Iphelion Offers Email Management Solution
August 28, 2012
Email filing is a very vital tool for most companies and programs that address issues that arise in document management are necessary and appreciated.
StubXploder from Iphelion is one of those programs. The product is designed to address issues seen when archived email stubs are filed within document management systems. Features include intelligent error handling and rollback on individual items, complete server side solution, and customization to any library configuration.
The company’s website asserts about the product:
“Written as a fully server side solution to remove the need for user interaction or client side deployment, StubXploder will restore archived e-mails from Enterprise Vault back into the DMS libraries. This means that business critical e-mails are restored to a single repository (the DMS) while still allowing EV to take the strain off of Exchange by offloading non critical e-mails. The product was designed with the largest deployments in mind so can easily handle a worldwide infrastructure with many libraries and archives or scale right down to single server instances.”
The new version impresses us and we believe those interested in solving email document management issues will also be pleased. Iphelion offers a powerful solution to categorize, retrieve, and maintain email environments.
Andrea Hayden, August 28, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Expert System Client Wins Web Site Award
August 18, 2012
In another “we won a prize” announcement from a search and content processing vendor, Expert System boasts, “Expert System Customer Telecom Italia Recognized for Top Website.” Telecom Italia‘s site, which uses Expert System’s Cogito semantic technology, was named the top corporate site by KWD Webranking in its Europe 500 annual survey.
Naturally, Expert System takes the opportunity to highlight the newest Cogito features that helped Telecom Italia build a great site. The write up lists:
- “Did you mean?”: Cogito’s ability to understand the meaning of words facilitates greater access to information, even in the case of ambiguous requests. This feature suggests alternate formulas for search queries that contain errors or misspellings.
- Categorization: Expert System developed a custom taxonomy to categorize the Telecom Italia knowledge base, which enables more effective search and navigation of site content.
- Multilanguage results: In addition to search results in Italian, the search engine broadens results by including a separate set of results in English for each query.
- Results filtering by file type: Users can choose to refine results by the type of content they’re looking for, such as by web pages, videos or PDF.
All valuable features, to be sure. We find this crowing about prizes to be an interesting approach to marketing. Effective? Not sure.
Based in Modena, Italy, Expert System has satellite offices in Europe and the US. Business and government organizations in several fields use their solutions for data management, collaboration, and customer relationship management.
Cynthia Murrell, August 18, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Booz Allen: Protesting a Wee Bit Too Much
July 25, 2012
Short honk: Check out “Why Booz Allen Is Significantly Undervalued.” Interesting. The main point, as I understand it, is that Booz Allen is a great deal for investors. Okay, if it is such a great deal why does it take 1,300 words and a dozen charts to get the point across. There was one omission in the “protest too much write up”. Booz Allen is dependent on government contracts. When governments cut spending, outfits like Booz Allen face some revenue challenges. I assume this aspect of the firm’s business is irrelevant in light of alleged backlog, explanations, and lots of tables and bar charts. Booz Allen was once a blue chip outfit. As I have noted, the firm has a history of being private, going public, going back to private, splitting up, and going public. Is the firm’s management fancy dancing to cope with the realities of a blue chip firm transforming to azure?
Stephen E Arnold, July 25, 2012
Document Management Is Ripe For eDiscovery
July 18, 2012
If you work in any aspect related to the legal community, you should be aware that eDiscovery generates a great deal of chatter. Like most search and information retrieval functions, progress is erratic.
While eDiscovery, according to the marketers who flock to Legal Tech and other conferences, will save clients and attorneys millions of dollars in the long run, there will still be some associated costs with it. Fees do not magically disappear and eDiscovery will have its own costs that can accrue, even if they may be a tad lower than the regular attorney’s time sheets.
One way to keep costs down is to create a document management policy, so if you are ever taken to court it will reduce the amount of time and money spent in the litigation process. We have mixed feelings about document management. The systems are often problematic because the management guidance and support are inadequate. Software cannot “fix” this type of issue. Marketers, however, suggest software may be up to the task.
