Business Intelligence Lowdown

Xerox Unveils Two Applications

DocuShare CPX and DocuShare 5.0 are the latest enterprise content management software solutions from the Xerox Corporation, which has used a single technology platform as the foundation for both applications. While DocuShare CPX will help users share data, and work together on important processes, DocuShare 5.0 features core enterprise content management capabilities. Both applications will help organizations manage their documents and other content in accordance with the regulations set by various compliance agencies. Database Trends and Applications reports:

Unlike competitive ECM products, DocuShare software is entirely Web-based; works across multiple operating systems and can integrate with enterprise infrastructure databases from Oracle, IBM and Microsoft.

What Compliance Tools Comply

With all the hue and cry over compliance with mandatory regulations, how many organizations have bothered to update and upgrade the tools used for the process? Not many, if you look at a survey conducted by Unisphere Media. The report, Beyond Compliance: 2006 OAUG Compliance Issues Survey, sponsored by Teradata, reveals that 72 percent of companies still use spreadsheets for their compliance management requirements, 66 percent use the reporting tools that come bundled with their ERP applications, while a surprising 43 percent still use paper-based aspects to meet compliance requirements. Only 33 percent use advanced technology like data warehouses as part of their compliance process, with an even smaller 25 percent deploying business intelligence tools for the task.

Support For SQL Server 2005

The newest release of SQL Compliance Manager features ample support for Microsoft's SQL Server 2005, including x64-bit environments and tailored alerts depending to the seriousness of the security issue. Idera, which provides management and administration solutions for Microsoft's SQL Server, has released version 2.0 as a cost-effective option for companies to automate their compliance processes and make sure that their SQL databases are up to standard. The Compliance Manager allows all accesses, updates, and modifications to data and security settings to be audited in real time. Information related to the audit is stored in a secure, tamper-proof central storage system. The new ActiveAlert feature allows you to set well-defined policies that identify and raise alarms on activities and events that violate corporate audit standards. Database Trends and Applications reports:

Version 2.0 also includes audits for over 20 new trace events, over 40 new object categories, impersonation data and 400 object types unique to SQL Server 2005. The Compliance Manager architecture has been structured to take full advantage of the new SQL Server 2005 environment, including using the new secure audit data capture, using SQL Server 2005 databases as the SQL Compliance Manager repository, and using SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services as the reporting engine.

Email Management Tool

There's one more tool available out there for those of you who are wishing for a god-sent plan to help manage your emails. Information technology management firm CA has integrated its CA Message Manager with Oracle Collaboration Suite 10g, Microsoft Exchange, and IBM Lotus Notes, to provide a complete email archival and management solution. The tool will not only store your emails, but also monitor them for violations and allow you to set a retention period so you can meet compliance and litigation support regulations. Database Trends and Applications reports:

A single point-of-control for managing and archiving messages across the enterprises is a necessity in today's corporate environment, Mike Gundling, vice president of development for CA's Storage Management Business Unit said. "Email needs to be treated as a business record."

CTP for SQL Server 2005

With Microsoft's Service Pack 1 for its SQL Server 2005 scheduled for an April launch, the company unveiled a public Community Technology Preview (CTP) of the software recently. SP1 is planned to be a new customer collaboration model that will have a separate release mechanism for security fixes. Microsoft is using the Transparent Customer Collaboration Model to gain the customer's feedback, suggestions and opinions and incorporate them during the development cycle of the service pack. Customers will not have to worry about delays in updating security options in their server since there is a discrete release mechanism for the same. The company can also spend more time on other updates instead of rushing things to expedite the security fix. Microsoft has shown a profound level of commitment to the product by extending the CTP model to it. You can use this link to download the CTP. 

