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Articles by Andrew Lucas:
Activating global teams
Monday, 2nd December 2019
Globalisation has produced a more interconnected world but this has also meant information teams are often having to work longer hours with fewer resources. Jinfo has spoken to senior information managers at a range of organisations about how they are navigating these challenges to create a more collaborative and motivated work environment. In this article, we focus on the variables needed to create a successful global team, what tools can be used and how to improve over time.
Emerging technology for centres of excellence: chatbots & digital adoption platforms
Friday, 22nd November 2019
Technology plays an increasingly key role in enabling information professionals to work with optimal efficiency and productivity. In this article, Andrew Lucas looks at how two emerging technologies - chatbots and Digital Adoption Platforms - could be used to improve things, if deployed smartly.
The importance of communicating strategy to your team
Monday, 18th November 2019
Jinfo has consistently highlighted the importance of setting a strategy to support the organisation and manage risks and opportunities but if it isn't implemented in the right way it will be ineffective. This article looks at the important role of information centre staff in communicating and developing a strategic plan and what practical steps you can take within your own organisation to bring this about.
Super users as partners and advocates
Thursday, 17th October 2019
Super users can be found in every organisation but what are they and how can they help bridge the gap between the information centre and the rest of the organisation? In this article, we take a look at some of their key characteristics and how the information centre can use them for awareness, training and feedback.
Mini review of Acquisdata and Reportal
Monday, 7th October 2019
Acquisdata is a business intelligence company that provides reports on key industries, companies and executives whilst its sister company, Reportal Snd Bhd, offers a company reports database which consists of full-text reports from global quoted companies. In this mini review we take a look at both offerings along with third-party information vendors who distribute the company's data, such as Dow Jones' Factiva, FactSet, IHS Markit, EBSCO, Thomson Reuters and ProQuest. We also find out who uses the product, the range of industries covered, as well as the different ways the data is packaged.
Technology update - auto-summarisation and web scraping
Tuesday, 24th September 2019
This article looks at auto-summarisation and web scraping technologies, explaining what they are and how they came about, and highlights specific use-cases. We also look at some of the key players in this area, including Moreover, which forms the basis of the LexisNexis news monitoring product, Newsdesk, Ozmosys, M-Brain's Opoint, Wide Narrow, and InfoNgen, as well as a number of free tools that can be used for these tasks.
Case study of Comintelli Intelligence2day in action
Monday, 23rd September 2019
Comintelli's Intelligence2day is a cloud-based competitive intelligence platform that provides a single point of access to multiple sources of information, both internal and external. Jinfo reviewed the product earlier this year and, in this case study, we see how Comintelli partnered with a Germany-based manufacturer to implement Intelligence2day so it could more effectively share information across the company.
The ins and outs of intelligence system APIs
Thursday, 12th September 2019
Interest in the adoption of intelligence platforms is growing, with organisations using them to manage multiple content streams and to enable workflow collaboration around the discovery and insights generated from the analysis of the combined datasets. Jinfo takes a look at the use of APIs within intelligent systems and at some of the vendors in this area, along with their offerings.
Mini review of Ozmosys
Wednesday, 4th September 2019
Ozmosys is a content aggregation, search and alerting tool used primarily by those in the legal and financial sectors. We last spoke to the company's founder and president, Eric Gross, earlier this year and in this mini review we take a look at the latest iteration of the product, how it is used, its value and its competitors, Manzama and LexisNexis Newsdesk.
APIs - what are they and what do they do?
Friday, 30th August 2019
If you're an information manager working with content, you'll need to know about APIs. This article looks at what APIs are, how they can be used, what propelled their growth, and the benefits of using APIs from an information manager's perspective. Plus, we examine what to look out for when considering their use within the organisation, along with some useful resources to learn more about them.
