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The Connecticut FileMaker Developer’s Group will be hosting the next meeting on May 21st at 10:00 AM in the Student Center at the Central Connecticut State University. Tim Neudecker from Kyo Logic will demonstrate the synchronization tool Mirror Sync 2.0 from 360works.com We will also start our special project. Rich Austin will present his needs requirements to the group for an inventory tracking system for fire trucks. The group will discuss the possible ways FileMaker can fit into the work flow, and direct Rich in the building of the solution. ——————– Connecticut FileMaker Developer’s Group Meeting Wednesday, May 21st, 2014 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Student Center Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT 06053 View the e-mail meeting notice. Subscribe to the mailing list.

While New York City is trying to stake a claim as the Silicon Valley of the east, with varying levels of success, there are surrounding areas that want a piece of that title. While Boston has long been the title holder, Connecticut is starting to make some waves.

According to a recent article from The New Haven Courant, despite only being a few months into 2014, Connecticut has already experienced more venture capital poured into the IT landscape than it has in years. So far there have been three major investments that tally $189 million.

The piece cites a MoneyTree Report that found the first quarter of 2014 was more than three times as large as any quarter in the previous two years. While the focal point is on the three major deals, there are several other partnerships that total an additional $12 million.

"The large quarter for tech investments does not necessarily mark a trend, as venture capital deals don't follow a clear pattern from quarter to quarter," the article reads. "But the New York metro region, which includes Fairfield and New Haven counties, has had two straight quarters with deal levels not seen since 2001."

The article adds that so far in 2014, $9.5 billion has been invested in tech firms. That is the highest number since early 2001.

The Connecticut technology landscape is of to a stellar 2014. This is the perfect time for local companies that were considering investing in new hardware and software to start doing so by partnering with a local IT solution provide or specialty companies like a Connecticut FileMaker developer.

The business technology landscape is constantly evolving. For organizations, it is becoming increasingly important to keep an ear to the ground and make sure they are keeping up with the times. Organizations that fail to do that could find themselves outdated and suddenly scrambling to catch-up.

One area of business that has been evolving quickly over the last few years is the database. With more solutions becoming digital, the amount of information that is suddenly available is growing. However, managing all of this data has become increasingly difficult.

A recent article from Database Trends and Applications spoke with Anne Buff, a Thought Leader for SAS Best Practices at SAS Institute. The interview was held in preparation of the upcoming Data Summit that will be held in New York from May 12 through 14. Buff will be one of the keynote speakers delivering a speech called "Oh, Shift! How Big Data Is Calling for an Enterprise Data Rethink."

Her biggest point is that data strategies are evolving and many organizations need to take some time to re-evaluate what they do.

"Big data is still in its early stages. A lot of that is because people don't quite know what they are going to do with it yet," said Buff. "They know what it is, they know where they can get it but they have not quite figured out what they are going to do with it. Right now one of the biggest things is just trying to define what big data means to an organization."

With the help of a managed IT services software provider, any company can start revamping its strategies and improve how it uses data.

The Connecticut FileMaker Developer’s Group will be hosting the next meeting on March 12th at 10:00 AM in the Student Center at the Central Connecticut State University. We will have a round table show and tell about our favorite new things in FileMaker 13. Bring samples of how you have used the new features and see your peers samples. ——————– Connecticut FileMaker Developer’s Group Meeting Wednesday, March 12th, 2014 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Student Center Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT 06053 View the e-mail meeting notice. Subscribe to the mailing list.

Few organizations deal with bigger questions than NASA. While many companies have to deal with concerns about people thousands of miles apart, the distances that NASA is worried about stretch into the light-years. 

It's no surprise, then, that they would turn to Big Data. Custom web application development is a powerful tool, and for issues of the scope that they're dealing with, perhaps the only appropriate one. 

Round the clock, NASA has over 100 devices scattered throughout our solar system (including some here on Earth!), gathering information. They take in a lot of data — so much so, in fact, that at the Jet Propulsion Lab, parsing it, storing it and analyzing it is a full-time job. 

Because it gets so much data, sorting through it all can be a chore. The ultimate question scientists have to ask themselves is "what's signal, and needs to be kept, and what's just noise and can be readily discarded?"

To answer these questions, NASA turns to the use of complex algorithms. These computational shortcuts allow scientists not to have to observe every batch of data by hand, a task that would be literally impossible in the volumes that they're collecting. Instead, once the unmanned rovers, satellites and telescopes transmit their information to the servers, the process of scanning it and sorting it is automated. 

Kiri Wagstaff, who works in the machine learning sector of the propulsion lab, described the process that her division goes through when collecting knowledge. 

"Our software picks it up and makes a decision whether something interesting happened in the past five milliseconds. Our detection algorithm looks for correlations amongst all of the radio telescopes. If [an object is] popping up on all of them and not just one, they come together to make a quick decision whether or not to send it into classification," she told Forbes.

She's even more optimistic for the future of these devices. Wagstaff revealed to Forbes that there was room for improvements in the algorithms, especially in the area of better categorizing false events. As the algorithms get better, they will "learn" how not to prioritize these events. In addition, they will be able to move through this entire process significantly more quickly. 

For most organizations, the sky is the limit with what they can do with Big Data. For NASA, the possibilities stretch far beyond. 

