Five Fundamentals to Remember for your SharePoint Intranet Development
February 20, 2012
If you are considering a SharePoint intranet deployment in your organization, you may want to read James Robertson’s, “Don’t Ask Staff What Features They Want on a New SharePoint Intranet.” Robertson points out that staff may often be unfamiliar with SharePoint capabilities and unsure how to articulate what functions they need in the farm to enable new ways of working. Instead, Robertson provides five fundamental approaches for determining your new SharePoint intranet functionalities, one being how to understand staff needs through an effective intranet needs analysis.
Other fundamentals to remember include understanding the patterns of work in your organization, developing a common definition of what SharePoint is among all stakeholders, using other organization’s intranets as a guide for what works (and what does not), and starting with a simple, easy to navigate intranet.
And the take away point for your intranet planning,
Most of all, don’t fall into the trap of starting with SharePoint features, and working back to the project scope. Even with the best will the world, it’s easy to get caught up in technology discussions and decisions, losing sight of the overall objectives and outcomes.
Robertson’s points are all sound advice for embarking into the next phases or your organization’s development in the enterprise search environment. Asking the right questions will help ensure that limited project resources are spent on the key aspects rather than unnecessary functionalities that will only complicate the system.
A third party solution, like Fabasoft Mindbreeze, can also help you connect the dots in your SharePoint adoption. The Fabasoft Folio Connector integrates all your business information from the intranet, Cloud, internet, and knowledge portals in the corporate-wide search, while maintaining your strict access rights. With Mindbreeze, users can easily search and reuse information from documents, contacts, projects, Wiki articles, conference agendas, and more.
Philip West, February 20, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Enterprise Search Giants Keep Focus on Cloud and Social Solutions
February 17, 2012
Sim Ahmed discusses IBM vs. Microsoft in enterprise search in his recent ComputerWorld article, “SharePoint is a ‘Document Coffin,’ says IBM.” The ‘document coffin’ comments from IBM happened at the Lotusphere 2012 conference where they announced a host of new features for their line of enterprise software in an effort to offer up some competitive edge against SharePoint and Google’s Apps for Businesses. IBM is no stranger to critiques for their lacking enterprise software as SharePoint adoption continues to increase.
So what does IBM have in store?
The theme of this year’s Lotusphere is business made social, and IBM has taken the opportunity to announce several social networking orientated changes to its line of enterprise software. IBM demoed new additions to its Connections community portal product, including the new Activity Stream feature which resembles status feeds on most popular social networks. The Activity Stream can pull in information from multiple apps and feeds, including third party applications by using the OpenSocial framework. Community managers can gain a better understanding of their users with built in metrics and sentiment tracking.
In addition, IBM showcased their much anticipated cloud-based document collaboration and editing software called IBM Docs. But critics have been quick to point out that any system can become a document graveyard without the right people and planning in place ahead of time.
No matter your system, you need the right solutions in place to facilitate findability and reusability of your business information. For an established Cloud solution, consider Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Here you can read and see the easy and powerful search features of Mindbreeze in Folio Cloud.
William Wallace explains,
Whether you need to find an e-mail, document, contact, team room or any other object, Mindbreeze searches your Cloud with speed and intelligence. Under Mindbreeze in Folio Cloud you can select the sources that you want to search quite simply via a menu box directly in the search screen. You can conveniently select the source(s) that are relevant for your search and also select restrictions based on the tick-box options.
Folio Cloud gives you search and collaboration capabilities and the most return for your enterprise search investments. Point your browser to Fabasoft Mindbreeze to find what works for you.
Philip West, February 17, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Palantir Applies Lipstick, Much Lipstick
February 16, 2012
I had three people send me a link to the Washingtonian article “Killer App.” On the surface, the write up is about search and content processing, predictive analytics, and the value of these next generation solutions. Underneath the surface, I see more of a public relations piece. but that’s just my opinion.
Let me point out that the article was more of a political write up than a technology article. Palantir, in my opinion, has been pounding the pavement, taking journalists to Starbuck’s, and working overtime. The effort is understandable. In 2010 and 2011, Palantir was involved in a dispute with i2 Group, now a unit of IBM, about intellectual property. The case was resolved and the terms of the settlement were not revealed. I know zero about the legal hassles but I did pick up some information that suggested the i2 Group was not pleased with Palantir’s ability to parse Analyst Notebook file types.
I steered clear of the hassle because in the past I have done work for i2 Ltd., the predecessor to the i2 Group. I know that the file structure was a closely held and highly prized chunk of information. At any rate, the dust is now settling, and any company with some common sense would be telling its story to anyone who will listen. Palantir has a large number of smart people and significant funding. Therefore, getting publicity to support marketing is a standard business practice.