Preserving For Posterity

What with the rapid changes taking place in today's world, preserving important documents and photographs for posterity is the only way future generations will be able to gain a glimpse into the past. Which is why document digitisation company iArchives has chosen network-attached storage (NAS) solutions provider Exanet to entrust with the preservation of its historical documents and pictures. IArchives is now using the ExaStore system from NAS to archive all files related to newspapers, libraries, universities, and law companies. Data Warehouse IT Toolbox reports:

The 2-node ExaStore system supports 75 iArchives processing nodes, enabling it to handle the necessary simultaneous connections and allowing iArchives to point all of its processing nodes at the system.

Location Intelligence Tool

If you are an IT administrator, there may be times when you would like to keep a finger in all the pies that are your geographically diverse and data centers. Well, here's a location intelligence tool from AdventNet Inc. that promises to help you do just that. With ManageEngine Applications Manager, a web application management solution, you can keep your eye on what's going on in all your data centers, no matter in which corner of the globe they are located. The tool monitors information by integrating its root cause analysis capability with Google Maps, and displays results on a single web console. The newest version of Applications Manager features web transactions, Microsoft.NET monitoring, an enhanced web client with integrated AJAX capabilities, and the ability to monitor application servers, database systems, web servers, mail servers, and websites. For more information before you buy the tool, read up on it here. Who knows, you may even pull out a plum!

New Database Modeling Tool

There's a new database-modeling tool available in the European market from the Czech Republic-based company Charomware. The latest release of CASE Studio 2, version 2.23 has been built to support the newest trends in database modeling and development. The tool packs in features that support PostgreSQL 8.1 and Advantage Database Server 8, besides being highly flexible and facilitating error fixing. It can also generate SQL scripts and detailed reports, automatically verify work, support more than 30 database systems, and customize using a template editor. The tool renders the process of database modelling simple, effective, and quick. A trial version is available as a free download on the company's website, for those who wish to sample a bite before buying the whole enchilada. If you wish to gather more information about CASE Studio 2, you can do so by following this link.

Microsoft's BI Offerings

New business intelligence software is now available from Microsoft that allows for medium sized companies to analyze business data through the use of analytics and scorecards. Users of Microsoft Dynamics SL can build, manage, and view scorecards and reports using Business Intelligence Optimization (BIO), which is scheduled for manufacture in May and launch in June. The software is priced at $3,600 for a basic version, which includes financial analytics and a two-user license. Computer World reports:

Users can view the analytical reports with Microsoft tools such as Excel, Office SharePoint Services and other Office products or directly within the BIO application. Microsoft developed the new BI software with channel partner NexVue Analytics Corp. BIO is built on SQL Server Analysis Services and integrates with SQL Server 2000 and 2005, Microsoft said.

Temtec Strikes Deal With Microsoft

Microsoft and Temtec, provider of intuitive self-service analysis and reporting business intelligence software, have signed an agreement under which Microsoft will market a private label version of Temtec's Executive Viewer along with its analytical platform. The software will facilitate easy access and analysis methods for users who access data stored in Microsoft Analysis Services. Data Warehouse News reports:

Temtec, a Microsoft Gold Certified partner, said the partnership will allow it to extend its presence into the mid market substantially and add value to the analytical capabilities of Microsoft's solution. Microsoft says the agreement with Temtec will provide its customers with a cost effective analytics solution that will allow them to amplify the performance of people in an organization, at all levels.

USB Ports Pose Threats

Gone are the days when organizations had to worry about data being compromised through the use of floppy disks and CDs. A new threat looms over the horizon in the form of plug and play devices that can hold a large volume of data, are portable, and can be connected in a jiffy to USB ports. Flash drives and iPods are increasingly being used as intermediate storage devices to cart around data and information. The drives pose theft risks where data can be stolen easily and malware menaces by acting as conduits to transfer viruses, Trojans, and the like.

This alarming trend is driving many companies to enforce encryption techniques and password protection methods to protect their data. Another method being used to prevent misuse of data is to monitor the usage of the USB ports. Reporting software is then used to list out what is copied onto or off a device. With hardly 10 percent of companies enforcing strict policies regarding USB port devices, there is a high probability of this avenue being used to launch security attacks and steal sensitive data.

