data mining

Intel finally shows off SSDs

Mehan Jayasuriya — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:40:36 -0400

Intel has been talking up solid state hard drives (SSDs) for a while now, so it's somewhat surprising that we still have yet to see Intel-branded SSDs on store shelves. That could all change soon, however: the company finally showed off its SSDs at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai this past week. "I played the part of Guinea Pig and had one of our pre-production solid-state drives installed in my IT laptop...I was unprepared for the powerful instant high it gave my system," Intel R&D fellow Knut Grimsrud said in a blog post. "Then the day came that my SSD was retrieved for data mining...and my original hard-disk was put back into my laptop. There's no way to feel the pain quite as intensely as having to go back." While current evidence seems to suggest that SSDs aren't quite that fast, there's no denying that the drives can reduce I/O bottlenecks. Intel plans to ship 1.8" and 2.5" SSDs ranging from 80GB to 160GB during the second quarter of this year.

For more on Intel's SSD plans:
- see this Crave article

Tech tool may identify disgruntled workers

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:59:58 -0500

The Air Force is developing a data-mining tool to root out disaffected insiders based on their email activity, according to an article in this month's International Journal of Security and Networks. This could be a big step for corporations that routinely focus on electronic threats from the outside and it may be the dream of many tech executives to find the divisive employees with access to sensitive data. No one has yet talked about the potential privacy issue here, but we are sure you already have a corporate policy that the office computer is only to be used for work. Or do you?

For more on development of this technology:
- See this CNET blog

More tech stories from the FierceCIO network:
> Manage your reputation online. Article
> WGA changes coming to Vista SP1. Article
> 10 great apps for Symbian phones. Article

Business Intelligence blossoms

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

Business Intelligence, for companies large and small, is alive and kicking in the private sector. There are many companies offering BI tools, including SAS, SPSS, MicroStrategy and Actuate, and you will see plenty of activity in the market space this year. "Go beyond the core tools of reporting and analysis and you'll see lots of data-mining and statistical tool vendors, as well as industry-specific developers," IDC analyst Dan Vesset told InfoWorld.

While a number of big companies--such as Business Objects, Cognos and Hyperion--were acquired by SAP, Oracle and IBM, there is still room for companies to flourish and grow, says Rob Tholemeier, a former industry analyst turned private investor. As Tholmeier puts it, "Clearing out the old-timers leaves a huge vacuum for the dozens of innovative players ready to strut their stuff.'' And as companies struggle to find new ways to use the data they already have, they will continue to look for the tools to help them take the information in hand to new ways to enhance the market.

For more on the bright future for Business Intelligence:
- Check out this InfoWorld Article

McAfee: Microsoft Visa a security risk

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 06:59:59 -0500

Are you worried about Microsoft Vista's security? You probably should be. Criticism of Microsoft's latest Windows operating system has been common, especially with regard to security. Now McAfee, an intrusion prevention and security risk management company, has identified Vista as one of 10 pending security threats in the coming year. Vista was not alone on the list. CIOs need to sit up and take note about all of these warnings.

The other threats include continued distribution of malicious software and data mining of personal information through popular online applications such as MySpace and Monster.com. Increased proliferation of Storm Worm, a malicious program that began infecting computers in January 2007, remains a threat. And don't forget viruses spread through Instant Messaging programs. What CIO does not have Microsoft Vista in his shop or plans to get it as soon as the program expands? It may be a big issue for every CIO system in the coming year. And we would like to know what you are doing to make sure your Vista system is protected--let us know in the comments.

For more on Vista headaches:
- See this CNNMoney article

Customer relationships are for people, not technologies

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Next time someone tells you they are implementing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to improve customer relationships, nod, smile politely and then change the subject. That, it seems, is one of Jeffrey Pfeffer's conclusions in his upcoming book What Were They Thinking? Unconventional Wisdom About Management. While CRM has garnered a lot of headlines--and cash--the truth is that while these technologies can cut the operational costs associated with serving customers, it is far from established that the actual relationship is enhanced. "Before you can manage a customer relationship, you first need to build or create that relationship. And customer relationships are not really built by fancy data-mining and statistical analysis packages that track people's behavior -- Rather, relationships and their quality are determined by what happens to customers when they actually make contact with the organizations that have so avidly sought their businesses and of all things, real live human beings."

For the excerpt from this book:
- read the article in CIOInsight

In favor of probability models

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 20:01:37 -0400

Peter Fader, professor of marketing at University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School tells CIO Insight that he hates to see companies waste time and money collecting terabytes of customer data in attempts to draw conclusions and predictions that simply can't be made.

He's got an alternative, however: Complement data mining with probability models. He notes that data mining can be good for certain time-sensitive analyses, but he does not believe they are as useful for making specific forecasts about what particular customers are likely to do in the future. For that, he says, different tools are necessary. "People keep thinking that if we collect more data, if we just understand more about customers, we can resolve all the uncertainty. It will never, ever work that way." He goes on to discuss probability models as an alternative to data mining. "Probability models are a class of models that people used back in the old days when data weren't abundantly available. These modeling procedures are based on a few premises: People do things in a random manner; the randomness can be characterized by simple probability distributions; and the propensities for people to do things vary-over time, across people, across circumstance.

For more:
- read this probability models article

ALSO NOTED: IT hiring is still difficult; Technology for road warriors;

Mon, 07 May 2007 20:01:38 -0400

> IT managers face crunch in filling open positions. Article

> Technology for road warriors. Article

> Data mining: Customer data knocking at your door. Article

> Notes from Intel's Spring analyst meeting. Article

> IPv6: Ready or Not? Article

> How to get strict and savvy with data surveillance. Article

> Survey: Top execs bearish on IT spending. Article

> Choosing a PC for your small business. Article

And Finally… More stupid user tricks. Article

Intelligent business intelligence

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:01:39 -0500

Business intelligence tools have been steadily improving and they are closer than ever before to delivering what companies really need to help further their business. Over the past few years, many business intelligence tools have begun offering greater functionality and data mining capabilities. Today, cutting-edge business intelligence tools take a holistic approach to the business, incorporating what's important to sales and marketing as well as IT and finance. They are also easier to use, give managers the ability to look at data in myriad ways and create useful predictive analysis. The best tools have vital indicators presented in such a way that you can see what's important and drill down for further information, usually in a dashboard format.

To learn more about what's state-of-the-art in business intelligence tools:
- read the article at IT-Director.com

SPOTLIGHT: The bond that ties CRM to business intelligence

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:01:34 -0500

Customer relationship management (CRM) used to be all about using data to boost the customer service point. But as some experts point out, CRM today is also a huge aspect in making business intelligence pay off. All that data mining, storage and analytics is now a top focus for both business and tech leaders as it all ties to increasing revenue and productivity. Article

Related Article: Why mobile CRM requires a plan. Article

Defining analytics key to gaining data insight

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 19:01:36 -0500

Depending on the vendor and the business intelligence tool they're trying to push onto your desk, the word analytics can mean anything from data analysis to measuring call center response or data mining efforts. As one industry research expert notes, the term is so broad and defined so differently by so many players, that it can present a huge hurdle to IT leaders hoping to pull it in for various efforts. Gartner, an IT research firm, defines analytics as the capability to "leverage data in a particular functional process (or application) to enable context-specific insight that is actionable." Find out why it's very different from business intelligence. though there is some overlap between the two.

For more on defining IT analytics:
- read this article at BPM Today