Content Distribution is Only Part of the Enterprise Puzzle
October 30, 2012
One cannot argue the importance of content delivery, but it is only one portion of the enterprise as a whole. Companies focused primarily on video delivery may end up a few pieces short of the complete enterprise puzzle, but according to Information Week’s article “Kontiki: A New Approach To Enterprise Content Delivery” Kontiki thinks video is the answer.
As a startup venture, Kontiki’s CEO is hoping to make an impact on the future of enterprise content distribution:
“Kontiki has been quietly garnering the enterprise video distribution business of companies like GM, Nestle, Coca Cola, and Wells Fargo, to name just a few. The company’s secret sauce is compelling IT shops to consider an approach that obviates the need for expensive WAN acceleration hardware. (The system takes video into a remote branch one time and distributes it peer-to-peer throughout the network.) Think of it as enterprise content delivery–like a CDN, but it moves content inside the firewall.”
Kontiki holds some very lucrative video management contracts but successful businesses look for complete enterprise solutions. A sizeable portion of the enterprise actually lies in the searching, seizing and sorting of both structured and unstructured data. Since enterprise content distribution is a final process, Kontiki’s clients have a powerful distribution platform but may need to utilize additional system in order to acquire usable data and make everything click together. An enterprise seeking a secure search application that locates and delegates targeted content to the right users at the most relevant times will find that Intrafind offers a solution that can complete the enterprise puzzle.
Jennifer Shockley, October 30, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Finding a Cost Effective Solution for Search Marketing
October 30, 2012
In the Marketing Week post, “The Digital Path to Purchase,” Michael Barnett discusses budgetary considerations companies should keep in mind as mobile and social media trends continue to dominate search strategies and search technology developments. Barnett explains that marketers are continuing to see the importance of understanding the wide variety of journeys that consumers take toward making a purchase. The integration of search and social is discussed:
One marketing manager from a professional services company says in answer to the survey: ‘The continued integration of search and social has to have an effect. Which social networks have the greatest influence remains to be seen. I think it will depend on their willingness to co-operate with each other, or more specifically with Google and Microsoft – but mainly Google.’ At present, content shared on social networks probably does not rank as highly as it naturally would in search results, since some search engines are restricted from crawling certain social sites.
In the same survey, three quarters of respondents claimed their search budgets they work with have increased in the past year. However, only 21 percent say search marketing is very effective. One industry leader in search is Fabasoft Mindbreeze. If you are looking for an integrated social and search solution to boost marketing efforts, consider taking advantage of the no obligation free trial InSite demo to test the enhanced finding experience for your Web site. InSite illuminates all of your information, from documents and emails to social networking channels.
Philip West, October 30, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
SharePoint 2013 Goes Social with Community Templates
October 29, 2012
As users continue to drive demand for social networking features and companies look to increase collaboration among employees, technology is aiming to deliver solutions to fit the need. SharePoint 2013 is no exception as they add social features as well as other smaller configuration improvements to give users more power with a friendlier interface. Jennifer Mason summarizes some of the changes in the coming SharePoint release in her CMSWire.com article, “SharePoint 2013: Intranets with a Side of Social.”
Mason discusses new features including the ability to reuse content across multiple sites, new navigation features, improved search Web part, and changes to design tools. She has this to say about SharePoint’s goal to bring people together with the data they need in a social business context:
The community template provides a way for this type of capability within SharePoint 2013. Community templates have been designed in a way that allows anyone within the organization to join a community and to begin discussions on things relevant to the community. These communities are a great way to share information in a collaborative way, at the same time making intellectual property with the organization available to a larger audience.
Community templates may help bring people together and allow for a new kind of collaboration that previous SharePoint versions simply did not support. While new features are exciting, we also know that out-of-the-box SharePoint tends to have gaps. A complete social business experience also relies on a powerful search feature accessible to all users. One third party application worth looking into is Fabasoft Mindbreeze and their Enterprise Search solution. Mindbreeze connects all company data, including documents, notes, e-mails, calendar entries, contracts, intranet or internet, person- or text-related, and more. In addition, their SharePoint connector allows for a seamless install to complement your existing content management investments.
Philip West, October 29, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Is HP Autonomy Pursuing the Analytics Leaders?
October 27, 2012
I don’t want to name the leaders in business analytics. The reason is that I am not exactly sure what “analytics” means. I learned this week that IBM Vivisimo is in the race. Add to this outfits like Oracle, SAP, and almost every other blue-chip technology vendor and I have a tough time figuring out what company does what. You, gentle reader, may be more informed on this matter than I. No problem. I am an old goose in Harrod’s Creek, Kentucky. I find the relabeling of companies not known for their math skills when it comes to meeting sales targets now in the Premier Math League amusing.