For marketers, being able to use Big Data has long been a valuable skill. Understanding how to segment and describe different sectors of your customer base is the first step in providing them with a customized experience, and it takes a keen awareness of numbers to compete in today's digital marketplace. In fact, research firm Circle Research estimates that more than 80 percent of marketing professionals have turned to analytics in some way.  

Now, those same skills are becoming more and more valuable for executives. 

Big Data is no longer just about how to reach consumers most effectively. Now, it's also suffused throughout every aspect of running a business. In the past, learning how to use FileMaker might have been the domain of a single middle-manager. These days, however, these sorts of skills are becoming more germane to what it means to be a CEO. 

In an interview with Marketing Magazine UK, Drew Nicholson, the chief executive of dnx, describes the importance of these capabilities for top-level executives. 

"CMO's have been given the biggest opportunity they've had in 50 years. Data will give them insights and opportunities that they've never had before, but they have to do it well or they won't gain stature. If they use the wrong data then they'll lose credibility," said Nicholson.

Trying to decide the best person to lead your company? These days, the right candidate will need some facility with programs like FileMaker. If your organization is lacking in these sorts of skills, it's in danger of falling behind the curve. 

Much of the conversation surrounding Big Data is about, well, how big it is. The sheer volume of information available is a frequent topic of discussion, and for good reason: an absolutely startling amount of knowledge has been collected, quantities that were once unthinkable. While reasonable, this sort of analysis misses one of the primary benefits of the data revolution. 

Namely, that it's not just about how much information is out there but how much we can do with it. Through use of algorithms — rules that govern computational methodology — researchers can now solve complex problems with just a fraction of the time and energy. 

Consider, for example, Weatherhead University professor Gary King. One of his peers had a mass of information that seemed daunting. He estimated that it would take a highly specialized computer to get through it all, one that could cost up to $2 million. 

Within two hours, King and a group of graduate students came up with a solution. Using nothing more than an algorithm and a laptop, they figured out a way to perform the same task in just 20 minutes. 

"There is a movement of quantification rumbling across fields in academia and science, industry and government and nonprofits," explains King.

While it is undoubtedly exciting how much information can fit into custom database software, the real value in working with a FileMaker developer comes in parsing and analyzing it. Without the right structure in place, having a pile of data can be more confusing than enlightening. With the right support system, however, Big Data can open up the capability for truly stunning feats of insight. 

When it comes to Big Data, many businesses are at something of a crossroads. They have the analytical capabilities afforded by the FileMaker service, but also have decision-making processes in place still heavily tied to instincts. In many organizations, managers are unwilling to forgo their gut feelings in favor of a conclusion suggested by a database, and in such instances wholesale changes are rare. 

One of the major hurdles is that some of the conclusions suggested by FileMaker entail dealing with the unknown. Executives can be reluctant to fully embrace this concept, because they don't often have a personal history to fall back on that suggests that it will work. Thus, they consider it briefly, but ultimately default to processes they've already seen before. 

There's ample evidence to suggest that this is the wrong approach. The key to business success is flexibility and adaptation, and a company that isn't able to move forward with the times runs the risk of being left behind. Speaking to Zdnet.com, Guy Cuthbert, managing director at the visual analytics firm Atheon Analytics, described the potential inherent in programs like FileMaker. 

"I see a huge number of opinion-operated businesses that don't get why decisions could be made on data. I've listened to executives spout all sorts of opinions with no fabric or no substance behind them at all," Cuthbert said. "So if data animators and data scientists can do anything, it's to try and teach the rest of our peers in businesses that there are a fascinating number of facts located in their organization if they just choose to look at them."

Of course, this information is only relevant if it's properly oriented within the greater context of the business's mission and organizational goals: that's where an experienced manager comes in. 

The role of an executive shouldn't be to impede progress or to ignore the developments in technology that could help move his or her company into an industry leadership role. Instead, it's critical that a manager uses the instincts honed by a historical tie with the company to help contextualize new decisions within a greater framework. In that way, Big Data and gut feelings aren't mutually exclusive but rather eminently compatible. When used to support each other, they can help guide a savvy company to sustainable success. 

In a metaphorical sense, the Internet is everywhere. People around the globe share access to the same information, and can communicate with a speed and frequency previously unthinkable. 

However, the Internet is also everywhere in a much more literal sense. With the rise of mobile devices, more consumers have access to to the web from virtually anywhere. In fact, this spread is the catalyst for unprecedented growth in the amount of data that can be shared: estimates indicate that the size of the Internet will double within the next few years. 

This is big news for businesses that are able to take advantage of these changes. Mobile SEO is critical for drawing and retaining customers, and companies that don't keep these lessons in mind are in danger of falling behind: 84 percent of shoppers use their phones while in a physical retail location. 

Managed IT services software will play a big role in a company's ability to seamlessly integrate these lessons. In an article for Silicon Angle, author Ryan Cox highlights the need for this sort of development. 

"Big Data tactics + the drag-net that is required to capture that mobile data is the future of both commerce and communication. And despite being late to the party, search was invited. Mobile SEO is going to become the gateway to being discovered by the '80 percent' customer base of the future. With every passing day mobile SEO is becoming increasingly important to your bottom line, whether you realize it or not," Cox writes. 

If you're not considering how to use Big Data to engage customers, they could be gone before you realize it.