Now what’s with the Washingtonian article? First, the Washington is a consumer publication aimed at the affluent, socially aware folks who live in the District, Maryland, and Virginia. The story kicks off with a description of Palantir’s system which can parse disparate information and make sense of items which would be otherwise lost in the flood of data rushing through most organizations today. The article said:
To conduct what became known as Operation Fallen Hero, investigators turned to a little-known Silicon Valley software company called Palantir Technologies. Palantir’s expertise is in finding connections among people, places, and events in large repositories of electronic data. Federal agents had amassed a trove of reporting on the drug cartels, their members, their funding mechanisms and smuggling routes.
Then the leap:
Officials were so impressed with Palantir’s software that seven months later they bought licenses for 1,150 investigators and analysts across the country. The total price, including training, was $7.5 million a year. The government chose not to seek a bid from some of Palantir’s competitors because, officials said, analysts had already tried three products and each “failed to provide the necessary comprehensive solution on missions where our agents risk life and limb.” As far as Washington was concerned, only Palantir would do. Such an endorsement would be remarkable if it were unique. But over the past three years, Palantir, whose Washington office in Tysons Corner is just six miles from the CIA’s headquarters, has become a darling of the US law-enforcement and national-security establishment. Other agencies now use Palantir for some variation on the challenge that bedeviled analysts in Operation Fallen Hero—how to organize and catalog intimidating amounts of data and then find meaningful insights that humans alone usually can’t.
Sounds good. The only issue is that there are a number of companies delivering this type of solution. The competitors range from vendors of SharePoint add ins to In-Q-Tel funded Digital Reasoning to JackBe, a mash up and fusion outfit in Silver Spring, Maryland. Even Google is in the game via its backing of Recorded Future, a company which asserts that it can predict what will happen. There are quite sophisticated services provided by low profile SAIC and SRA International. I would toss in my former employers Halliburton and Booz, Allen & Hamilton, but these firms are not limited to one particular government solution. Bottom line: There are quite a few heavy hitters in this market space. Many of them outpace Palantir’s technology and Palantir’s business methods, in my opinion
In short, Palantir is a relative newcomer in a field of superstar technology companies. In my opinion, the companies providing predictive solutions and data fusion systems are like the NFL Pro Bowl selections. Palantir is a player, and, in my opinion, a firm which operates at a competitive level. However, Palantir is not the quarterback of the winning team.
From my viewpoint in Harrod’s Creek, the Washingtonian writes about Palantir without providing substantive context. In-Q-Tel funds many organizations and has taken heat because many of these firms’ solutions are stand alone systems. Integrations without legal blow back is important. Firms which end up in messy litigation increase security risks; they do not reduce security risks. Short cuts are not unknown in Washington political circles. It is important to work with companies which demonstrate high value behaviors, avoid political and legal mud fights, and deliver value over time.
The Washingtonian article tells an interesting story, but it is a bit like a short story. Reality has been shaped I believe. Palantir is presented out of context, and I think that the article is interesting for three reasons:
- What it asserts about a company which is one of a number of firms providing next generation intelligence solutions
- The magazine itself which presented a story which reminded me of a television late night advertorial
- The political agenda which reveals something about Washington journalism.
In short, an quite good example of 21st century “real” journalism. That lipstick looks good. Does it contain lead?
Stephen E Arnold, February 16, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Discover Point: Search Shows the Unseen
February 16, 2012
Discover Point comes at search and retrieval with the “automatically connect people with highly relevant information.” I find this interesting because it makes search into a collaborative type of solution. Different from a search enable application, Discover Point pops up a conceptual level. After all, who wants another app. When I need information, I usually end up talking to an informed individual.
Government Computer News reported on this approach in the write up “An Info and Expertise Concierge for the Office.” GCN perceives Discover Point as having a solution for the US government which “prevents agencies from constantly reinventing the wheel and instead helps users move forward with new tasks and projects…” This is an interesting marketing angle because it shifts from assertions that few understand such as semantics, ontologies, and facets.
GCN continues:
DiscoverPoint from Discover Technologies is designed to point users in the direction of the most relevant information and subject-matter experts within the shared platform environment. As your job focus changes, so do the searches that DiscoverPoint makes….But the really cool things start happening after you’ve been using the system for a while. As more personnel and documents relevant to what you are doing become available on the system, they will show up on your discovery page.
The idea of having a system “discover” information appeals to the GCN professionals giving Discover Point a test drive.
Discover Point is compatible with SharePoint, Microsoft’s ubiquitous content management, collaboration, search, and kitchen sink solution. Discover Point’s news release emphasizes that the firm’s approach in unique. See “Discover Point Software Selected Product of the Month by Government Computer News.” The Discover Point Web site picks up this theme:
Discover Technologies’ approach is truly unique, in that we do not require the manual creation of databases or MySites or other repositories to understand the needs of each and every user. We continuously analyze the content they dwell in, and establish an understanding of the users’ interests based on that content. Once this user understanding is gained, and this happens very quickly, then the proactive delivery of information and ‘people’ is enabled and the cost savings and quality benefits are realized.