JD Supra discusses the importance of a document management plan in “eDiscovery and Document Management.” The legal firm of Warner, Norcross, and Judd wrote a basic strategy guide for JD Supra for people to get started on a document management plan. A plan’s importance is immeasurable:
“With proper document management, you’ll have control over your systems and records when a litigation hold is issued and the eDiscovery process begins, resulting in reduced risk and lower eDiscovery costs. This is imperative because discovery involving electronically stored data — including e-mail, voicemail, calendars, text messages and metadata — is among the most time-consuming and costly phases of any dispute. Ultimately, an effective document management policy is likely to contribute to the best possible outcome of litigation or an investigation.”
The best way to start working on a plan is to outline your purpose and scope—know what you need and want the plan to do. Also specify who will be responsible for each part of the plan—not designating proper authority can leave the entire plan in limbo. Never forget a records retention policy—it is legally require to keep most data for seven years or permanently, but some data can be deleted. Do not pay for data you do not have to keep. Most important of all, provide specific direction for individual tasks, such as scanning, word management, destruction schedule, and observing litigation holds. One last thing, never under estimate the importance of employee training and audit schedules, the latter will sneak up on you before you know it.
If, however, you still are hesitant in drafting a plan can carry some hefty consequences:
- “Outdated and possibly harmful documents might be available and subject to discovery.
- Failure to produce documents in a timely fashion might result in fines and jail time: one large corporation was charged with misleading regulators and not producing evidence in a timely matter and was fined $10 million.
- Destroying documents in violation of federal statutes and regulations may result in fines and jail time: one provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act specifies a prison sentence of up to 20 years for someone who knowingly destroys documents with the intent to obstruct a government investigation.”
A document management plan is a tool meant to guide organizations in managing their data, outlining the tasks associated with it, and preparing for eventual audits and litigation procedures. Having a document management plan in place will make the eDiscovery process go quicker, but another way to make the process even faster and more accurate is using litigation support technology and predictive coding, such as provided by Polyspot.
Here at Beyond Search we have a healthy skepticism for automated content processing. Some systems perform quite well in quite specific circumstances. Examples include Digital Reasoning and Ikanow. Other systems are disappointing. Very disappointing. Who are the disappointing vendors? Not in this free blog. Sign up for Honk!, our no holds barred newsletter, and get that opt-in, limited distribution information today.
Whitney Grace, July 18, 2012
Sponsored by Polyspot
Mike Miller Joins the Digital Reasoning Team as Head of Sales
July 13, 2012
After receiving funding for a big data intelligence push last year, data analytics leader Digital Reasoning has been quite busy. Business Wire recently published a news release announcing “Mike Miller Named Digital Reasoning Executive Vice President of Sales.”
According to the story, Miller has over twenty years of experience in the software industry developing marketing strategies for a number of leading companies, in addition to serving as director of the Digital Reasoning Advisory board for nearly a decade. Under his new title, Miller will lead the Tennessee based firm’s client acquisition and retention in both government and commercial markets.
Rob Metcalf, Digital Reasoning’s President and Chief Operating Officer, stated:
“For nearly a decade, Mike has been a trusted advisor and director of Digital Reasoning, and we are extremely pleased that he can help us continue the acceleration of our business in an executive capacity. There are very few individuals who can match Mike’s experience in technology sales for public and private markets, and we’re thrilled to have him join our team.”
Based on Miller’s long tenure spent working as an executive for a multitude of software companies as well as his obvious passion for Digital Reasoning’s mission, we think that this is an excellent fit.
Jasmine Ashton, July 12, 2012
Kroll Overhauls Management
July 9, 2012
It is not unusual for a corporation to occasionally replace a few executives, but Altegrity’s Kroll just had a major personnel overhaul all within twenty days. We’re not sure what motivated this type of turnover in corporate management, but the press releases on Altegrity’s Web site announce all three of the new additions with glowing recommendations.
