Featured Blogs → IT Briefcase

Software-defined: Quest for the perfectly browned toast

August 20, 2012 No Comments

Around the beginning of this year I had offered some predictions about where networking might venture in 2012. Perhaps a tad behind schedule, but as if on cue, software-defined networking (SDN) has emerged at the front and center of networking this year, with VMware’s acquisition of Nicira. In this blog post, I am here to suggest that over a billion dollars later, this marriage’s ability to realize the software-defined networking vision remains, shall we say, incomplete. But you gotta start somewhere.

Big Data Analytics? You’re Doing it Wrong [Report]

August 15, 2012 No Comments

Business intelligence software maker Jaspersoft polled 600 community members on their organizations’ use of big data, and found some interesting patterns in the sector.

Retailers Chase Each Other with Heat Maps

August 13, 2012 No Comments

Heat maps use cell size and color to display complex information in an intelligible way. Aside from just looking cool, the heat map is one of the most useful and powerful data-analysis tools available in business intelligence.

Developing LEGO® bricks and SOA components

August 13, 2012 No Comments

In computer software the use of Lego bricks is often used as a metaphor for building systems with Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) components as discussed for example in this article called Can SOA and architecture really be described with ‘Lego blocks’?

Wozniak is wrong about cloud computing

August 9, 2012 No Comments

In a recent interview, Steve Wozniak, who co-founded Apple with the late Steve Jobs, predicted “horrible problems” with the use of cloud computing over the next five years.

Talend and Google Cloud: Big Data Partnership

August 9, 2012 No Comments

“Democratization” is the kind of buzzword one expects from politicians, not open source software developers. Yet democratizing Big Data has become the latest focus of Talend, according to the company’s recent announcement of its collaboration with the Google Cloud Platform Partner Program. Here’s the scoop, and what it could mean for businesses large and small with an interest in managing Big Data.

Hortonworks: Thinking about the HDFS vs. Other Storage Technologies

August 7, 2012 No Comments

As Apache Hadoop has risen in visibility and ubiquity we’ve seen a lot of other technologies and vendors put forth as replacements for some or all of the Hadoop stack. Recently, GigaOM listed eight technologies that can be used to replace HDFS (Hadoop Distributed File System) in some use cases. HDFS is not without flaws, but I predict a rosy future for HDFS.

Woz Worries About Cloud Computing

August 6, 2012 No Comments

Cloud computing is obviously here to stay, but that doesn’t mean all of us like the idea of putting our personal data onto what is essentially a shared resource beyond our control. No less a tech icon than Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak expressed his reservations on this topic this weekend.

Is Executive Sponsorship Overrated?

August 6, 2012 No Comments

Most IT projects require the purchase of software, hardware and training for employees, as well as the occasional support call. This is a fairly standard recipe for most technology implementation success. Data quality initiatives, however, require much more.

Is GNOME in Free Fall?

August 6, 2012 No Comments

Between the arrival of both MATE 1.4 and KDE 4.9 and the emergence of SolusOS’ brand-new GNOME Classic on the scene, there’s no denying it’s been an exciting few weeks here in the world of Linux desktops. That, in turn, has made it all the more difficult to witness the identity crisis that has apparently befallen GNOME itself.

Get ready for the personal cloud

August 3, 2012 No Comments

I hear a lot about personal clouds these days — so much so that I figured it was a good idea to talk about what they are and the value they may bring.

Enterprise 2.0 a bright spot for software in 2012

August 2, 2012 No Comments

We’re seeing a second wave of social software aimed at a second factor: Focused applications in specific areas of the business and industry verticals.

The data center you dream of is in the cloud

August 2, 2012 No Comments

Last week, Amazon Web Services’ High I/O Quadruple Extra Large instance in Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2) made its debut

Small and Mid-Size Businesses See Productivity in the Cloud: Surveys

August 2, 2012 No Comments

For small to mid-size businesses, the cloud represents opportunities to level the playing field with larger companies with tremendous IT assets.

Big Data: Facebook’s next big idea

August 2, 2012 No Comments

The Facebook fallacy is that at its core the Social Network is really an advertising company. The problem is that “Liking” does not translate to “Buying” something.

