Rich Usable Search Solutions Beat the Wisdom of the Crowd by Integrating it
November 19, 2012
The CMS Wire’s article “Should I Auto-tag or Crowdsource my Metadata?” reminds us that humanity could quite easily be replaced by machines… in a good sci-fi movie. Those that stick to a more realistic view know that though we depend on machines for assistance, humans are still on top of the food chain. However, the enterprise eats a little differently.
Cooperation between man and machine goes a long way in establishing enterprise operational efficiency but conflicts can arise when trying to find efficient software to ease the data transition:
“It does not take a genius to figure out who won based on “who” can process a text prompt faster with a high rate of accuracy, provided human engineers are close behind to tailor parameters for improved accuracy. There is no guarantee that any institutional knowledge or necessarily any subject matter expertise will “automagically” show up in your results for tags. Let us return to reality, clear out any smoke screen of unrealistic expectations and remember what is the source of these tags and what does the source know.”
The human perspective is an important part of the process; however the wisdom of the crowds is rarely an effective tool for the enterprise. A system such as Intrafind that provides tagging seamlessly into business processes makes for a richer, more usable search solution. Reliable software solutions like this will surpass the wisdom of the crowd by integrating machine processes into a human defined structure.
Jennifer Shockley, November 19, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Cloud Services Keep Operational Efficiency Firmly Grounded
November 16, 2012
There is a new theory of evolution in the enterprise or possibly just in enterprise software itself. Either way something informative this way comes. An expert panel in Enterprise Architect’s article “The Evolution of PaaS in the Enterprise” discusses some changes that may have enterprise users floating on cloud nine in the near future.
The overall impression was that PaaS could be a huge enabler for Cloud Computing:
“Enterprises are starting to take interest in running PaaS solutions virtually, as app developers want to focus on building apps rather than dealing with infrastructure issues. Enterprises that use PaaS solutions almost always go down the private route. In this session we focus on private PaaS offerings and look at the considerations and what will happen if one day enterprises want to use PaaS solutions in the public cloud. PaaS should cover the complete application lifecycle and help to transfer old way of working seamlessly to cloud.”
This shift to private PaaS may just be the enterprise’s first step toward services designed to increase productivity through the cloud. Businesses want solutions that can evolve swiftly and efficiently and the cloud is a good way to build in those abilities. Another key success factor for businesses is the ability to harness the power of relevant data. Intrafind offers cloud services that seamlessly integrate into existing business processes by utilizing flexible search and text mining from within the cloud itself. Established methods such as these keep operational efficiency firmly grounded while potential for ROI can aim for the skies.
Jennifer Shockley, November 16, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Enterprise Architect Roles Shifting in Big Data Developments
November 15, 2012
IBM PureSystems is developing new systems to deal with Big Data challenges and emphasizes high-performance data services for local and/or cloud storage. The systems facilitate more rapid implementation and full integration, according to the article “IBM PureSystems Takes on Big Data” on ComputerWorld, and are challenging the traditional role of enterprise architects.
The article informs us about the changes:
“The traditional job of an enterprise architect is ‘to produce a huge document saying ‘this is how we do it’ – a document that everyone ignores, because it takes more effort to read and follow it than it does to ignore it,’ says IBM ‘distinguished engineer’ Jason McGee.
‘With PureSystems kind of technology, you can turn the document into actionable patterns that live in the system. That shifts the inertia and makes it easier to do things the right way. Enterprise architects will think ‘at last I can influence the way things develop’.’”
IBM Pure’s attack on Big Data is obviously shifting the enterprise architect’s job to a new phase of expertise. Working with selected certified integrators such as Intrafind can make that shift an easier transition that manages data effectively with rich tagging and secure search.
Andrea Hayden, November 15, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Retail Giants Make Transition to Big Data Analytics
November 14, 2012
I came across an interesting article on InformationWeek titled “Why Sears Is Going All-In On Hadoop,” which tells about how some “old-school” companies are making the transition to big data services to access their customer bases. Sears’ admits personalization and customer loyalty were big draws to implementing big data analytics. To go beyond just the surface of available data, the retail giant turned to Hadoop.