I do want to note the write up “Shifting Gears, HP Revs Up Analytics Services,” which appeared in that estimable “real” publication Information Management. The key point of the story for me was not the reference to HP as “struggling.” I hopped right over the suggestion that HP had to “reinvent its enterprise direction.” Right. The big item was the reference to HP’s embrace of Vertica and Autonomy. No odd couple this. Both firms embrace broad swaths of data and information management.
One passage which caught my attention. The source I believe is Danila Meirlaen, HP outsourcing division vice president. Herewith the snippet:
[HP’s] changes are reflected in this new service, with heightened analytics capabilities based on Autonomy’s IDOL platform and expertise, Meirlaen says. However, she says that layoffs have not impacted the analytics outsourcing team that has been tapped to take on this new service venture. In addition, many Business Analytics Service members have “industry specific” specialties in areas like finance, risk management and marketing.
I find the notion of outsourcing interesting. I am okay with the Autonomy platform. I think, however, there may be some effort required to apply Autonomy’s analytics with Vertica’s capabilities. The “vertical” angle reminds me of content processing vendors who deploy solutions which snap in to financial services, health care, and other juicy industry segments.
Here’s the prediction from an azure chip consultant, Mukesh Dialani, IDC:
A stronger focus on business analytics backed by an industry specific approach will reap benefits to their overall outsourcing business and BPO business in particular.
Hundreds of companies big and small are likely to work overtime to prevent HP from making a free for all even more crazy.
Stephen E Arnold, October 27, 2012
Microsoft 2013 Releases Head to Production
October 26, 2012
Microsoft is releasing the 2013 suite of solutions to manufacturing. Updated solutions include Office 2013, Exchange 2013, and SharePoint 2013. More information can be found in the full article, “Office 2013, Exchange 2013, SharePoint 2013 Released Oct. 18.”
Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president of the Microsoft Office Division, announced the RTM milestone in a blog post. He claimed that the 2013-branded Office represents ‘the most ambitious release of Office we’ve ever done.’
In July, Koenigsbauer and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer showed off touch-friendly Office 2013 apps. These apps will run on the “Desktop” side of the Windows 8 user interface. Microsoft is also building ‘Metro-style’ Office apps, but so far only the OneNote Metro-style app is available for testing. Gartner analyst Steve Kleynhans has described the new Office 2013 apps as very similar to those in Office 2010, but with screen layouts optimized for touch.
Many organizations are excited to implement the newest iteration of SharePoint, but others may be nervous about the transition. The fact is that there is always a steep learning curve when it comes to a new Microsoft product, particularly SharePoint. However, third party solutions can ease that transition. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise offers more frequent updates that are intuitive, easing use without a steep learning curve. Additionally, Fabasoft Mindbreeze can enhance an existing SharePoint infrastructure, meaning that large disruptive updates may be a thing of the past.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 26, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Search Technologies Enhances the Google Search Appliance
October 25, 2012
Document security and efficiency in search are typical and serious woes that face users of Google Search Appliance. However, that seems to be changing, thanks to enterprise search technology services company Search Technologies. The company recently announced the release of two products for Google Search Appliance customers, Entity Recognition Assessment and Sensitive Data Assessment Service, according to the write-up “Search Technologies Offers New Google Search Appliance Services” on Yahoo News. These two services will work together to allow users to take advantage of the capabilities released in GSA Version 7, particularly the new Entity Recognition.
We learn about the advantages in the source document:
”‘Entity Recognition is an important new capability for all GSA users,’ said Kamran Khan, CEO of Search Technologies. ‘Our new Assessment Services allow GSA customers can take full advantage of this new feature. They will help organizations maximize the search experience, especially over unmanaged data sources such as file shares, and add an additional layer of security, based on the automatic identification of sensitive concepts within documents. This way, they are getting full business value from their Google Search Appliance.’”
Search Technologies is taking a leadership position with regard to the Google Search Appliance. The firm’s innovations promise to improve the GSA’s search effectiveness across unmanaged content sources and large data sets, while protecting sensitive information in the enterprise. Customers will likely gain a competitive advantage with the implementation of this new technology alongside the Google Search Appliance. More information is available at www.searchtechnologies.com.
Andrea Hayden, October 25, 2012
Google Updates Algorithm
October 25, 2012
Web site design is not only important for user experience, but also because it may impact search engine page rankings. Google, arguably the most used search engine, recently updated its page layout algorithm. Read the full report in the Search Engine Watch article, “Google Updates Above the Fold Page Layout Algorithm.”