Dreaming a Little Dream of the Ideal Linux Distro

August 2, 2012 No Comments

Here in the world of Linux, with hundreds of distributions to choose from, it seems safe to say that there’s something for just about everyone. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t all dream a little. While Linux is famous for its virtually infinite customizability, sometimes we may wish our favorite distro were a little bit different, even if just in some minor way.

Birst Enables Roll-Your-Own Business Intelligence

August 1, 2012 No Comments

Birst, the business intelligence start-up that I first wrote about last fall, is back today with an interesting new capability that combines data that resides in the cloud or on-premise into a single customized view.

Bissantz: The Wall (part III)

August 1, 2012 No Comments

We have to turn our databases inside out. As long as we are only saving (and not using) information, the time and effort we have spent producing and storing it was all for nothing. Read more about these and other findings from our large-screen monitor projects …

Bissantz: The Wall (part II)

August 1, 2012 No Comments

Last time, we unveiled the secret of our monitor wall. Today, we’ll go one room further and show you what else you can do with a wall full of on-screen parameters – besides, of course, stealing the show from the PowerPoint people.

Bissantz: The Wall (part I)

August 1, 2012 No Comments

Actually, we wanted to keep this to ourselves a bit longer. But before someone else copies it and takes all the credit, we’re announcing it now: Peeking through the keyhole is out. Panoramic views are the future way of working in financial controlling…and elsewhere.

5 Reasons Why SOA Grew Faster Than Expected Last Year

July 31, 2012 No Comments

E.G. Nadhan at HP picked up on my recent postof the SOA market’s sudden and unexpected burst of growth, and offers an explanation why the practice keeps growing, though invisible or behind the scenes for many people.

2012 Olympics Puts Big Data Through Its Paces

July 30, 2012 No Comments

The Olympics revels in structured data. The games measure thousands of athletes competing in hundreds of events setting countless records. Every contestant in every competition makes his or her mark. And it’s duly noted, often with attendant metadata such as that day’s wind speed or temperature.

Tableau Ranks #1 in The Forrester Wave: Advanced Data Visualization (ADV) Platforms

July 26, 2012 No Comments

This week Forrester Research released its report on Advanced Data Visualization (ADV) vendors. We’re glad to see Tableau ranked #1 according to the 29 criteria defined by Forrester.

ITBriefcase July Newsletter

July 25, 2012 No Comments

ITBriefcase.net July Newsletter

Beginners’ Guide to Syncing Cloud and Mobile

July 24, 2012 No Comments

So you’ve made a decision on how you want to store, share and collaborate on your content and you’ve made the right one because you went for Alfresco. Now you want to go mobile and use your tablet or your smartphone for what they were intended for so here is a simple guide to help get you up and running with your free Alfresco Mobile app.

Shocker: Government Agency Drafts Sensible Cloud Computing Strategy

July 23, 2012 No Comments

The Department of Defense has released a cloud computing strategy that will move the organization’s current applications from a “duplicative, cumbersome, and costly set of application silos to an end state designed to create a more agile, secure, and cost-effective service environment that can rapidly respond to changing mission needs

Yammer want to Huddle? Those Crazy Social Collaboration Folks!

July 19, 2012 No Comments

Huddle, a competitor to Microsoft’s SharePoint software, thought maybe not everyone who currently works for Yammer would want to work for a large corporation such as Microsoft. So they were kind enough to extend job offers to the Yammer employees

Open source communities need simple social “hacks?

July 19, 2012 No Comments

David Eaves said the open source development model could benefit from some “simple social hacks” that will enhance cooperation and collaboration among developers. How long have you been so stupid? is not a question, he quipped.

IT Briefcase Exclusive Interview: Web Analytics and Big Data Delivery with Pentaho’s Ian Fyfe

July 18, 2012 No Comments

There is no question that one of the biggest challenges for Big Data today is properly filtering and putting to use all of the information that has been collected. Ian Fyfe, VP of big data product marketing at Orlando and San Francisco based Pentaho, outlines below ways in which companies can not only make good use of the information they are collecting, but also capture the full benefit of the data. Read More >>>

Business Intelligence For SugarCRM

July 17, 2012 No Comments

Do you wish you had a better picture your company’s reach within the marketplace? Have you searched and searched for a simple way to create reports that integrate all your data and have yet to find the right solution? Atcore Systems understands this challenge and our new SugarLogi Integration can help you!

Inside the Briefcase

Briefcase Highlights

Featured Blogs

TOPICS