Unique is a strong word. The word suggests to me something which is the only one of its kind or without an equal or an equivalent. There are many SharePoint search, retrieval, and discovery solutions in the market at this time. The president’s letter tells me:
‘Discover’ is able to understand what your users need, in terms of both information and ‘experts’ with whom they should be collaborating. This understanding is gained via our patent pending algorithms, which are able to examine user related content and ‘understand’ the subject matter being addressed, and therefore the subject matter that each and every one of your employees is focused on. Once this takes place, our products can deliver both info and people to your users, personalized to match their individual needs. The bottom line is that you need your experts, your most highly paid and critical personnel, to minimize the amount of time they spend doing administrative or manual activities and to maximize the time spent tackling the key problems that they are uniquely qualified to address. That is what DiscoverPoint does for you, and it pays for itself in very short order!
The company offers an Extensible Search Framework and an Advanced Connector Engine. The company also performs customer UIS (an acronym with which I am unfamiliar). The firm also has a software integration business, performs “high performance data indexing”, and offers professional services.
The company has an interesting marketing message. I noticed that Google’s result page includes a reference to IDOL, Autonomy’s system. We will monitor the firm’s trajectory because it looks like a hybrid which combines original software, a framework, consulting, and services. Maybe Forrester, Gartner, and Ovum will emulate Discover Technologies’ Swiss Army knife approach to findability and revenue generation?
Stephen E Arnold, February 16, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Keeping Enterprise Content Alive
February 16, 2012
It is easy to dump content into one of the popular content management systems, but assigning value to that content while storing it and making it searchable is quite a challenge. Word of Pie weighs in on keeping enterprise systems alive, be it in SharePoint or through other solutions in, “Keeping Your Content Alive, With or Without SharePoint.” The author points out that the issue lies not with any one particular system, but rather with an overall need to refocus content management systems.
The author states:
. . . a strong collaborative system, properly designed and implemented, can give Content life. I think Billy (Cripe) puts it best when he says that Content should be exhibited. I think that this type of system where Content is developed and readily revisited and leveraged is great. It just isn’t the only way.
The author goes on to explain that the value of information lies in its context; therefore, a successful content management solution will incorporate the context in assigning value to the content. Fabasoft Mindbreeze and their suite of enterprise search solutions assigns this type of value and context to the content it manages.
Read more in the press release, “More Time for the Essentials with Fabasoft Mindbreeze.”
With the new release, Fabasoft Mindbreeze displays search results clearer and more structured. Index tabs break down search results in specific groups and topics. That way, users see immediately what documents contain the search term and in what context it is mentioned. With this structured overview, users find what they are looking for much faster.
Subsequent releases have improved on the performance of Mindbreeze, but the framework listed above remains the same. If your organization needs to bring its content back to life, include Fabasoft Mindbreeze on your list of options.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 16, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
SharePoint Veteran Discusses Mistake Trends Among New Developers
February 15, 2012
In “5 Common Mistakes Made by New SharePoint Developers,” James Love discusses ways new solutions developers can avoid some common SharePoint mistakes. Love covers a number of important tenants developers should keep in mind when asked to develop a solution in the farm, including doing the right research, asking the right questions, and understanding best practices.
One way to avoid many mistakes is by first understanding and researching what the SharePoint platform can do. Love explains:
Let’s face it. SharePoint is big. Massive. Enormous. Possibly bloated, even. It can do one hell of a lot of things, and one of the things that trips up a developer when asked to do something in SharePoint, is that they might not realize that SharePoint already does part of what they need. So they end up reinventing the wheel. Sometimes reinventing the wheel means you end up with a bigger wheel, but also you will have to look after and support that wheel for when it breaks, and you may also have wasted a load of time making that bigger wheel. Sometimes though, the wheel that comes with SharePoint might be square shaped, and thus not do what is required, forcing one to reinvent it. Always find out if you can if SharePoint can already do something that you need it to, before embarking on development effort to build something.
It is definitely a worthy read for new developers and a good way to learn from someone who has been through the mistakes before.
Instead of reinventing a square wheel that doesn’t do what you need in SharePoint, consider a third party solution. We like Fabasoft Mindbreeze. Mindbreeze gives your users the search and navigation experience they need. Here you can read about the Fabasoft Mindbreeze InApp – Development Environment. The easy to use tutorials will help you learn how to work in the environment, such as integrating a custom data source. To avoid common mistakes in SharePoint, check out the full suite of solutions at Fabasoft Mindbreeze.
