Aras Offers New Innovations for Global Enterprises
August 15, 2012
One of the leaders in product lifecycle management innovation, Aras, recently announced its latest offering, the CATIO V5 connector PDM workbench. A recent Virtual Strategy Magazine article, “Aras Announces Latest Release of CATIA V5 Connector for Complex Global Design Environments”, explains how the CATIA V5 connector is intended to drive product development.
As the article explains,
“For global companies that have large, complex assemblies the CATIA V5 connector for Aras provides a highly scalable and secure PLM platform for digital product development. The CATIA V5 connector leverages the unified CAD data model in the Aras CAD Integration Platform which includes high performance multi-file check-out. Parallel asynchronous streaming technology moves sets of files across the WAN significantly faster than previously possible with other PLM systems.”
While Aras’s latest innovation is great news for ‘global companies’ there are still quite a few small and midsized enterprises (SME) just learning about PLM and how it can help their companies. For those not quite to the global level of doing business we recommend Inforbix, a PLM provider capable of handling global enterprises yet determined to make PLM accessible to all. As their Website states, “…Most small companies cannot invest in data management systems. This is where Inforbix can help. Inforbix provides an easy and efficient way to share product data and other related information. Inforbix is easy and intuitive to use; it deploys cloud technology that enables secure company wide data availability.”
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 15, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
The Long Wait for SharePoint 2013
August 14, 2012
Microsoft has hyped the release of SharePoint 2013, with many enterprise junkies highly anticipating the public availability of the revamped product. ClearBox Consulting takes on the question of whether or not the new SharePoint is worth the hype, and the long wait, in, “Is SharePoint 2013 worth waiting for?”
While the author has many positives to highlight, he does have this to say in reference to the negatives:
By SharePoint 2010 the main challenges for an intranet manager had become governance and user adoption. Governance has definitely been improved, but adoption has been less substantially addressed. For example, the user experience for content owners is still over-fiddly and at the moment the mobile experience is well below what will be needed over the next 2-3 years. Moreover, the new version has done little to reduce the complexity involved in producing and managing a SharePoint-based intranet for business owners of sites and content.
It is no mystery that regardless of the changes that are made to SharePoint, it is a huge product that requires a lot of time, attention, and customization. So for many smaller organizations, a smarter, more efficient third party solution may be a better choice. A product like Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise can work as a standalone enterprise search solution, or as an enhancement to an existing SharePoint infrastructure. Used either way, customers will marvel as the intuitive interface and increased productivity of Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Emily Rae Aldridge, August 14, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext.
Shifts in Industry to Be Discussed at PLM Road Map 2012
August 14, 2012
One of the most attended annual product lifecycle management (PLM) conferences is CIMData’s PLM Road Map. The 2012 PLM Road Map will be featuring Head of Operations for the EADS PLM Harmonization Center, Tristan Gegaden, as the keynote speaker according to the MCAD Café article, “Tristan Gegaden, Head of Operations for the EADS PLM Harmonization Center to Keynote at CIMdata’s PLM Road Map™ 2012”.
It is predicted that Gegaden will be discussing the current PLM culture of global enterprises which is described in the article as:
“While looking for new areas of productivity, competitiveness, and innovation, EADS—the European Aeronautic Defense & Space Company—identified in early 2007 the need to raise PLM to the strategic level of the Group. This change in emphasis was necessary both to avoid any industrial disaster and to accelerate adoption of the new paradigm of increasing collaboration between dispersed engineering, manufacturing, and services locations. From that point forward PLM has been regarded as a strategic asset for EADS, an asset that is firmly rooted at the core of a lean industrial system.”
This new paradigm that is increasingly being recognized by PLM providers is also bringing the focus of PLM back to data management. New data management solutions are being developed by established leaders such as CIMData and newcomers like Inforbix which describes its solutions as “Inforbix apps are integrated cloud solutions for manufacturing companies that tackle everyday tasks such as finding, reusing, and sharing product data without the overhead of traditional data management systems.”
We look for PLM Road Map 2012 to be an exciting conference with many hot topics covered.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 14, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Google Now May Make Android 4 1 a Siri Killer
August 14, 2012
The Android Does blog recently posted an interesting write up on what Google knows about people in the article “Google Now: One Step Closer to a Star Trek Future.”
According to the article, Google has some futuristic plans for the next wave of Android products that will allow devices to perform searches and tasks when circumstances prompt it, rather than when a stated query or command does.
