Hadoop is too slow, big data is too complex

Seventy-six percent of data scientists say that Hadoop is too slow, according to a survey from analytics company Paradigm4. Data scientists believe the open-source software framework requires too much effort to program and isn’t fast enough to keep up with big data demands.

Ninety-one percent of survey respondents say they are performing complex analysis of big data, and as a result 39% of overall respondents say their job is becoming more difficult. Seventy-one percent of respondents say the types of data sources in addition to volume are making analysis more difficult.

Of the 76% of respondents that report problems with Hadoop, 39% say it requires too much effort to program, 37% say it’s too slow for ad hoc queries, and 30% say it’s too slow for real-time analytics.

The ubiquity of big data

Big data is becoming increasingly important for all enterprises. Ninety-six percent of midmarket companies with 2,000 to 5,000 employees are embracing the rise of big data, according to research commissioned by Dell and conducted by Competitive Edge Research. Eighty percent of the midmarket believes they need to better analyze their data, as they believe big data initiatives provide a significant boost to company decision making.

For small businesses, free and cheaper tools are making it more likely that collecting and analyzing big data will become a necessity in order to compete.

The Paradigm4 survey features responses from 111 data scientists in the US. Survey results were culled during a one-month span in March and April.

• What are the top social analytics companies?

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Kinvey launches Mobile Identity Connect to simplify security for app developers

Kinvey has launched a service designed to enable mobile developers to secure web-based applications with enterprise identity management systems. The goal of the service is to allow developers to devote time and resources to user experiences, while delegating security concerns to Kinvey.

The service, Mobile Identity Connect, is made with developers in mind. Organizations that create mobile web-based applications can use the service to add single-sign-on authentication and identity management without leveraging persistent connections to desktop apps, according to a Kinvey statement.

Kinvey created Mobile Identity Connect to enable developers to focus on identity management, data services, business logic, and engagement services with one single tool.

Demand for web-based app security solutions

“Most enterprise-grade identity and single sign-on systems were designed in a pre-mobile world, and don’t take the unique challenges of mobile technology into account,” said Sravish Sridhar, CEO of Kinvey, in a statement.

Last month, Kinvey launched support for beacon-enabled enterprise applications designed to improve the knowledge associated with proximity-aware mobile applications.

• What is the best free antivirus software?

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Industry voice: 9 questions you should ask before putting your data in the cloud

Cloud computing has been an industry buzzword for some time now, but has continued to evolve at quite a pace. Despite this, one of the predominant themes of discussion that remains is how to take advantage while still avoiding the risks of 'the cloud'.

The noise surrounding software as a service (SaaS) combined with cloud computing has become almost deafening in recent times. Although it's great for exposure and recognition, this hype can also be a detriment to successful adoption of a solution or a technology.

Prospective users can often find this is paired with unrealistic expectations, misunderstandings, and even disillusionment.

No doubt, on paper (or should that be virtual desktop, these days?), the proposition on offer from service providers and the Hyperscale companies, mainly public cloud providers, is tempting.

Benefits include limitless compute power, cheaper costs to run, simple pricing, global access, and end-user transparency amongst many more. It does indeed sound like a fabulous club to join.

Not so fast...

However, there seems to be quite a few catches that need careful thought before heading lock, stock and two smoking barrels towards the cloud. And most of them have to do with your data.

I recommend using the following checklist of nine major topics:

1. Who in your business 'owns' overall data governance and what do they think? IT, Privacy Officer, Security Director, others?


2. What happens if the NSA or GCHQ want to access your data? Is that a concern?


3. What happens if you want to change suppliers – either in an emergency (think what happened with Nirvanix or 2E2) or simply because a newer service might be better for your needs – e.g. the recently announced Google Compute Engine or VMware Hybrid Cloud Service?


4. What data structure(s) will you use? Open standards or otherwise?


5. What level of performance guarantee and Quality of Service do you have? Like broadband, is your service level dependent on how others choose to use the same cloud?


6. Have you considered any network distances involving the speed of light and latency?


7. Are you going to be breaking any laws - Data Privacy, Data location, etc. – by moving your data to the cloud?


8. How will you audit your data in the cloud, or across multiple clouds, if you need to? If you have one, what does your regulator think?


9. And, even if the cost for storing it is next to nothing, what does it cost to retrieve your data when you need it? How long will it take?

How to counteract industry concerns

Despite all this, for many workloads, especially those with fluctuating and/or very high scale resource requirements, no doubt the speed and cost benefits do, or will, outweigh any of these risks.

And, unlike traditional IT, cloud services don't have to be purchased by the IT department. So, there is no real way of stopping eager employees even if the IT or security departments have restrictions in place.

Most organisations will suit a hybrid of private cloud offered by cloud service providers who can offer bespoke IT and applications run 'as a service' in their data centres.