- May 30th was the beginning and brought, “Kroll Factual Data names Jennifer Byers Vice President, Product Development”, acknowledging her as bringing a wealth of experience in all aspects of deploying technical business solutions and applications.
- The next release followed shortly thereafter on June 5thwith, “Kroll Factual Data names Mike Mauseth Senior Vice President, Product Development” who will not only head the product development, but will also manage channels, alliances, marketing and analytics.
- The latest announcement came on June 19th in regards to “Kroll Factual Data names Michael Larkin Vice President, Risk Management”. The new VP of Risk Management has 22 year of vast experience in the industry and will be overseeing all initiatives and new business opportunities.
Kroll Advisory Solutions is a global leader in risk mitigation and response. The company asserts:
“Kroll delivers a wide range of solutions that span investigations, due diligence, compliance, cyber security and physical security. Clients partner with Kroll Advisory Solutions for the highest-value intelligence and insight to drive the most confident decisions about protecting their companies, assets and people.”
It appears Altegrity Kroll perceived the need for a personnel overhaul.
Jennifer Shockley, July 9, 2012
Does Modern Life Keep Us Addicted to Stress?
June 30, 2012
Dopamine. That chemical is at the root of the problem described in the Pacific Standard’s “Manic Nation: Dr. Peter Whybrow Says We’re Addicted to Stress.” When you think of crazy entrepreneurs and MBAs, boy does this guy have a fresh angle on their behavior.
Dr. Whybrow, director of UCLA’s Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, has been applying behavioral neuroscience to social issues for 14 years. Reporter Mary Fischer interviewed Whybrow about the ways our brains deal with modern reality. It is an intriguing read, and I recommend checking it out. Fischer writes:
“‘The computer is electronic cocaine for many people,’ says Whybrow. ‘Our brains are wired for finding immediate reward. With technology, novelty is the reward. You essentially become addicted to novelty.’ We can’t stop because the brain has no built-in braking system. With most natural constraints gone, all we’ve got left is our own intelligence and the internal regulatory system in the frontal cortex, the most recent evolutionary addition to the brain. This ‘executive brain’ regulates impulse control and reasoning. But, Whybrow notes, ‘despite our superior intelligence, we remain driven by our ancient desires.'”
Ancient desires like the yearning to catch dinner, or to avoid becoming dinner. Our brains evolved to reward such accomplishments with a shot of dopamine. Unfortunately, this desert comes with a side of flight-or-flight response. This heightened state of anxiety was once appropriate to our stressful situations, which tended to be life-or-death matters. They also tended to end conclusively, allowing our minds and bodies to recover from the stress. Now, though, our stressful situations can continue perpetually, especially if we make no effort to counter their influence. This sustained stress, to put it mildly, is very bad for us.
How does Whybrow reduce his own stress? By actively choosing when he will interact with his electronic devices and the people on the other ends of them. He refuses to work at home, and he only checks his email once a day on weekends. That may sound crazy to many of us, but it may be that Whybrow has the key to staying sane.
Cynthia Murrell, June 30, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
The Huber Affair: Demining Now Underway
June 26, 2012
Google is working overtime to keep attention focused on technical issues. You can wallow in the smart software encomium in the New York Times. (See “How Many Computers to Identify a Cat? 16,000” in the June 27, 2012, environmentally unfriendly newspaper or you can give the newspaper’s maybe here, maybe gone link at http://goo.gl/Twl9I.) The Google I/O Conference fast approaches, so there are the concomitant write ups about a Google hardware and news in “Google’s I/O Conference: New Operating System, Tablet”.
But there are two personnel stories which seem to haunt the company at what is the apex of the Google techno-promo machine: Larry Page’s minor voice problem and a person few people outside of Google have heard about. Both of these are potential “information minefields.” Google does not, as far as I know, have an effective demining system in place.