The new tool that allows for this is called Google Now and it aims to make the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) a fierce competitor of Apple’s Siri.
When explaining Google Now, the article states:
“Google Now is more than an assistant; it tells you today’s weather before you start your day, how much traffic to expect before you leave for work, when the next train will arrive as you’re standing on the platform, or your favorite team’s score while they’re playing. And the best part? All of this happens automatically. Cards appear throughout the day at the moment you need them. I don’t know about you but the possibilities from here are pretty exciting; let us know what you think in the comments.”
Google Now will make Android 4.1 by far the most technologically advanced smartphone personal assistant to date. But are smartphone users ready for technology to be one step ahead of us at all times?
Jasmine Ashton, August 14, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
SharePoint Server 2013 Preview
August 13, 2012
Microsoft posted two documents which we believe merit any SharePoint licensee’s attention. The principal features of the latest SharePoint appear on the Microsoft SharePoint site.
Search will be particularly important because SharePoint 2013 will make it easier to incorporate social content and support mobile access. The new SharePoint will be available later this year or early in 2013. Getting a head start is important if you plan to upgrade.
The SharePoint Server 2013’s enterprise search model provides information we found quite useful. The diagram’s PDF is 560 Kb and available from the Microsoft download center. The PDF covers:
- Search Components, including the application components and the search databases
- Example topologies. The illustrated use case is a medium-sized search farm with 40 million items or content objects in the system
- Scaling out. The diagram includes a proposal model for a search farm which handles 100 million item or content objects.
Of particular value are the details for the hardware required to support the 100 million item farm. A series of tables covers the scaling considerations, detail about the application servers recommended, and a table layout the hardware requirements necessary to handle upticks in the volume of content to be processed.
In the general guidance section, Microsoft points out that one additional crawl database is needed per additional 20 million items. One link database is recommend per additional 60 million items. The schematic’s detail recommends that the system include redundancy.
Bottom line, there is no mistaking the Fast-like functionality described here. Search Technologies has delivered more than 30,000 consultant-days of search implementation services to Fast and SharePoint users since 2005. We believe that this new search functionality will be widely adopted over the next few years, and we look forward to helping our customers to implement it.
Iain Fletcher, August 13, 2012
Sponsored by Augmentext
To Customize or not to Customize SharePoint
August 13, 2012
Chris Wright discusses the look and feel of SharePoint in his recent CMSWire.com post, “Microsoft Doesn’t Advise You Customize SharePoint 2013.” The author points out that many users get caught up in the “look and feel” of the system when working on SharePoint projects. Wright explains that the vast majority of projects he’s been involved with have had a significant branding and UI element.
He goes on to say this:
In my previously mentioned piece I argued that time spent on such endeavors would be better spent looking at functionality and content. Jeff seems to be advocating a slightly different view, though one that reaches the same conclusions. He is focusing on the importance of providing a stable performant solution, and appears concerned that custom code can be the quickest route to undermining this.
The article may be worth the read to help you stay on track with SharePoint goals and priorities. You may also consider investing in a third party solution that provides a rich SharePoint experience with a user-friendly interface out-of-the-box. One we like is Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise. Mindbreeze Enterprise Search lets you “be well informed – quickly and accurately. The data often lies distributed across numerous sources. Fabasoft Mindbreeze Enterprise gains each employee two weeks per year through focused finding of data (IDC Studies). An invaluable competitive advantage in business as well as providing employee satisfaction.”
Philip West, August 13, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Open Source Solutions Continue to Gain Popularity
August 13, 2012
The H Open recently reported on some new developments for the open source search, discovery and analytics company Lucid Imagination in the article, “Lucid Imagination Becomes LucidWorks.”
According to the article, after continuously having customers confuse the name of the company with its flagship product, Lucid Imagination decided to go along with the customers perceptions and change its name to LucidWorks as means of avoiding further complicating branding efforts.
In addition its two product lines: LucidWorks Search and LucidWorks Big Data, both of which draw from open source products, the company has some additional plans on the horizon:
“LucidWorks has also announced that, in September, it will be setting up a community site called SearchHub.org, which will be oriented at developers. It is planned that this will include a blog from Lucene/Solr committers; of the 35 committers on the project, nine work for LucidWorks. Other planned features include video tutorials, podcasts, a community forum, up-to-date information on Lucene/Solr, and a calendar of enterprise search related hackathons and meetups.”