Alternatively, the hyperscale players who can offer global economies of scale for IT infrastructure, that are going to be difficult to compete against and replication in any other way is not an option.

Obviously, price point has been a huge part of technology investment considerations but as we move out of austerity, the flexibility and agility of elastic computing must be the key considerations for infrastructure.

Careful implementation

The key to this will be building a data platform that allows the IT department (led by the CIO) to offer users choices of services they have come to expect, but with the appropriate long term risks and the 9 questions above taken into account.

One unique and invaluable aspect of cloud computing is that you can enlist the vendor to help you convince management that the ROI/business value potential is there.

By testing the concept first, you can help alleviate fears and hesitation before signing a contract. This can eliminate any questions you have before putting your data in any cloud.

Specifically, ask about the ability to pilot the solution. You may still need to pay for implementation services associated with the pilot, but in the new world of cloud computing, look for proof points and results before you make a large investment.

Over the past 6 months, the industry has heard very few senior IT people recently say they are 'all-in' for the cloud. Although slightly ambiguous, one would hope they have thought about what they would do if they decide they need to be 'all-out' at some point in the future.

The cloud should be an extension of your IT strategy, not a replacement for one.

• In his role as Product Alliances and Solutions Marketing Manager, Laurence is responsible for driving market awareness for NetApp products across UK and Ireland.

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In depth: Sony Walkman at 35: looking back at the most iconic music player of all time

CoreOS unveils first OS-as-a-Service

CoreOS announced that it has secured Series A funding and unveiled two new products, Managed Linux and Core Update, one year after the company's Linux distribution of the same name launched.

In the company's words, CoreOS is particularly suited for very large, enterprise-focused server deployments, effectively delivering the world's first "OS-as-a-Service".

Patches are delivered as a continuous stream of transparent updates, in a way similar to that of web-based services such as Google Apps.

Memory muscle

What's more, CoreOS states that its Linux distribution uses 40% less system memory compared to a typical Linux server installations. This allows companies to delay any capital expenditure for servers and removes the need for major migrations as well as cutting down maintenance costs.

As for other Linux distributions, what you're essentially paying for is support with prices starting from $100 (about £60, AU$110) per month for 10 servers, scaling all the way to $125,000 (about £75,000, AU$140,000) per month for 100,000 servers.

A premium managed Linux support is also available with enhanced support over phone, email and chat.

• Stuck on Windows XP? It might be time to give Linux a try

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Android L vs iOS 8: what's different?

Android L vs iOS 8

The battle for mobile's soul is raging and there are only two heavyweight platform contenders. Google's Android and Apple's iOS are getting better (and more similar) with every passing year.

The latest incarnations, Android L and iOS 8, made their entrances at developer conferences, WWDC and Google I/O. Let's take a look at how they compare and work out whether Apple and Google are treading their own paths or starting to converge.

UI – Minimalism is in

Android L is a big change in terms of user interface as Google looks to unleash "Material Design", a new look that's consistent across Android, Chrome OS, the Chrome browser, and Android Wear.

It includes a familiarly sparse aesthetic with bold colours and a new typography. There are lots more animations for touch feedback and transitions between apps, there's more of a 3D feel with shadows, and a nested scrolling effect that slots UI elements out of the way when you don't need them.

Apple killed skeuomorphism with iOS 7, so major surgery wasn't deemed necessary for iOS 8 and it retains the same clean and uncluttered look - Android L seems to take a little from iOS 6 (with the more realistic designs) and some from iOS 8, following the trend for flatter designs.

Under the surface

The iOS 8 SDK contains more than 4,000 new APIs for developers, but apparently the Android L SDK trumps it with more than 5,000. Of course, everything depends on what those APIs actually have to offer, but Android L also brings support for 64-bit processors, which we saw roll out in iOS 7.

Google has finally dumped Dalvik and made ART (Android RunTime) the new engine, which should offer a significant speed boost. It uses AOT (Ahead-of-Time) instead of JIT (Just-in-Time) compiling, which improves a lot of elements, but among the primary benefits are general performance and battery life.

Apple switched to the Swift programming language for iOS 8 and OS X development, which is intended to safeguard against errors and offer improved performance for developers when coding for iPhones and iPads.

These are tools that will give developers the chance to make apps with fewer bugs, so we're waiting to hear the verdict on which will be the platform that has the best changes.

Notifications everywhere

The rival platforms are creeping ever closer in terms of notifications. Apple added interactive notifications to the lockscreen with iOS 8 and made them less intrusive with pop-ups at the top of the screen in apps.

Google has done much the same in Android L with notifications on the lockscreen that can carry you straight into the apps, and pop-ups at the top of the screen when you're already doing something. They're also newly ordered by relevance, based on your past activity.

