Out of Healthcare and Into Information Management
December 19, 2013
MarkeLogic has been working on the Healthcare.gov project (not going to touch that hotbed of live wires) and according to Database Trends and Applications the company has a new deal: “Applied Relevance Introduces Information Management Application Optimized For MarkLogic 7.” Applied Relevance developed Epinomy version 7 that is specially geared towards MarkLogic 7. CEO and founder of Applied Relevance George Everitt stated that Epinomy offers an advantage due to its tables, texts, and triples. This makes Epinomy prime for big data management, because of its approach to linking and tagging information, i.e. the tables and texts and then leveraging them with triple store technology for a high-speed experience.
“ ‘The table is the structured information, and it is the traditional BI kind” of information. Text is the traditional enterprise text kind of information. MarkLogic does both of those exceptionally well,’ said Everitt. ‘The third is triples – the metadata – the glue that holds those two together. What we provide with Epinomy is a way of creating and managing taxonomies, ontologies, and other data structures that are represented in linked data so that you can apply those to both the structured and unstructured environments, and get value from both of them using the triples as an underlying semantic mechanism.’ “
Information managers are given more control over their data by allowing them to build ontologies from scratch. Metadata and auto tagging will keep the data organized with quick retrieval and accurate search.
MarkLogic is mostly known in the publishing industry, which is riddled with unstructured data. The company has been gaining attention in financial services. Epinomy will give MarkLogic the boost it needs to prove that it can handle numbers as well as words.
Whitney Grace, December 19, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
MarkLogic Recognized for Database Management
November 13, 2013
We already knew that MarkLogic is good at search. Now the company is being recognized for its database management chops, we learn from “MarkLogic Featured in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Operational Database Management Systems” at BWW Geeks World.
The press release tells us:
“MarkLogic has been positioned for its ability to execute and is the only Enterprise NoSQL database vendor featured in the report that integrates search and application services. . . .
MarkLogic is the only schema-agnostic Enterprise NoSQL database that integrates semantics, search and application services with the enterprise features customers require for production applications. This combination helps enterprises make better-informed decisions and create robust, scalable applications to drive revenue, streamline operations, manage risk and make the world safer. MarkLogic features ACID transactions, horizontal scaling, real-time indexing, high availability, disaster recovery, and government-grade security.”
CEO Gary Bloom does not let us forget his company’s search success. He points out that they also captured a place on Gartner‘s 2013 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Search roster, and that they are the only company to be included in both reports. He understandably takes this achievement as evidence that MarkLogic is on the right track with its integrated approach. The company focuses on scalability, enterprise-readiness, and leveraging the latest technology. Founded in 2001, MarkLogic is headquartered in Silicon Valley and maintains offices around the world.
Cynthia Murrell, November 13, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Forrester Wave Available For Public Reading
October 23, 2013
In the world of business process software, it can be tricky deciding which one to deploy at your organization. That is when one resorts to research and relying on opinions and experiences of others to help them make a choice. Forrester is always a great resource to turn to for business matters and in March 2013, they released “The Forester Wave: BPM Suites, Q1 2013,” detailing the top ten business process management vendors. Bitpipe archives the report.
Ten vendors were reviewed: Appian, Bizagi, Cordys, HandySoft, IBM, OpenText, Oracle, Pegasystems, Software AG, and Tibco Software. Each software has their positives and negatives, what is really interesting is if they are compatible with the leading data content managers, such as Kofax:
“All of the vendors in this evaluation can support the three most common use cases for BPM: dynamic case management, human workflow, and straight-through processing. However, this does not mean that all vendors must or can offer exactly the same approach or the same functional depth for each use case.”
They are Kofax compliant, which is wonderful because Kofax owns Kapow Software –the big data integration platform. Big data is one of the primary concerns of organizations and a business management software that does not have the capability to handle said processes is useless in a competitive market.
Whitney Grace, October 23, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
The Flaw in Christensen Management Theory
October 17, 2013
Could the Big Guru in management have made a miscalculation? Clayton Christensen is rightly revered for his contributions to the business field, particularly his theory of disruption. Nobody’s perfect, however; strat?chery tells us “What Clayton Christensen Got Wrong.”
The professor’s blind spot is perfectly illustrated by his thoughts on certain Apple products; he thought there was no way either the iPod or iPhone would be successful. Writer Ben Thompson delves into why Christensen’s theories led him to faulty predictions about Apple. The key point—people are not businesses. The article asserts:
“Christensen’s theory is based on examples drawn from buying decisions made by businesses, not consumers. The reason this matters is that the theory of low-end disruption presumes:
- Buyers are rational
- Every attribute that matters can be documented and measured
- Modular providers can become ‘good enough’ on all the attributes that matter to the buyers
“All three of the assumptions fail in the consumer market, and this, ultimately, is why Christensen’s theory fails as well.”
