists created Cloudant when their old tools to weren’t enough to manage their research.
“Cloudant’s product is the only one that integrates search directly into CloudDB to provide real-time access to data. Many of their customers were storing content in two places CouchDB and in Solr; Cloudant saw an opportunity to provide an easier, low cost solution.”
The new program combines the open-source search platform, Lucene, with CloudDB to make customized, easy searching. Cloudant is available free for hosting customers with an upgrade due in February 2011.
Whitney Grace, January 26, 2011
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Clearwell to the Cloud, Microsoft Style?
January 17, 2011
The EWeek Storage Station blog warns us that “Clearwell Now Enabling E-Discovery in Microsoft Cloud.” Cloud storage is one of the latest trends going around, but if you have sensitive information stored on it (like where you hid Jimmy Hoffa’s body or the fable Amber Room stolen by German soldiers) you should take it off.
“Clearwell Systems, which specializes in finding necessary data for litigation and audit purposes, announced this week that the latest version of its e-discovery platform now allows customers to discover information in emails and SharePoint docs from Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite.”
Companies like Clearwell are using software to track and collect cloud data through ediscovery processes that can be easily gathered for legal purposes. Cloud computing is a growing marketplace, so there are millions of potential files that contain information to help in investigations. Clearwell is one of the first companies in this new market, so congratulations are in order for them.
Whitney Grace, January 17, 2011
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Poobah Tilts at Azure Windmill
January 11, 2011
Before reading my comments, point your browser thingy at “Gartner Gets It Wrong With Cloud Quadrant.” Read it. Note this set up paragraph, worded to avoid litigation but worded to make the azure chip outfit “pundits” steam:
The Gartner Magic Quadrant isn’t an entirely accurate, or even objective, measure of who’s who in any given IT field. If you haven’t heard, the analyst firm’s ranking system has been called out as being everything from merely subjective (as opposed, I guess, to being only partially subjective like every other list of industry leaders) to rewarding vendors that have paid Gartner the most money for its services. I can’t comment on these allegations, nor do I care to. What I can say is that with its latest Magic Quadrant for Cloud Infrastructure as a Service and Web Hosting, Gartner just flat got it wrong.
So what’s the subject?
Cloud computing, one of the many, many next big things in computing. Never mind that timesharing and online services have become part of the furniture for living. Cloud computing is a big deal. Gartner sees the cloud revolution one way and the author of the “Gets It Wrong” write up another. I am not sure either is correct. The one true way is a tough path to discern.
Where did Gartner allegedly slip off the gravel path and tumble in the muck? Here’s the passage I noted:
Initially, it seems inconceivable that anybody could rank IaaS providers and not list Amazon Web Services among the leaders.
Yeah, mon. Gartner excludes outfits who don’t match their criteria. Don’t like it. Well, there are some options, which I will leave to your imagination.
What outfits are leaders in cloud ystuff? My view is just check out the vendors in lists like this one. You can get some color on this Y Combinator list here.
🙂
What happens when poobahs fight? Clarity gets trampled. Loss of clarity, just another way to say marketing.
Stephen E Arnold, January 11, 2011
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Amazon and Its Fast Moving Cloud
January 3, 2011
Several years ago, I noted that Google’s technical papers described features and functions that were evident in Amazon’s actual services. At that moment, I realized the Google had lost its chance for a cloud utility play. Now the GOOG may come roaring back, but with the legal friction increasing, Amazon has some clean air through which to float its big, fast cumulus cloud. Sure, Rackspace is a competitor to Amazon, and every vendor is yammering about the cloud. But right now, the Amazon has a big PR push underway. Now, to be fair, the Amazon cloud generated a nasty storm with its hardware crash the other day. Not good.
That’s why the PR guns are firing. You can see two examples of “good news”. Navigate first to the “I love Amazon” sky writing from Netflix. “Why We Use and Contribute to Open Source Software” and “Netflix Touts Open Source, Ignores Linux.” Netflix, of course, is flying in the Amazon clouds. The other PR example is a bit of a downer for library types who expect books to be available. Point your browser thing at “Amazon Erases Certain Books on Kindle Due to Content.”
But despite the good and bad PR, Amazon managed to pull of an interesting and useful technical coup. “Announcing VM Import for Amazon EC2” said:
VM Import enables you to easily import virtual machine images from your existing environment to Amazon EC2 instances.
Useful for many applications. Crash recovery. I think so.
Net net: The others in the cloud race need to kick into a different gear. Google? A question, “Can you get that airplane aloft?” Storm clouds rushing in.
Stephen E Arnold, January 3, 2011
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