Data Protection Pays

Continuing on the lines of my previous post where we saw how important data is to an organization, let's look at ways we can protect onsite data.

• The first step to clean data is good organization. Don't be an electronic packrat. Clean out that clutter, get rid of files and emails that you don't need.
• Constantly update your anti-virus software, spyware, and firewall on your system.
• Put in place effective procedures to encrypt and back up your data to a remote, secure location.
• Take a regular review of who has access to what data, and incorporate the authorization changes as and when they happen to prevent intentional misuse of data.
• Change your passwords randomly.
• Keep your recovery and original software disks in a safe and easily accessible place to ensure quick recovery from system crashes.

Backing Up Your Data

No matter how small or big your company is, your data is one of the most valuable assets it owns. So it makes sense that you provide it adequate protection. A good data backup solution is a sound investment in most situations. But before you spend those hard-earned dollars, make sure of what you are actually getting.

• If you are backing up your data using a service organization, find out if the process is done automatically or if you have to check if the copies have been made.
• Ensure security of your data during transfer by suitably encrypting it.
• Make sure that your backed up data is safe from threats like theft, fire, and natural disasters.
• Find out the total cost involved in the backup process.
• Know how to recover and access the data that you backed up, and just in case, keep a list of people you can call if you encounter unforeseen problems.

Deriving The Best From BI

Business intelligence has become the new buzzword in corporate circles. Even small organizations are implementing BI solutions to take more informed decisions that will in turn send their profits soaring and maximize ROI. But the question to be asked here is if enterprises are getting the foundation right before building the BI skyscraper.

The base and support of a good business intelligence solution is well-defined, good quality data. In a nutshell, these adjectives mean that data should be accurate and not be duplicated across various storage repositories. Redundant and outdated data scattered across disparate sources will effectively kill your BI system.

Good business intelligence can be derived from high-quality information, which in turn is mined from structured data. A good data resource and proper information engineering are the keys to effective decision-making using business intelligence techniques. A good data resource holds structured data that will return the most appropriate information in answer to intelligent queries.   

Information engineering determines how much information is needed to solve a particular problem, besides presenting that information in a way that facilitates easy decision-making. Different kinds of information can be drawn from the same data set. In other words, each set of data can be interpreted in multiple ways to derive different sets of information. Based on the organization's corporate policies and business plans, its BI tool and its users have to determine what information to extract from the raw data.

Data Integration Platform

A new data integration platform, Active Integration Platform (AIP), is now available from data and application integration vendor Sunopsis. AIP is a comprehensive set of products that take care of a variety of data and application integration needs. It incorporates three modules __ the Sunopsis Data Conductor that can manage a high volume of data integration requirements for data warehousing, BI, BPM, and data migration operations, the Sunopsis Event Conductor that can handle asynchronous application integration needs in event-driven architectures, and the Sunopsis Data Conductor that can perform all the necessary transformations in a database. Database Trends and Applications reports:

The Active Integration Platform is built around a persistent data and event database--the Active Integration Hub (AIH)--captures the superset of all data and business events contained in all systems linked by the Active Integration Platform. The two major features in V4.1 of the Active Integration Platform allow users to automate the processes required to create and deploy the Active Integration Hub. The Common Format Designer (CFD) is used to quickly design and create a data structure (data model) for the AIH.

Oracle SQL Developer

Database developers can now take advantage of Oracle SQL Developer (also named Project Raptor) to browse and create objects, run SQL statements and scripts, edit and debug PL/SQL code, view and update data, and build custom reports according to the needs of their development projects. The tool incorporates a code formatter and strings of code that reduce the time and effort needed to write a program.  Database Applications and Trends reports:

The tool is available for all releases of Oracle Database 10g and Oracle9i Database Release 2. Additionally, Oracle SQL Developer is certified to run against all editions of Oracle Database 10g, including Oracle Database 10g Enterprise Edition, Standard Edition, Standard Edition One, and Express Edition.

