Give Employees the Data they Need
March 19, 2015
A classic quandary: will it take longer to reinvent a certain proverbial wheel, or to find the documentation from the last time one of your colleagues reinvented it? That all depends on your organization’s search system. An article titled “Help Employees to ‘Upskill’ with Access to Information” at DataInformed makes the case for implementing a user-friendly, efficient data-management platform. Writer Diane Berry, not coincidentally a marketing executive at enterprise-search company Coveo, emphasizes that re-covering old ground can really sap workers’ time and patience, ultimately impacting customers. Employees simply must be able to quickly and easily access all company data relevant to the task at hand if they are to do their best work. Berry explains why this is still a problem:
“Why do organizations typically struggle with implementing these strategies? It revolves around two primary reasons. The first reason is that today’s heterogeneous IT infrastructures form an ‘ecosystem of record’ – a collection of newer, cloud-based software; older, legacy systems; and data sources that silo valuable data, knowledge, and expertise. Many organizations have tried, and failed, to centralize information in a ‘system of record,’ but IT simply cannot keep up with the need to integrate systems while also constantly moving and updating data. As a result, information remains disconnected, making it difficult and time consuming to find. Access to this knowledge often requires end-users to conduct separate searches within disconnected systems, often disrupting co-workers by asking where information may be found, and – even worse – moving forward without the knowledge necessary to make sound decisions or correctly solve the problem at hand.
“The second reason is more cultural than technological. Overcoming the second roadblock requires an organization to recognize the value of information and knowledge as a key organizational asset, which requires a cultural shift in the company.”
Fair enough; she makes a good case for a robust, centralized data-management solution. But what about that “upskill” business? Best I can tell, it seems the term is not about improving skills, but about supplying employees with resources they need to maximize their existing skills. The term was a little confusing to me, but I can see how it might be catchy. After all, marketing is the author’s forte.
Cynthia Murrell, March 19, 2015
Stephen E Arnold, Publisher of CyberOSINT at www.xenky.com
Zementis and Software AG Team Up
March 18, 2015
I learned that Software AG (a digital business platform for enterprises) and Zementis (a company that empowers Big Data insights) have teamed up. According to “Zementis and Software AG Announce Joint Solution at CeBIT 2015”, the new solution is Apama, an analytics platform. It is:
designed to rapidly process streaming, fast-moving and real-time data sets at massive scale to support intelligent, automated actions and rapid, insightful business decisions. Its functionality comprises event processing, messaging, in-memory data management and visualization. The Apama platform allows businesses to analyze and act on high-volume business operations and customer interactions in real-time. It rapidly correlates, aggregates and detects patterns across large volumes of fast-moving data from multiple sources, so that business decision makers can take the right action at the right time.
The software allows the user to design and visualize real-time analytics, connect to streaming and static data, and detect and analyze patterns in real time.
The system can be used for multi channel fraud detection, risk based product pricing, and risk based capital management. No word about the system’s application to law enforcement and intelligence tasks.
Stephen E Arnold, March 18, 2015
Stephen E Arnold, Publisher of CyberOSINT at www.xenky.com
Swiftype Raises More Money for Web Site Search
March 16, 2015
TechCrunch tells us that search startup “Swiftype Raises $13M More For Its Starter Site And App Search.” Swiftype’s mission is pretty straightforward: they want to create customizable search tools that do not suck (TechCrunch’s own language). You have to admit that it is a bold move, considering many out-of-the-box solutions do stink worse than dial-up from 1995 and open source (while it is free and awesome) requires a bit of developer experience. Swiftype takes the guesswork and makes a tailored solution without the hassle or developer experience.
While Swiftype originally started out for Web sites, they have moved into other areas:
“On the other hand, online publishers might not be the most lucrative customer base, so while co-founders Matt Riley and Quin Hoxie told me they still support publishers (and we still use Swiftype at TechCrunch), they’ve also expanded into other areas, particularly knowledge bases (basically, FAQs and customer support sites) and e-commerce.”
The search company will use the $13 million will probably invest the money to expand its already popular search tools. New Enterprise Associates led the Series B funding and they were used for the original Series A round. Swiftype used New Enterprise Associates to form a long-term partnership.
Whitney Grace, March 16, 2015
Stephen E Arnold, Publisher of CyberOSINT at www.xenky.com
Square 9 Upgrades with Global Search
March 16, 2015
Square 9 Softworks is famous for its document management service and dtSearch is known for its document filters and developer text retrieval. The companies have partnered their technology on Square 9’s SmartSearch Document Management product line. The San Diego Times shares with us a new development from another team-up: “Square 9’s Award-Winning SmartSearch Document Management Installs Now Include GlobalSearch Embedding The dtSearch Engine.”
SmartSearch products will feature the new GlobalSearch, which enables intranet access to all SmartSearch repositories. SmartSearch is marketed as an out-of-the-box file management system for small businesses and enterprises. The GlobalSearch only improves the product line:
“Square 9’s GlobalSearch platform extends the reach of a SmartSearch installation by delivering anywhere, anytime access to documents from any browser or mobile device. Mobile users can search a single repository or across an entire database quickly and easily, locating exactly what they need. With their documents in hand, GlobalSearch users can securely take whatever action necessary to continue the flow of business information. Features include not only complete navigation and editing, but also automated routing, automatic notification and granular document security.”
An improvement on already highly praised product will only increase Square 9’s sales. Why is it hard for other out-of-the-box solutions to provide such ease of use?
Whitney Grace, March 16, 2015
Stephen E Arnold, Publisher of CyberOSINT at www.xenky.com
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