Philip West, February 15, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Lexalytics and Document Summarization
February 15, 2012
No humans required, or that’s the premise.
Lexalytics which is best known for its text analysis engine highlights their text summarization tool. According to Lexalytics:
Summarization is an algorithmic shortening of the input content so as to best represent the whole content in a limited amount of words.
It all starts at the sentence level. The application is able to pick out the most important or representative sentences within the content and use them for the summary. Lexical chaining is involved in the actual choosing of the representative sentences. The company asserts that
“Lexical Chaining relates sentences via thesaurally-related noun” and regardless of where the sentences appear in the text if the nouns are related to each other they can be lexically related. In other wards the longest chain represents the best content and the first sentence of this chain will be the first sentence of the summary. The same procedure is done for the second-longest chain and so on. This is definitely a “chain reaction.”
April Holmes, February 15, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Metadata: To the Roots!
February 15, 2012
According to the Computer Weekly article “Diving Deeper than Metadata, Down to “Contextual “ Metadata” content management isn’t what it used to be. Social business tools have now entered the corporate world and they are a crucial part of content management. The article asserts:
“Systems of record themselves now face the additional challenge of not only tracking a firm’s own processes, but also accommodating for what Forrester Research defines as “out of process” applications from third parties or those that only happen infrequently.”
This new form of analytics is referred to as contextual analytics. IBM uses Lucene Search in its IBM Content Analytics program which uses “annotators” to help define the content management metatags. “Content analytics solutions can understand the meaning and context of human language and rapidly process information to improve knowledge-driven search and surface new insights from your enterprise content.”
Looks like IBM is focused on digging deep and getting to the root of the problem. Digging is good but the scattering of service after service, solution after solution, strikes me as a trifle untidy.
April Holmes, February 15, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Comperio Gaining Steam
February 14, 2012
According to the Comperio Search Matters article “Comperio Search Agreement with Norwegian Government Administration Services’ (DSS)” Comperio has signed one of the largest contracts ever in Norway with Departementenes Servicesenter (DSS) or the Government Administration Services.’
DSS is responsible for daily government administrative operations and finding “cost-effective and reliable shared IT solutions and services.” The actual Comperio contract is worth between 6 and 10 million Norwegian kroner and includes two years and a two year extension option.
We learned:
[The deal] includes the development of the search function on Regjeringen.no and new search solutions to future collaboration solutions in the ministries.”
”The delivery is a very important recognition for us in the face of new customers in Norway and internationally,” says Comperio CEO, Jon Ellefsen.
With such a big contract, and a possible extension under its belt Comperio is the current king of the castle.
Other business intelligence providers in the land better get to work if they ever want to overthrow this king. Comperio’s has a core competency in the search technology Microsoft acquired from Fast Search & Transfer in 2008.
Stephen E Arnold, February 14, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Enterprise Cloud Services Look for Security and Compliance Solutions
February 14, 2012
Christian Verstraete of HP’s Manufacturing and Distributions Industries Worldwide, recently published, “3 Key Reasons for Enterprise Cloud Services.” He argues there is a place for the Enterprise Cloud alongside the private Cloud and public Cloud. Focus on business critical tasks, namely security, is needed for enterprise cloud services to really take-off.
Verstraete also addresses compliance issues as related to the U.S. Patriot Act. The controversial act was enacted by the U.S. Congress on October 26, 2001 at the request of then President George W. Bush in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks. The U.S. Patriot Act gives both domestic and international surveillance powers to the Justice Department for monitoring American citizens and others within its jurisdiction.
So why does this impact Cloud services? Many in the industry have pointed out that Microsoft may have to share information without notifying the owner, which some, like ZDNet, says affected European Cloud adoption. Verstraete explains these concerns for CIOs:
Another area of concern is how privacy data is managed. Google faces probes over privacy issues; Facebook makes headlines with moves that cause privacy concerns. Ok, these issues are not directly related with public clouds, but the moves concern many CIOs. They want to make absolutely sure they are compliant with legislation, and so are looking for cloud service providers that can guarantee that and are prepared to put it in their contracts.
Fabasoft Mindbreeze uses information pairing technologies to combine your on-site data with Cloud information while addressing security concerns, including those surrounding the Patriot Act. Here you can read about the Folio Cloud by Mindbreeze:
Folio Cloud is certified and tested according to the most important standards for security and reliability: ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 20000 and SAS 70 Type II. The saving of data takes place in European data centers – the data remains in the European Union. Folio Cloud is based on Open Source software and is free from American owned software products. Access to European Cloud data by American authorities according to the ‘US Patriot Act’ is therefore ruled out.
Check out the full suite of solutions at Mindbreeze to find what works for you.
Philip West, February 14, 2012
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