Elaborating on the second point, Thompson quotes his own words from a 2010 paper. Regarding a feature of the iPod that is difficult to measure, he wrote:
“Apple’s focus on user experience as a differentiator has significant strategic implications as well… namely, it is impossible for a user experience to be too good. Competitors can only hope to match or surpass the original product when it comes to the user experience; the original product will never overshoot (has anyone turned to an ‘inferior’ product because the better one was too enjoyable?)”
Since individual consumers are more likely to care about ease of use than are buyers for a business, this is a good example of purchasers’ different priorities. See the thorough article for more of Thompson’s reasoning and examples.
Cynthia Murrell, October 17, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Ex Endeca Execs: Giving New Life to Route 128?
October 6, 2013
I read “Cambridge Firm Is Fertile Ground for Entrepreneurs.” The Massachusetts in crowd should be thrilled with the Boston Globe’s story. In addition to a graphic which puts Endeca at the center of a universe of start ups, the story draws an interesting parallel for me:
Like its much bigger predecessors, Digital Equipment Corp. and Lotus Development Corp., two seminal Boston companies acquired by competitors, Endeca is emerging as a fount of new business activity, churning out the next generation of entrepreneurs and helping to expand the region’s technology economy.
The write up then references the influence tendrils of what I assume is “fertile ground” to Xerox, Digital Equipment, and Lotus.
The article included this passage as well:
But the $1 billion paid by Oracle made some Endeca employees wealthy, which certainly made it easier for them to decide to start companies. And more may follow. Venture capitalists report they are in contact with other Endecans who are contemplating leaving Oracle. Oracle declined to comment for this story. And the Diaspora might have been bigger had Endeca been on the West Coast, where the cycle of people leaving companies for start-ups happens much faster than in Massachusetts. One reason is that many large Boston companies have employees sign noncompete agreements, which can limit their ability to spin off a start-up. Noncompete agreements are not enforced in California. Endeca employees signed noncompetes, but so far those who have started companies are not direct competitors. The new businesses range from social media to medical records companies.
Then this quote to note: “We did a good job of training people how to be entrepreneurs,” said Papa, so that they are not all trying to just “build the next Endeca.” Steve Papa was one of the founders of Endeca.
My thoughts turned to other search companies that sold out. Has there been a similar surge of innovation from:
- Autonomy founders
- Exalead founders
- ISYS Search Software founders
- Verity founders
- Vivisimo founders
I don’t recall a similar explosion of innovation from any of these firms nor a glittering write up in a major, “real” newspaper. There are, I believe, some questions which beg to be answered:
- What makes Endeca different?
- Why haven’t other search vendors’ founders gone the start up route?
- What is the survivability of start ups created by founders of iPhrase (acquired by IBM), Inxight (acquired by Business Objects), and other long-ago winners in the buy out game?
I don’t have any answers, and I am personally delighted that there will not be another Endeca coming down the pike. The notion of blending a Yahoo style directory with key word indexing and then layering on eCommerce, publishing, business intelligence, and other functions is a path well worn by Convera, Delphes, Entopia, and some of IBM’s search efforts.
Endeca, based on my notes, was heavy on MBA think and less into Google-style technology. The list of Endeca spawned start ups includes Salsify, Thank Media, and Toast among others. Each has a hefty dose of “management.” Perhaps MBAs are the answer to market traction?
Stephen E Arnold, October 6, 2013
How to Turnaround a Failing Company
September 17, 2013
Jonathan H. Lack has been an associate of ArnoldIT since 1996. His new monograph is Plan to Turn Your Company Around in 90 Days. We recommend this practical and pragmatic guide for managers struggling with shifting economic winds.
Mr. Lack said:
“Every company’s financial and operational situation, culture, and dynamics are different. However, the fundamentals of operating any business and the problems to which many companies are vulnerable are not that unique. This entire book is based on firsthand experience if helping different types of companies work through very similar problems.”
HighGainBlog said:
This book is written for businesses large and small as well as for CEOs, board members, and managers. Lack’s expertise comes from his role as principal for ROI Ventures, which specializes in turning companies around. He also has 20 years of experience in management and strategic planning. This expertise shines through as he offers sound advice ranging from effectively managing cash-flow to managing staff. We highly recommend this book to drowning professionals looking for a lifeline as well as those interested in injecting new life into their business and gain a few valuable insights along the way.