Ad-Hoc Query Builder

BI software provider MicroStrategy has added to its reporting capabilities with a new graphical interface for impromptu queries. Query Builder, which provides power users, developers, business analysts, and report consumers the ability to query operational databases without hand-coding SQL, is available with the newest release of MicroStrategy 8. Database Applications and Trends reports:

The graphical Query Builder interface makes it easy to select tables and columns and define joins visually. Power users with knowledge of the data model have vast flexibility to ask almost any type of business question with Query Builder.

Query Component for Multiple Relational Databases

A new data query service that eases access to data from multiple, relational databases is now available from data service management solutions provider MetaMatrix. The query component, MetaMatrix Query, streamlines development and maintenance of Java applications that use more than one relational database, by federating data from these repositories and optimising distributed queries. Database Trends and Applications reports:

With MetaMatrix Query, rather than having to write custom code to connect to several individual databases, extract the data and then integrate the data within the application, Java developers can embed a single data service component that handles interactions with all relevant relational databases, including a SQL query that spans multiple sources.

ERP Tops Dashboard Applications

A survey by Unisphere Media and Noetix of over 660 companies related to their usage of business intelligence dashboards has revealed that more than three fourths of them use the corporate tools with their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. ERP was followed as the top application by accounting and finance, CRM, IT systems, and human resources. Dashboards were also found to be used a variety of applications like project performance, budgeting, and uptime and downtime for machinery. Database Trends and Applications reports:

The survey, titled The OAUG Survey on Business Intelligence Dashboards, found that corporate dashboards were emerging as the "killer" IT application for senior management, and, over time, would facilitate the breakdown of corporate data silos.

Cognos and IBM Extend Ties

Cognos and IBM are involved in a partnership through which Cognos will provide IBM's Websphere and Information Management technologies as part of the preferred reference architecture for a special edition of its BI platform, Cognos 8. As part of the alliance, both organizations will jointly develop, market and sell solutions based on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) to help clients get the best out of their analytic capabilities. Database Trends and Applications reports:

"We have spent the last three years working with IBM to optimize our business intelligence performance management stack with IBM's middleware stack," Rupert Bonham-Carter, senior director, IBM Alliance for Cognos, explained. "IBM's middleware strategy really aligns with our principles of open standards, flexibility and agility."

Business Objects Connects to Oracle Apps

Business intelligence provider Business Objects has launched new integration kits that connect a line of applications from Oracle, including its databases, OLAP multidimensional cubes, PeopleSoft JD Edwards, Siebel, and e-Business Suite, with BusinessObjects XI Release 2. Business Objects already offers support for Oracle Fusion Middleware, the base on which future Oracle enterprise applications will be built. Database Trends and Applications reports:

The BusinessObjects XI Release 2 integration kits offer pre-built integration feature native drivers and security plug-ins that leverage the existing security infrastructure. Using the integration kits, according to the company, customers can access their transactional data through secured reporting, interactive dashboards, and scorecards while easing the management and distribution of sensitive corporate information within their various Oracle environments.

Removing Boundaries Between Search and BI

As further proof that vendors are beginning to realize that search and business intelligence tools are complementary technologies, BI solutions provider Information Builders has announced WebFocus Intelligent Search, a tool that permits search and analysis operations on both structured and unstructured data sources. The new tool is based on technology from the Google Search Appliance and Information Builders' iWay integration and adaptor software. Biz Intelligence Pipeline reports:

The system uses the WebFocus Server, Google Search Appliance, and the iWay Google Index Adaptor. The product is currently being beta-tested by a number of IBI customers and will be generally available in the second quarter.