LucidWorks is an example of a company that has created an enterprise-grade embedded search development solution built on the power of the Apache Lucene/Solr open source search project. As technology continues to advance, companies that utilize open source technology are going to have an edge over their competition.
Jasmine Ashton, August 13, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
PTC Acquires SLM Winner for Broader Coverage of Service
August 13, 2012
There has been a renewed interest in customer service of late across many industries leading to an increase in data management solutions targeting the service oriented aspects of enterprises. The latest proof that this is the direction companies are shifting their priorities is PTC’s acquisition of Atlanta based Servigistics, a profitable provider of software which manages service contracts and the like, according to the recent Boston Business Journal article, “PTC to acquire service management firm Servigistics for $220M”.
PTC president and CEO, Jim Heppelmann, was quoted as saying,
“Over the past few years, Servigistics has earned a reputation for innovation in helping companies maximize their global service businesses through increased profitability, cash flow, and customer loyalty. Their customers are at the leading edge of a global trend to take service from a cost center to a profit center, and SLM technology has been a critical driver. This acquisition should make clear just how serious PTC is about helping its customers achieve lasting service advantage.”
Heppelmann couldn’t be more correct in his assessment of Servigistics which has allowed for their impressive success. Product lifecycle management (PLM) as PTC offers and Service lifecycle management (SLM) as Servigistics offers, is no longer just about making life easier for engineers and IT team members. There is a growing understanding that industries across the board need new data management solutions to cut costs and raise revenues. Smart PLM providers are cashing in on the opportunity.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 8, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Mercado Ignition Evolves into Adobe Search&Promote
August 13, 2012
Looking for Mercado’s search system and merchandising suite Ignition? It is currently tough to find, but it is still available. It is now called Search&Promote, and is owned by Adobe.
Companies can weave a confusing web when they start snapping each other up. Omniture bought Mercado and renamed the software Omniture Merchandising. Then Adobe bought Omniture. It seems businesses would get more sales if it were easier for customers to find the products they liked in an earlier incarnation. Why not just go with “Adobe Ignition?” Nah, too simple.
Here’s the description of the system in its latest form:
“Adobe Search&Promote enables marketers to optimize how visitors browse, find, compare, and select relevant products and content on web and mobile sites. Businesses can easily promote priority items based on business objectives and visitor intent, as well as automate merchandising and promotions activity via KPI-based triggers or metrics. Adobe Search&Promote is part of the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite for online business optimization.”
The software is available as an enterprise SaaS application. The search and navigation interfaces are flexible, and the marketing console is designed to be intuitive.
Mercado began in 1998, and was based in Pleasanton, California. Founded in 1996, Omniture lives on as a division of Adobe, and is based in Orem, Utah. Adobe, of course, is a publishing and (now) marketing software powerhouse that began in 1982 and just keeps expanding. They famously gave the world the Portable Document Format (PDF) in 1993.
Cynthia Murrell, August 13, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Open Source Options for Collaboration in SharePoint
August 10, 2012
In “Open Source Tools Level SharePoint 2010 Collaboration Playing Field,” Shawn Shell discusses collaboration options in the SharePoint community.
Shell has this to say:
But while there are many available tools that can expand SharePoint’s collaboration capabilities and fill the gaps in its out-of-the-box functionality, some organizations simply can’t afford them because of budget constraints. As a result, many often find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. The good news is that one of the strongest dimensions of the SharePoint universe is a surprisingly robust open source community. It comprises individuals, user organizations and even ISVs that provide tools and utilities that are reasonable alternatives to commercially licensed add-on products.
The author also comments on collaboration alternatives for employees, such as the Community Kit for SharePoint (CKS) and the Learning Management System (LMS). However, Shell also states that it is important to read the documentation of these two projects very carefully because they are handled by separate teams. The read may be worth it if you’ve been looking for possible fixes to SharePoint’s capability gaps.
Collaboration capabilities are imperative as businesses get social. To tap into the new possibilities, consider a third party solution to complete your enterprise search system. We like Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Managing director Michael Hadrian explains the Mindbreeze solution:
Fabasoft Folio Cloud enables quick, secure and mobile collaboration both internally and between international companies. Business processes with customers and partners cannot be realized any quicker or more cost effectively…This enables worldwide connected collaboration and secure data exchange in protected team rooms.
For a complete search solution with the power of information pairing, check out the full suite of solutions at Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Philip West, August 10, 2012
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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