The article tells us about the company’s choice of platforms and the benefits of the transition:
“Enter Hadoop, an open source data processing platform gaining adoption on the strength of two promises: ultra-high scalability and low cost compared with conventional relational databases. Hadoop systems at 200 terabytes cost about one-third of 200-TB relational platforms, and the differential grows as scale increases into the petabytes, according to Sears. With Hadoop’s massively parallel processing power, Sears sees little more than one minute’s difference between processing 100 million records and 2 billion records.”
This emerging drive toward IT services shows the basic needs of the enterprise and the reliance upon open source technology as businesses shift to big data services. The article admits there are issues with Hadoop: it is an immature platform and there is a lack of talent and experts in the program. Open source is a viable option for building solutions and experts are needed; enterprise search solution Intrafind does this well.
Andrea Hayden, November 14, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
High Quality Research Surrounding Enterprise Search
November 13, 2012
Enterprise search requires companies to tap into their internal knowledge, and it has to be done in a way that makes the process quick and accessible for users. Some high-quality research is being done surrounding the capabilities and necessary features of search applications.
Research article “Designing for Enterprise Search in a Global Organization,” authored by the growing search consultancy Findwise, focuses on design concepts surrounding the company’s attempt at a search application. The company’s goal was to create a search application that provides quick access to all internal information, help users find and discover information, and create possibilities for collaboration.
The second attempt at an application focused on simplicity and design:
“The result was an application that seemed very simple at first glance, but still included all the different functionality needed in order to fulfill the information needs of the organization’s different user groups. The new design was evaluated through usage test and though it included the same functionality as the old search application the results were completely different. Users found it not only easier to use but also easy to discover new information.”
Intrafind was based upon open source technology that was developed in a similar fashion. The advantage, of course, lies in age and wisdom after years of business with well-qualified leadership such as that provided by the Director of Research at Intrafind, Christoph Goller. Goller’s experience in artificial intelligence research, as well as machine learning and neural networks, carry over into his work in scalable information retrieval and search-based applications at Intrafind.
Andrea Hayden, November 13, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Intrafind Offers Tagging Service Among Other Enterprise Tools
November 12, 2012
We have been increasingly aware of software publisher Intrafind, and decided to take a self-directed tour of the company’s Web site to see what features and tools were offered. We were immediately impressed with the sleek look and easy-to-navigate menus, steering us from products, solutions, case studies, and consulting links.
Our team noted the clear explanations of Intrafind’s products to be particularly useful. The company’s Tagging Service, for example, detailed the types of tagging that are provided as well as how the system could be incorporated into a business’s existing infrastructure. Here’s the description from the product page:
“The IntraFind Tagging Service includes an automated generation of metadata / tags based on the processed content. The generated tags can be either inserted into a leading system or can be incorporated into a workflow of any customer-specific use case. The Tagging Service can be provided as an on-premise or cloud solution.
The service consists of different standardized tagging-types that can also be configured if needed: uncontrolled tagging, controlled tagging, the extraction of named entities and the generation of topic metadata.”
The enterprise data specialist company is located in Germany and has been operating since 2000. The team consists of 25 experts specializing in file systems, databases, document and content management, and Internet content. Intrafind provides everything from introductory analysis to maintenance and support. For more information, steer your browser to the company’s homepage.
Andrea Hayden, November 12, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Metadata on Unstructured Data Increases Findability
November 9, 2012
Big data has held the media spotlight long enough to surpass any initial thought that it was a passing trend. Now the headlines trumpet how to benefit from the massive amounts of unstructured data flooding the internet and how to process it.
Computer Weekly’s article“How to Manage Unstructured Data for Business Benefit” explains how the next data evolution will be harnessing the benefits of both unstructured and structured data:
“There is as much value in unstructured data in terms of what customers are thinking on the web and what businesses can derive from other organizations’ data. It requires an understanding of the type of information the business is looking for and the kinds of insights business managers are hoping to draw from the data. The more considered the query, and the more focused the search, the better the results. This rule applies to both structured and unstructured data.”
