Search and the Poetic Giant Stinking Mess
November 21, 2012
I did not craft that elegant phrase “giant stinking mess.” I am not Shakespeare of software. Turn to “It’s Not Just HP And Autonomy, The Enterprise Software Space Is A Giant Stinking Mess.” The article is a good example of a meta-play. One takes a newsy item like Hewlett Packard’s realization that it may have overpaid for Autonomy, watched the founders exit, and then figured out that enterprise search is not quite what it seems. The idea is that enterprise software is going “social” and that the data science behind workflow is the future. The article told me:
Berkholz’s [an expert at RedMonk] post reflects how not all is rotten in the enterprise world. EMC is taking steps to adapt to the new collaborative market. It’s also evident at SAP, VMware and even in some quarters at HP. But the cult of sales still looms over these big companies. Breaking down that culture means creating a new dynamic that embraces modern social and collaborative practices.
Okay, I agree that looking at a particular issue from a different elevation is useful. Let’s assume that social and a collaborative market is the future.
I just wrapped up 13 or 14 reports for IDC. I focused on open source enterprise search. What I learned was that it is getting tough to figure out where an open source search company and an proprietary search company differ. The most successful of the open source vendors look quite a bit like traditional software vendors. One open source vendor in my report—IBM—is a proprietary outfit which uses open source search technology. More interesting is that IBM keeps its arms around its traditional business model. The “new” IBM is not much different from the “old” IBM. Open source software allows IBM to shave off some costs and deploy expensive engineers in what seems to be higher value work.
The question is, “Why do open source search vendors drift toward the traditional business models?” My opinion is that these business models produce revenue and yield margins when they work. What are the elements of a traditional software business model for the enterprise? Those which come to mind include:
- License fees for something—software, upgrades, support
- Variable fees for some other things—engineering services, specialized code widgets, access to previews at a slick looking lab
- Box office tickets for training, webinars, etc.
- Premier services so that the best engineers respond right away to a problem
- A surcharge for working with a pre-eminent firm
- Options like cloud services, appliances, remote optimization
A software company has to produce revenue and my hunch is that this line up of options for a business model exist because customers want these services. When a software company has to generate revenue, the traditional business model is something that investors and stakeholders understand.
One can pop up a level and invoke social, collaboration, and even open sourciness. At the half time news break, the talk turns to booking revenue. Deals will be crafted which meet the resources the client has available. Are these deals convoluted and opaque? Do accountants write haikus? Not too often. Enterprise software, even when delivered from something as wonderful as the Amazon cloud, can become hideously complex and fraught with Byzantine pricing.
I like popping up a level. Revenue generation has a way of bringing some of these viewpoints down to the ground zero.
Stephen E Arnold, November 21, 2012
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Intrafind Focuses on Managing and Classifying Data Automatically
November 21, 2012
We continue our in-depth look into software publisher Intrafind this week with another focus on the many features we have found available from the company. In addition to the proven iFinder Enterprise Search product as well as the particularly useful Tagging Service, we noted other highlights on a recent navigation of the company’s Web site.
Of specific interest was TopicFinder, an automated text classification system for topic recognition and document analysis. This product allows users to automatically gather and use information which goes beyond the typical word-based content search of documents. The main purpose of the tool is to filter and manage information. The Web site explains:
“Using the TopicFinder, for example, incoming mail from customers can be automatically forwarded to the most appropriate person responsible, or depending on their content news from news tickers can be forwarded to the editorial staff responsible for sports, politics or economic affairs.
The TopicFinder can be either specially trained regarding the information needs of the customer or it can be used with a pretrained general hierarchy of topics. The tool works fully automatically. There is no need for manual tagging. The quality of the classification is very high as the TopicFinder is based on recent linguistic and mathematical / information-theoretical methods.”
We believe this automatic tool is groundbreaking in the attempt to manage and navigate Big Data, because not all data consists simply of words. We are impressed with Intrafind’s attempt to step into this territory. The enterprise data company is located in Germany and has been making such bold moves since beginning operation in 2000. The team consists of 25 specialists who provide analysis and support. For more information, please turn to the company’s homepage.
Andrea Hayden, November 21, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Renaissance in the Enterprise Calls for Proven Features
November 20, 2012
A general partner at venture capitalist firm Andreessen Horowitz stated the obvious at a recent conference: there are a lot of changes going on in the enterprise. Enough changes, says Andreessen Horowitz partner Peter Levine, that it could be considered a renaissance and an entirely new generation of creativity in the enterprise. According to the article “Andreessen Horowitz General Partner Peter Levine: There’s an Enterprise Renaissance Going On” on TechCrunch, Levine is comparing the enterprise renaissance to that that occurred in the city states of Italy.
The article states:
“[…]Levine said, there is lots of proof that the renaissance is underway — well illustrated in the shift from the personal computer to mobile. The infrastructure has to change in this shift; the applications will have to be built natively to the mobile device. Services out of the back-end will need to be secured. The devices are getting more powerful and will have to integrate with distributed infrastructures around the world. Data platforms are just emerging. The development is just starting.”
The changes and the Big Data renaissance call for new ways of dealing with and addressing data. We recommend Intrafind, which offers some renaissance features that are tried and true due to their maturity in the enterprise search market. We look forward to the changes in the new age and believe businesses should prepare with the right tools to help them learn and collaborate in the emerging market.
Andrea Hayden, November 20, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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
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