IBM's Indian Sojourn

IBM has announced that it is shifting the design and development of its business consulting processes to Bangalore, India. The new Global Solutions Delivery Center in the garden city is to be launched at a cost of $200 million and will handle the development of IBM's solutions along with support from two existing development centers in India. The delivery centers outside India will be "remapped" into demo centers, said the company. Biz Intelligence Pipeline reports:

Staffers at the center will look for ways in which IBM's vast array of hardware, software, and services products can be combined into prepackaged offerings that consultants can sell to specific industries. One example: Teams are designing a system that uses telemetry devices, embedded processors, and mathematical algorithms to help automakers better predict and manage costs from warranty claims.

Illegal Data Mining

The scales have tilted in Google's favor in the tug-of-war between the search giant and the US government; score one for the common man's right to privacy. Now, the New York-based Datran Media Corp. has been forced to pay a settlement of $1.1 million for unauthorized use of nearly 6 million email addresses gleaned from various companies that used the lure of freebies to fool customers into giving up their personal information. Data Warehouse IT Toolbox reports:

"Personal information equals marketing dollars," New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said. "You learn more about consumers who you want to target in a hundred different ways and there's nothing wrong with that if you get the information properly."

IBM Simplifies Data Warehousing

The release of IBM's DB2 Data Warehousing Edition version 9.1 marks the second phase the company's strategy to decrease the complications associated with data warehouses. While IBM introduced the balanced configuration unit (BCU) in the first strand, the second phase integrates various existing and new tools into one bundle. DB2 has two editions __ Base and Enterprise. The Base Edition will include Cube Views, Data Modeling, OLAP Modeling, and the Integrated Installer, while the Enterprise Edition will have all the features in the base edition along with the Data Partitioning feature, Query Patroller, Intelligent Miner, the web-based Admin Console Alphablox, the Design Studio (with the Data Flow and Data Mining Editors), and the SQL Warehousing Tool.

BEA Acquires Fuego

BEA Systems has added to its service oriented architecture offerings with the acquisition of BPM software solutions provider Fuego Incorporated. With the purchase, Fuego's business process automation software has become part of Bea's AquaLogic product line, besides acting as the foundation for the AquaLogic Business Service Interaction product family. Information Week reports:

Jason Bloomberg, analyst for market researcher ZapThink LLC, said the acquisition made sense because BEA's existing tools for business process management did not provide strong support for SOAs. "Their existing process tooling wasn't particularly service-oriented, and service-oriented processes are clearly on the AquaLogic roadmap," Bloomberg said in an email.

Volante Certified By SpikeSource

Volante technologies, provider of platform-independent data management software for industries that offer financial services, has configured its products for optimal use with SpikeSource Spike Stacks like Java, Apache, and MySQL components, in effect providing its clients solutions based on open source infrastructure at reduced costs, with end-to-end testing and one point of support. SpikeSource promotes the implementation of open source stacks by providing free testing and certification services. Data Warehouse Knowledge Base reports:

Volante data management products, which run in J2EE and .NET environments, support a wide variety of solutions used by the financial services industry including payments, corporate actions, market data and trade processing. By working with SpikeSource, Volante offers customers solutions that are thoroughly tested and certified with all of the open source infrastructure required to run in mission critical environments.

Power Company Powers With BI

To prevent sudden power outages and rolling blackouts, power company Michigan Electric Transmission Co. (METC) is implementing real-time data analysis in its network. The company generates electric power from various sources and moves it to local distribution companies that in turn use METC substations to provide power to 6 million households in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The project, which was started in 2003, is expected to be complete in around 7 to 8 years. IBM is providing consulting and integration services for the project, besides data center services and software. METC is using IBM's DB2 database and content-management applications. The project aggregates real-time data collected from systems and devices in the electric network, and transforms it into something useful for the people who run the system, said Paul Myrda, chief technologist and director of operations at Trans-Elect, METC's parent company. The multi-million dollar project promises to enhance the reliability and efficiency of the core network through application integration, message brokering, data warehousing, and business intelligence.