I have avoided commenting directly on the health thing. You can get the story or what passes for a story in “Google CEO Larry Page and the Healthy Way to Answer, ‘What’s Wrong?’” But I do have an opinion about the wizard responsible for Local Search, Maps, Earth, Travel, Payments, Wallet, Offers, and Shopping. I read more about about one Google executive than I expected in “This Exec May Have The Hardest Job At Google, And His Colleagues Are Tired Of Seeing Him Get Trashed In The Press.”
The basic idea, as I understand it, is:
Last week, we [Business Insider] published a story headlined: “Depending On Whom You Ask, This Google Exec Is Either ‘Weak’ Or He Just Drew The Short Straw?
The publication did some digging and learned from “senior sources”:
Their view is that Huber is a top-notch Google executive who asked for the hardest challenge his boss could give him and he got it – in the form of nascent, unproven products and an executive reporting to him that ended up being vastly under-qualified for her job.
The weak link in the Google brain mesh was a person from PayPal. Yikes. A female goofed with some PayPal type projects. The story wraps up:
Quote to Note: Insurance on Larry Page
June 26, 2012
Interesting factoid in the form of a quote to note. We don’t know if this is accurate, but we wanted to document the item because it is interesting. The source is “Google Voiceless: Larry Page to Skip Big Conference.” The passage we noted:
Google spokesman Jim Prosser told us that Page’s condition is “notserious” but that Page had been told to rest his voice. That’s a goodthing because as we reported earlier, Google has not insured itselfagainst the loss of Larry Page.
Interesting.
Stephen E Arnold, June 26, 2012
Sponsored by Polyspot
Smart Folks Found to Think Like the Addled Goose
June 25, 2012
After reading the New Yorker’s “Why Smart People are Stupid,” our publisher Stephen E. Arnold is delighted that he is an addled goose living in rural Kentucky. Must be because his IQ is 70, which is dull normal for a human but okay for a water fowl. (I say that with the greatest respect, Steve.)
[Editor’s note: The guy’s IQ is closer to 50 on a good day and with the wind behind his tailfeatures! Sure, he was mentioned in the Barron’s blog here, but that was obviously a fluke.]
The blog post discusses findings from a recent study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology led by Richard West at James Madison University and Keith Stanovich at the University of Toronto. The study builds on the work of Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman, who has been studying the human thought process, including when, why, and how it can fail us, for decades.
Researchers posed classic bias problems to almost 500 subjects and studied the results. Like Kahneman, they found that most people usually take the easiest route to an answer rather than the most logical. We refuse to actually do the math. Most of us are also susceptible to “anchor” bias, where we are likely to base our answers on a factor supplied within the question. See the post for examples (and a more extensive discussion), and try the bat-and-ball and lily pad problems for yourself.
The researchers went beyond Kahneman’s work to study the ways in which such thinking errors are linked to intelligence. They found that they are indeed linked—but perhaps not in the way one would expect. Blogger Jonah Lehrer writes:
“The scientists gave the students four measures of ‘cognitive sophistication.’ As they report in the paper, all four of the measures showed positive correlations, ‘indicating that more cognitively sophisticated participants showed larger bias blind spots.’ This trend held for many of the specific biases, indicating that smarter people (at least as measured by S.A.T. scores) and those more likely to engage in deliberation were slightly more vulnerable to common mental mistakes. Education also isn’t a savior; as Kahneman and Shane Frederick first noted many years ago, more than fifty per cent of students at Harvard, Princeton, and M.I.T. gave the incorrect answer to the bat-and-ball question.”
So why are smarties so dumb? No one knows just yet, but I theorize it has to do with the sort of laziness smart kids learn in elementary school—they can get top marks without fully engaging their brains. Perhaps that means when they come across a slippery question as an adult, they fall right into the trap.
Cynthia Murrell, June 25, 2012
Sponsored by PolySpot
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