Applying metadata to unstructured data opens up a profound new way to increase the findability of enterprise content, but the right solution is mandatory for success. Businesses looking for secure search and enterprise accessibility will find Intrafind provides customized solutions that combine to organize, tag and ultimately reveal relevant information to users of their enterprise search solutions. Powerful tools like this provide flexible options for data processing that put the power to increase efficiency and ROI back in the hands of the user.
Jennifer Shockley, November 9, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
LucidWorks Success was Obvious Early
November 9, 2012
An early (2009) discussion on The Noisy Channel entitled, “Lucid Imagination” gives some insight into the LucidWorks (formerly Lucid Imagination) business model.
The author, Daniel Tunkelang, begins:
“Can Lucid Imagination really succeed as the Red Hat of enterprise search, making money by supporting open-source Lucene and Solr? Perhaps. Lucene is certainly popular among folks looking for a free search engine. Moreover, for people who want to tinker with it, its being open source is a big plus . . . Will Lucid Imagination revolutionize the enterprise search market by providing low-cost services on top of free software?”
So LucidWorks and others like it count on users who want the innovation and cost-efficiency of open source, but need some help with the customization. So far it is a working business model. Furthermore, other open source search experts agree.
Otis Gospodnetic of Sematext left the following comment on the post:
“There is room for both the ES [enterprise search] vendors and companies like Lucid or Sematext. Which road a client chooses to take depends on a number of factors, such as initial price (obvious), TOC, feature set, speed of engagement and delivery of solution, presence of in-house search expertize, so on. ES vendors clearly have more features, more user-friendly UIs, etc., but I think it’s a matter of time when Lucene & friends catch up or at least significantly close the gap.”
From the perspective of the modern day, the business model is working. Users are satisfied by the service and support offered by LucidWorks and the innovation and stability provided by the base of Lucene and Solr.
Emily Rae Aldridge, November 09, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Big Data Analytics Boosted by IBM PureSystems
November 8, 2012
Big Data analytics is receiving a much-needed overhaul with a series of platforms from IBM. IBM released a new expert integrated system last month, called PureSystems, which allows users to connect to the system and receive specific pieces of computing power to monitor business operations. The article “IBM Launches New PureSystems for Transactions and Big Data Analytics” on Forbes shares the details of the new platform.
We learn:
“PureData System for Analytics builds on the Netezza acquisition to deliver results in seconds or minutes rather than hours. Francisco said it has the largest library of database analytical functions in the data warehouse market, said Francisco, and can scale across the terabyte or petabytes running on the system. It can support extremely high volume high speed analytics for clients like mobile phone carriers who want to identify potential churn and provide offers to retain customers.”
The article also states that one client has reported the ability to build and deliver more applications in the last three months than in the last three years using the targeted, high-volume, high-speed analytics.
However, we believe that attacking analytics in Big Data is only one piece of the enterprise data management solution. Using integrators such as Intrafind adds another layer of robust and reliable solutions so that enterprises find the data they need to analyze.
Andrea Hayden, November 08, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
PolySpot Adds In Connector to Social Technology Giant Blue Kiwi
November 7, 2012
Productivity is the name of the game for enterprise infrastructure software vendor PolySpot. Now, they
have added in another connector to their list spanning over 100. The article “The Blue Kiwi Connector for
PolySpot is Ready!” tells us more about this forward-thinking move.
Since BlueKiwi is Europe’s largest cloud based enterprise social software solution, it was a no-brainer for
PolySpot to develop a connector and add it to their library.
The author states in his post on the subject:
“But beyond collaboration and co-creation, what good is creating, or co-creating information if the fruit of
the collective intelligence of employees can not be quickly found? Thus, to offer the use of our converging
technologies, the R&D department at PolySpot has developed a BlueKiwi connector for PolySpot. With
BlueKiwi and PolySpot, employees would enjoy a productive environment, strengthening collaborative and
social innovation, expertise finding and sharing.”
What is productivity without social? This is the question users do not have to learn the hard way that social
technologies do in fact fuel productivity. Thanks to PolySpot’s Information At Work, the social power of
BlueKiwi is now a part of the picture.
Megan Feil, November 7, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