Search Vs BI

In spite of the various differences between the two, search tools and business intelligence solutions are two sides of the same coin. Business intelligence tools perform structured queries into known databases, while searches run on unknown repositories. A search is based on the use of keywords; the appropriateness of the results generated depends on the right choice of the search text string. BI tools return a definite answer in response to a well-framed query, or provide a view to a particular set of data.

Business intelligence solutions that are standardized are more suited for queries that relate to a particular organization, as they return precise, consistent results through common interfaces used throughout the company. Searches do not provide the right answer to the question you have raised; more often than not, you will have to sift through the volumes of data that is returned to find the result you want.

One area where search tools score over BI software is user-friendliness. Anyone can perform search operations, while everyday users find BI tools hard to work with. Searches also work well across multiple sources with just a single query; this is not possible with a BI tool without a lot of work to integrate the databases involved in the search process.

In most situations, they are being used in conjunction with each other. Organizations are beginning to realize the need for data mining solutions beyond those offered by traditional BI tools, which is why traditional BI vendors are starting to integrate search tools into their BI offerings. Search engine vendors too are beginning to incorporate structure into the search technique, so that specific and relevant information is returned.

SAP Business Workplace Goes Mobile

To enable quick decision-making and efficient business processes for on-the-road professionals, SAP is pushing a host of its client and server based business software to handheld mobile devices. An alliance with the 3i Consulting Group has enabled the SAP Business Workplace to be accessed through any web-enabled mobile device from BlackBerry, Palm, Pocket PC and other providers. Search Mobile Computing reports:

SAP users can access SAP Workflow to execute any decision-based task from anywhere, including purchase orders, requisition releases, invoice approvals and quality notification reviews. Users receive an e-mail on their device and make the decision there. The information is immediately sent to the SAP server for processing once a decision is made.

Speed-Trap Ties Up With KMP

It's a marriage between e-business intelligence solutions and interactive marketing and technology. A tie-up has been announced between speed-trap and KMP Associates that will merge speed-trap's Prophet into KMP's solutions to provide precise user statistics and usability metrics. Data Warehouse News reports:

The solution will allow KMP to ensure increased effectiveness and profitability throughout the sites it creates, implements and develops for its clients, said KMP's managing director.

Business Objects Signs Pact With Noetix

Business intelligence solutions provider Business Objects has inked an original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) deal with Noetix to merge and sell its Crystal Xcelsius with the Noetix Dashboard. Noetix provides solutions that create business intelligence content from enterprise applications. Business data output from the Dashboard will be directed to Xcelsius, which will operate as the end-user layer. Biz Intelligence Pipeline reports:

The Noetix software features more than 100 pre-configured key performance indicators metrics, reports and trend charts. The tool can display metrics "regardless of which database or data source houses the information," the company said.

Information Classification And Management

Any organization looks to proper information lifecycle management (ILM) as a way to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The first and most important step in the ILM process involves the identification and classification of unstructured data. Information Classification and Management (ICM) seeks to structure and organize data based on the following criteria:

• Identifying files and information that need to be stored indefinitely, and associating the appropriate back up storage devices.
• Ensuring that confidential and private information like identification social security data are adequately protected from unauthorized users.
• Creating search and retrieve methods that ensure quick access to relevant data and information as and when the need arises.
• Identifying and eliminating redundant and corrupt files so as to correctly assess the capacity of archival and back up storage that will be needed.

Integrated Data Warehouse From IBM

The latest version of IBM's DB2 Data Warehouse Edition comes with completely integrated data mining and OLAP tools. Version 9.1 incorporates DB2 Alphablox tools that help in building custom applications with embedded analytics, WebSphere application server, Rational development tools, and other software into the DB2 Universal Database. Biz Intelligence Pipeline reports:

In the past, DB2 Data Warehouse Edition was sold as separate components that customers assembled themselves, says Karen Parrish, VP of business intelligence at IBM.