Plan to Turn Your Company Around in 90 Days is available for purchase online at Amazon.com or at Apress.com under ISBN13: 978-1-4302-4668-8. Order a copy if you are involved in search, content processing, and analytics. This industry sector faces increased cost of sales, long sales cycles, hard-to-control costs, and challenging revenue targets.
Stephen E Arnold, September 17, 2013
Cuadra Becomes Lucidea
August 1, 2013
Last year, the veteran information management firm Cuadra bid fond retirement wishes to its founders, then-president Carlos Cuadra and then-CFO Gloria Cuadra. Now, the SydneyPLUS affiliate joins several others being wrapped into the rebranded Lucidea, we learn from that company’s post, “Announcing Lucidea. . . We Help You to Think Clearly.” The write-up tells us:
Lucidea is a newly created knowledge management software and solutions company that includes the SydneyPLUS, Inmagic, CuadraSTAR, LawPort,LookUp Precision, ARGUS.net and ISS products. Our solutions empower people to navigate the ever expanding universe of information, resulting in actionable knowledge. We highlight our clients’ brightest people, clearest thinking and best ideas.
Please follow the links below to access more information about this exciting new development, and take a few moments to learn:
- Why we think this is great news for our products, employees and customers.
- How this latest evolution of our corporate structure will affect you.
- What effect this will have on the products you are currently using.
The post includes links for more information: a letter from the CEO (PDF), the consolidated company’s mission statement, the official press release, and a useful FAQ page.
Founded in 1978, Cuadra is headquartered in Los Angeles. CuadraSTAR is an acclaimed software package with the flexibility to manage data collections of all types from multiple environments, including archives, libraries, museums, and publishing houses.
Lucidea began in 1989 as SydneyPLUS, and it bought Cuadra in 2008. That was just one in a series of purchases that gave the firm the resources to launch this current incarnation. The company has blended its valuable acquisitions into the consolidated and rebranded Lucidea that we see now, with offices in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
Cynthia Murrell, August 01, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
OpenText Releases Web Experience Management Solution
July 27, 2013
From OpenText we read an interesting article called “Next Generation Web Experience Management.” The majority of the article discusses the context in which Web Experience Management (WEM) is needed. We also learned that OpenText has released a WEM solution.
According to Aberdeen Group research, leading organizations are delivering consistent and relevant messages. Not only are they doing that, but they also send these messages across multiple platforms.
The article states:
“The right technologies are required to deliver brand experiences in an efficient, pleasing, and consistent manner to the consumer at every touch point. For experiences to be satisfying (and build brand equity in your products and services), they should be rich, consistent, and personalized. Today’s consumer expects highly tailored, adaptable, and even predictable digital experiences. Web Experience Management (WEM) facilitates the management and optimization of experience across a variety of channels and platforms to create compelling customer experiences, promote consistent omni-channel brand experiences, and improve engagement with responsive design.”
Technology as a vessel to deliver the brand experience is not a novel concept, but the extent to which more doors are opening in this area — such as web experience management — is noteworthy indeed.
Megan Feil, July 27, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Report Outlines Global Customer Experience Management Field
July 3, 2013
Now here is an interesting factoid. If this finding is accurate, the customer experience management field is undergoing quite the boom. SBWire points to a recent study from market research firm Research Moz in, “Global Customer Experience Management Market 2012-2016: Latest Industry Research Report.” The report asserts:
“Global Customer Experience Management (CEM) market to grow at a CAGR of 20.79 percent over the period 2012-2016. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increased number of customer touch points. The Global CEM market has also been witnessing a growing demand for mobile analytics. However, integration of multiple communication channels could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.”
The report, Global CEM Market 2012-2016, is the result of a global market-analysis effort in consultation with industry insiders. The press release emphasizes that it also forecasts the CEM landscape over the near future, as well as covering prominent vendors in the field; see the write-up for specifics. The full report can be purchased here.
Cynthia Murrell, July 03, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Thomson Reuters Embraces the Economist Approach
May 30, 2013
One of my two or three readers sent me a link to “Thomson Reuters Hires Economist Group Chief to Head news Agency Arm.” One of the characteristics of large, traditional publishing companies is that when one executive is needed, the go-to source for a qualified person is another traditional publishing company. Thomson Reuters has returned somewhat lackluster revenue growth in the last few years. Will the Economist approach change the course of the aircraft carrier?
According to the write up:
Rashbass, a former managing director of Economist.com who became chief executive in 2008, said that Reuters was well positioned to drive commercial growth.
We agree. Now the task is to deliver revenues, not magazines. Lord Thomson of Fleet is probably watching and hoping for greater success for his outfit.
Stephen E Arnold, May 30, 2013
Sponsored by Augmentext
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