The Page Layout algorithm first launched January 19, 2012. In the official announcement, they explained who might be affected: ‘Rather than scrolling down the page past a slew of ads, users want to see content right away. So sites that don’t have much content above-the-fold can be affected by this change.’
They continued, ‘If you click on a website and the part of the website you see first either doesn’t have a lot of visible content above-the-fold or dedicates a large fraction of the site’s initial screen real estate to ads, that’s not a very good user experience. Such sites may not rank as highly going forward.’
In addition to Web site design, another important element is Web site search. Businesses should be particularly concerned with how quickly users can locate necessary information on their Web page. Nothing will turn a potential customer away faster than a slow and painful online search process. Fabasoft Mindbreeze makes a very effective Web site search solution that automatically crawls your organization’s existing site and smartly indexes the results. Mindbreeze InSite is a smart investment for any organization with a Web presence.
Emily Rae Aldridge, October 25, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Tips for Tweaking a Site for Mobile Search Optimization
October 24, 2012
Smart phones now outsell PCs and 86 percent of adults (and even a higher percentage among business professionals) own a mobile phone, according to recent findings from the Pew Research Center. In light of the mobile-centered trends, Tom Pick discusses how it relates to big data and the B2B world in his article, “Mobile SEO: How to Search Optimize Mobile Websites.” Pick shares some tips for increasing mobile SEO, starting with basic on-page updates:
As with traditional websites, follow basic on-page optimization best practices on mobile sites: use keywords in your mobile site content, headings, keyword links, image alt tags, and of course, page meta titles. But keep meta titles short: absolutely no more than 65 characters (including spaces), and preferably 45 or less (the display limit in the Safari browser).
Social and mobile go together, so include popular social sharing buttons (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and email) on your mobile web pages to make them easy to share.
It may seem obvious, but make sure your corporate website and mobile website link to each other.
Pick also suggests linking your mobile site to popular sites like Google Maps, Yelp, Foursquare, and Facebook Places. One way to boost your site’s mobile experience is to add a powerful search system, like InSite. Mindbreeze’s InSite solution gives a custom searching experience unique to the user with the added benefit of mobile capabilities.
Philip West, October 24, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Video Tour of PolySpot Administration Console
October 24, 2012
Polyspot has posted a YouTube video that serves as a whirlwind tour of their “PolySpot Administration Console / Brand New Version: 6.0.” The two minute video succinctly demonstrates that this console is another useful reference for information mavens.
The Administration Console is one of four consoles included in PolySpot’s Information At Work platform, designed to serve all departments of their clients’ organizations. The product page elaborates:
“All PolySpot search applications are based on PolySpot Information At Work, a shared deployment platform for all types of search application, including cross-functional search applications, business intelligence applications and business-specific and decision-making applications. . . . Although a standard database is highly versatile, it does not provide high-quality search performance. Similarly, while an index provides unrivalled search performance, it is not sufficiently versatile in terms of data enrichment and updating capabilities. PolySpot Information At Work is an innovative solution that combines the best of both worlds: the performance of an index (PolySpot SearchMart) and the versatility of a semi-structured database (PolySpot InfoWarehouse).”
PolySpot focuses on boosting business efficiency with single-point access to a wealth of structured and unstructured data. the company taps into the wonders of open source software, basing its infrastructure on Apache’s Lucene Solr. Founded in 2001, PolySpot makes its home in Paris, France.
Cynthia Murrell, October 24, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Concept Searching Set to Sponsor SharePoint City Party at 2012 Conference
October 23, 2012
Concept Searching, a provider of enterprise-grade software products that aim to deliver conceptual metadata generation, auto-classification, and taxonomy management from the desktop, is sponsoring the ‘SharePoint City’ Party, to be hosted by Axceler exclusively for attendees at the SharePoint 2012 Conference, on November 14th in Las Vegas. Concept Searching provides basic enterprise-search capabilities, and this is explained about their additional product:
Going beyond a technology solution, Concept Searching’s Smart Content Framework™ for information governance is a toolset based on conceptClassifier for SharePoint that provides the enterprise infrastructure framework to mitigate risk, automate processes, manage information, protect privacy, and address compliance issues. The result is one set of technologies, running natively in SharePoint, which improves search, provides an enterprise metadata repository, automates records management, ensures compliance, protects and secures data, and facilitates migration.
If you plan to attend the conference, the party held at Tryst Nightclub may be worth checking out. A link to register for the party is provided in the article. If you’re weighing enterprise search applications for your existing SharePoint investments, you may also want to look up Mindbreeze. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise gains each employee two weeks per year through focused finding of data, a competitive business advantage and added bonus to employee satisfaction. In addition, their suite of solutions includes mobile and Web site search, a variety of connectors, and certified security.
Philip West, October 23, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
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