For the 15% of people using PINs or pattern locks, Google has added a new authentication system that can determine when you're holding your phone using location awareness and attached Bluetooth devices and unlock it automatically for you.

It seems pretty likely that Apple will do the same with the iWatch when it (probably) launches later in the year, and along with TouchID shows the Cupertino brand is looking as much as anyone at ways of making your body the ultimate password.

Smartwatch compatibility

The Android Wear platform is rolling out for developers and the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live are available to order now.

Apps on your Android device will automatically download and update themselves on any Android Wear device that you link. They can also sync between devices, so you can follow a recipe on your watch and on your smartphone at the same time - which is pretty neat when you can simply tap the screen and start a timer if the recipe called for it.

Google looks like it's rolling out dedicated Android Wear apps too - which appeared on the Play Store then were quickly pulled - so it shows that the Big G thinks that wearables are the future (we've not even talked about Glass either).

Apple has yet to announce an iWatch, but the updated Health app and the HealthKit API for iOS 8 are designed to make it easier to extract fitness and health data, and the fruity brand's new wrist-dweller is set to pack all manner of sensors as it looks to become the ultimate device to show you just how fit and healthy you are.

Battery saving

Android L offers greater control over battery life with new enhancements and modes that enable users to fine tune how much juice apps can guzzle down.

'Project Volta' goes into depth on where your battery is draining and a baked in battery saver mode can make tweaks to extend its life. This saving mode is something we've seen a lot of Android OEMs adding in their UIs already though, and we'd have loved to see an 'extreme battery saving mode' like HTC and Samsung have done to really eke out the battery life.

Apple is lagging behind a little, but iOS 8 will finally bring a Battery Usage screen that actually shows which apps are leeching the most power when running and on standby, so you can make informed decisions with your settings.

Android Auto vs Carplay

Google's Open Automotive Alliance is growing fast with 40 new partners since we last heard about it. Android Auto will allow you to plug in your Android device and get a simplified interface with voice controls.

You can easily browse navigation and entertainment content, as well as take calls and messages. Once the device is connected you use the car controls, but the software remains on the phone.

It looks very similar to Apple's CarPlay, in form and function, and it will be interesting to see which platform the big manufacturers favour. Google and Apple are both pushing forward as quickly as possible and we'll see both Android Auto and CarPlay models on the road later this year.

Merging with the laptop

Android L will allow people to unlock their Chrome OS laptop automatically when their Android device is close. There's also a sharing of notifications, so your Chromebook can mirror your Android device notifications and warn you when the phone battery is low.

There's even some app crossover as some big name Android apps like Evernote, Flipboard, and Vine appear on Chrome OS.

Apple has done something similar with iOS 8 and the forthcoming OS X Yosemite with its Handoff feature, which allows you to pick up activities in apps on your laptop or desktop and start where you left off on your iPhone. You can also handle calls and messages from your iPhone on your Mac too.

Other highlights

There are plenty of other juicy features and updates in both platforms. Android L also offers greater integration with the Chrome browser, tabs now appear right next to apps when you tap the multitasking button, and you can dive straight into installed apps from browser results.

Apple opened up its Touch ID authentication for more apps, unveiled a time-lapse camera mode, and beefed up messaging options with location sharing and self-destructing messages.

We'll keep you posted on everything else Android L and iOS 8 have to offer as we find it.

Availability

Developers can get their hands on Android L and iOS 8 right now, but we'll have to wait a little longer for a proper release date. Our best guess is that iOS 8 will land on the new iPhone, probably in September, and will appear on older devices when the iPhone 6 goes on sale.

Android L is likely to be a month or two later, probably on a new Nexus device - we're hearing stuff about the Nexus 6 and Nexus 8, and given Android L will be here in the 'Fall', the likelihood is we'll be getting new Nexii, complete with the L treatment, in time for the Christmas period.

• We're still waiting on Windows Phone 9.

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Foxtel Presto added to Chromecast lineup

Foxtel's movie streaming app Presto is finally available on Chromecast, making Google's dongle more attractive.

When Chromecast launched in May in Australia, Foxtel announced that Presto would become available for Chromecast in July.

However, EzyFlix beat Presto with the launch of its EzyFlix.tv video-on-demand and video-to-buy streaming service on Chromecast in June.

Attractive 'casting

Available for monthly $19.95 subscriptions, as a launch partner, Foxtel is offering a month's subscription for Presto for free if you purchase and use Presto with Chromecast.

Foxtel also announced that News Corp Digital subscribers are being offered Presto for free for two months.

Presto is now available on select Android 4.1 devices as well from today, including Samsung Galaxy Note and Tab tablets, as well as the Nexus 7 and 10.

• For more info, you should check out our Chromecast review, as well as our Foxtel Presto review.

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