Integrating Business and Service Data

All organizations exist for the dual purpose of providing either a service or selling a product, and most important, making profits. In a move designed to achieve that, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare (ENH), a US integrated healthcare system affiliated to the Northwestern University, has deployed a data warehouse solution from Informatica Corp. PowerCenter Advanced Edition will enhance the efficiency of the company's operations, step up corporate performance, and improve the way in which patients are cared for. Data Warehouse News reports:

ENH reportedly plans to implement PowerCenter as the foundation of a new initiative __ an enterprise-wide financial and clinical data warehouse that will be built by integrating medical and business data across the numerous departments of the organization.

Image Text Search Tool

A new web mining and data management tool that works based on the concept of image text search is now available from QL2 Software Incorporated. WebQL 3.0 promises to help structure an organization's data and enhance and improve its search procedures by using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to read text that is represented as images in web pages and PDF documents. Database Trends and Applications reports:

Thus, data that was previously inaccessible, because it existed as an image, is now available for extraction and delivery in an actionable format, like Word, Excel or CSV. WebQL 3.0 also has a number of new enterprise-grade features. New grid computing capabilities provide limitless scalability for large data integration projects, according to the company.

Microsoft Plans to Take-on Google on the Search Turf

When I want to search for something my fingers seem to automatically type in www.google.com into the browser window. It not only comes spontaneously to me, as I am sure it does to millions of Internet users worldwide, but also seems the most appropriate place to start the search.

Microsoft Plans: The recent report by the European President of Microsoft Corp. that it plans to introduce a search engine that's better than Google in six months in the US and Britain only indicates the domination Google enjoys today. Microsoft believes being good is not enough to win the hearts and minds of consumers already dedicated to another standard. The Corporation feels the way ahead is to make its search engine available in a place where it will be most widely used like MSN and Hotmail.

Search Truths: How many of us really utilize the search to its fullest? Have you ever used a search engine to locate a restaurant close to your house that sells fish and chips on the menu for under $5 a plate or perhaps locate the best shopping deals on the net? Generally these days you get back URLs based upon research and chances are that 50% of the time you do a search and you don't get the URL you're looking for.

The Future: The search of the future has not only got to be fast and exhaustive but also specific to what the user is looking for. It’s a bit like going into shopping site and searching the site for a gift for under $50 and being presented with a web page filled with choices. I should be able to get the information I am looking for from the very web page I am in without being directed to another website or another URL

Internet Giants realize that they will have to better their search technology if they have to be in the run tomorrow. Microsoft’s recent move is just one small step. After all, if Google is here can Microsoft be far behind?

Google Desktop 3 Beta - A Critique

Imagine how wonderful it would be on some days to laze around and work from home. If only you could access your office computer from the comfort of your home. You just got your wish! Google's latest version of desktop search named the "Google Desktop 3 Beta" with a "Search Across Computers" feature.

Search across computers feature: Simply put, you can remotely access files from anywhere. The new ability to find documents and other file types with near-instantaneous results helps Google trump over Windows’ slow search function. Text files (.doc, .pdf, .xls and any other text based files) will be stored on Google's server and this is where the new feature comes with a degree of risk. While this new Beta desktop search has won Google its share of fans and critics alike, I view it with some skepticism.

The sticky area: Google claims that files so transported are encrypted and stored securely for a limited time and is accessible only to a handful of Google employees who will not peruse it. Just too much to digest in today’s world of heightened network insecurity. The transport of information outside the enterprise itself represents an unacceptable security risk to many enterprises.

Furthermore, workers will not always be able to reliably identify what documents should form a part of the shared category and what should not. There is therefore reason for everyone to be concerned. However, a switch to enterprise version where in administrators can use the standard group policy settings to completely disable product features, such as the Search Across Computer functionality, should ensure users cannot send documents from the work computer to their home PC.

Verdict: Ideally, I feel, if data had to be stored outside the enterprise, the encryption key should have been with the end user and not Google. While the concept of storing files in a central location is not new, I feel this has gone up to a dangerous level. After all convenience comes with its own risks. Don’t you agree?