Wide Narrow in action
Tuesday, 27th August 2019
Jinfo wrote a full product review of Wide Narrow, workflow software designed to support the work of an intelligence team, last year. We were recently given the opportunity to talk to Anders Bretz, founding partner at the company, about how it works with clients to implement its software solution. We also take a specific look at a US financial services company and how the product was used to increase efficiency for its information resources team.
Product review of Factiva (purchasing, development and competitor landscape)
Thursday, 15th August 2019
In the final part of Jinfo's new product review of premium global news database Factiva, we take a look at its value, the help and training available, key future product development plans and pricing. We also examine the competitor landscape, which includes Nexis, Naviga's NewsEdge, and ISI Emerging Markets in the traditional business news and information market, along with Meltwater, Cision, D&B's Hoovers, Alacra, Manzama Insights, and InfoDesk in the media monitoring space.
Note: Full review (PDF) at https://web.jinfo.com/go/sub/report/3233
Product review of Factiva (technology - search & user interface; outputs & alerts; administration)
Wednesday, 14th August 2019
In the third part of our new product review of Factiva, global news aggregator, we explore some of its latest enhancements, particularly in relation to its search performance and interface. We also take a closer look at Dow Jones Intelligent Indexing and its migration to a full machine learning model, its API and wide range of uses, as well as the various reports that are available to administrators.
Note: Full review (PDF) at https://web.jinfo.com/go/sub/report/3233
Product review of Factiva (sources - content & coverage)
Tuesday, 13th August 2019
In the second part of our updated product review of Factiva, global news aggregator, we look at some of the content that has been added since our last review, as well as user feedback from Factiva's annual content survey.
Note: Full review (PDF) at https://web.jinfo.com/go/sub/report/3233
Product review of Factiva (key advantages, introduction and contact details)
Monday, 12th August 2019
In the first part of our new in-depth product review of Factiva, Dow Jones' premium news aggregation service, we highlight its key advantages and provide an overview of the company and product. In addition, we outline some of the main changes that have been incorporated since our last review and take a look at likely future developments.
Note: Full review (PDF) at https://web.jinfo.com/go/sub/report/3233
Coping with reorganisation - working with a new reporting line
Monday, 29th July 2019
The information centre may be subject to sudden changes in reporting lines and often does not get a say in this. But when they do have advance notice, they need to make a good case for themselves to ensure they have a preferred position in any reorganisation. This article highlights some of the challenges faced by information groups who have encountered a shift in reporting line and the importance of creating or updating a strategic plan to ensure it's in alignment with the requirements of the new organisation.
Guide to value in the Jinfo Research Focus - benchmark information services
Friday, 5th July 2019
Jinfo contributing editor Andrew Lucas provides an overview of the articles, models, research and tools published within the Jinfo Research Focus, "Benchmark information services - progressing towards transformation", looking at areas from the importance of tracking time to reporting lines and how to identify your peer group for benchmarking.
The impact of changing reporting line
Thursday, 4th July 2019
We interview an information manager who has changed reporting line, to find out how that impacted on their services, stakeholders and how the information centre was valued and perceived. The article also includes tips and recommendations for others who may face a shift in reporting line.
My Favourite Tipples from a researcher in the information and knowledge sectors
Wednesday, 3rd July 2019
My Favourite Tipples are shared by Andrew Lucas, a freelance researcher, writer and consultant working in the information and knowledge sectors. Here he shares his go-to sources for information on digital topics, company reports and more.
Service complexity in the pharmaceutical industry
Friday, 28th June 2019
We find out more about the Scientific Intelligence (SciIntel) group at Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, the global French pharmaceutical company and whether technology innovations such as text mining and options for full text search are enabling them to handle complex queries more efficiently.
Alteryx - applying technology to real world problems
Friday, 31st May 2019
This article looks at some of the issues explored in a recent webinar held by Alteryx, the data science and analytics software company, and presented by Nick Jewell and Sumit Paul-Choudhury. It looked at the history of computing and artificial intelligence and some of the issues that have started to emerge from its use. It also focused on the use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and ends with a useful checklist for AI projects.
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