We love Fran Alexander, she's the Taxonomy Manager at the BBC and she publishes a lot of great articles on her site VocabControl: Taxonomy. And stuff.

The following is an excerpt from her posting on March 11th, 2012 about the differences between "search" and "browse". They are two very different, and very important, activities that are the backbone of every good digital asset management system. Fran does such a tremendous job explaining the differences between the two, we just had to share her post with you. We hope you enjoy it.

The Differences between search and browse

• Search is making a beeline to a known target, browse is wandering around and exploring.
• Search is for when you know what you are looking for, browse is for when you don’t.
• Search is for when you know what you are looking for exists, browse is for when you don’t.
• Search expects you to look for something that is findable, browse shows you the sort of thing you can find.
• Search is for when you already know what is available in a collection or repository, browse is how you find out what is there, especially if you are a newcomer.
• Search is difficult when you don’t know the right words to use, browse offers suggestions.
• Search is a quickfire answer, browse is educative.
• Search is about one-off actions, browse is about establishing familiar pathways that can be followed again or varied with predictable results.
• Search relies on the seeker to do all the thinking, browse offers suggestions.
• Search is a tricky way of finding content on related topics, browse is an easy way of finding related content.
• Search is difficult when you are trying to distinguish between almost identical content, browse can highlight subtle distinctions.
• Search rarely offers completeness, browse often offers completeness.
• Search is pretty much a “black box” to most people, so it is hard to tell how well it has worked, browse systems are visible so it is easy to judge them.
• Search uses complex processing that most people don’t want to see, browse uses links and connections that most people like to see.
• Search is based on calcuations and assumptions that are under the surface, browse systems offer frameworks that are more open.
• Search works well on the web, because the web is so big no-one has had time to build an easy way to browse it, browse works well on smaller structured collections.
• Search can run across vast collections, browse needs to be offered at human-readable scales.
• Search does not usually give an indication of the size or scope of a collection, browse can be designed to indicate scale.

Hello everyone, I had the honour of being asked by Microsoft to tell our cloud story at the launch of the documentary 'Ctrl+Alt+Compete' last week in Vancouver and I have to say, I was extremely impressed by the film. I was surprised how raw it was and that Microsoft didn't pull any punches.

If you're a budding entrepreneur and you're thinking of (or envisioning) raising money from a VC firm, I highly recommend watching this film.

Ctrl+Alt+Compete is a new documentary that takes a revealing look at the startup and emerging business scene through the eyes of 5 founders and their teams and tells a story of the passion, fortitude and insanity that is bringing a startup to life. The film follows these visionaries as they face the challenges and obstacles of making their vision a reality alongside the insights and analysis of seasoned, industry watchers and tech sector pioneers.

Ctrl+Alt+Compete has only been released to select audiences so far but here's the trailer to give you an idea of what's to come. As soon as the film is available to the general public, I'll post a link on our blog.



If you want to find out more about Ctrl+Alt+Delete, here are a few other links (all three are worth checking out):

MSDN Blog Post (lots of background information)
Facebook Page (join the community)
Twitter (good for quick updates)

If this truly does reflect what the future holds for us and the role that technology will play in our lives, imagine what the user interface of MediaValet will look and act like. We're imagining it right now and we can't wait for technology to catch up so we can deliver it to you.

View Microsoft's video on Youtube.

Posted by Techvibes Newsdesk, March 6, 2012

Earlier today, we reported that the cloud will help create 70,000 new jobs across Canada over the next three years. Vancouver will be a leader in this growth, boasting 6,000 new cloud-related jobs by 2015.

Microsoft's Release yesterday is generating a lot of buzz. Here's a great article by Russ Martin at Canada.com that focuses on the pervasiveness of the cloud.


Cloud computing to create 70,000 jobs in Canada
By Russ Martin, March 7, 2012



Cloud computing–the use of external systems to host data and even run software–may be at its tipping point: A recent study commissioned by Microsoft has revealed that cloud computing may create as many as 70,000 jobs across Canada.

Companies like Amazon and Microsoft have long been using the cloud to host their services but now industries outside of IT, including small businesses, are moving to the cloud.

According to John Weigelt, National Ttechnology Officer at Microsoft Canada, many of the 70,000 jobs will be in marketing, admin and other non-tech related fields; even plumbing or carpentry.

Cloud computing is expected to create as many 14,500 jobs by 2015 in Toronto and an additional 6,000 in Vancouver. But the impact will go far beyond the major cities, Weigelt said.

“Cloud has an impact across Canada. Often we think of pockets of innovation in the country, be they Vancouver or Toronto, but it’s interesting to note that the cloud has a positive economic impact across the Canadian economy,” he says.

As businesses spend less money on locally hosted and updated computing systems, they will have increased budgets to hire additional staff and focus on their businesses’ core offerings, Weigelt adds.

Suresh Bhat has seen the impact of cloud computing first hand. As an associate at Extreme Venture Partners, Bhat works with startups that are looking for their big break.

“Cloud has changed the way we make our investment decisions,” Bhat says. “We don’t have to invest as early in companies who just have ideas and don’t have a product. They can build stuff themselves using the cloud.”

The shift from heritage systems to cloud computing has had a big impact on the startup scene. “The cloud paradigm has really shifted the way things are. Five or 10 years ago, people weren’t depending on the cloud as much, maybe for liability issues, but now I think the cloud has become quite predominant now in the startup scene,” he said.

Photo studio turns data issue into cloud gold
By Christopher Rogers, March 5, 2012



Two years ago VRX Studios had a big problem. A global photography company, the firm was trying to manage a rapidly growing media library that at the time had just surpassed 20TBs. The digital asset management system it was employing could no longer handle the scale or growth of the company’s data.

Understand, in 2009 VRX was engaged in content production, management, distribution and licensing for roughly 8,000 hotels. These assets were not limited to photos of hotels, but also included hospitality and travel-related videos, slideshows, virtual tours, and interactive maps.

The Vancouver-based company used a custom-built asset management system and had grown as new clients came on board. As a result the architecture of the system was becoming too complex to support. The system was collocated in Houston, Tex., which complicated frequently-needed server and storage additions.

Having physical servers was difficult because of fluctuating storage and processing requirements.

David MacLaren, president and CEO of VRX Studios, said he needed a system that could handle the amount of data and users, and grow with the company.

“We also needed a system that could be easily accessed by our customers throughout North America, Europe and Asia,” he said.

The fact that the servers were hosted in Houston was a problem. It worked well for the company’s North American customers, but not for those overseas.

The terms were set. VRX needed a cost-effective, globally accessible digital asset management system able to handle large amounts of data, file types and users.

A cloud-based solution seemed like a natural fit, but MacLaren lamented that when the company went looking there was no product that fulfilled the firm’s unique needs. He described two options, both of which would require collocating to at least one data centre on each continent:

1: purchase a system that had all of the required features;
2: purchase a system that didn’t have all the features and customize it.

Azure

As neither optioned worked for VRX, MacLaren and his team turned to the cloud. While there weren’t many cloud platforms that would meet VRX’s needs, there was one that did.

In 2009 Microsoft was coming out of beta with Windows Azure, a platform as a service offering that could provide the basis for what MacLaren and his team at VRX needed.

The Azure platform would also allow the solution to be globally accessible at launch. That revelation prompted a massive shift in VRX’s approach to the tool.

The solution went from a tool built specifically to meet a single pain point to a product that would solve more than one issue.

The tool was custom-built on Azure and within a few months it was offered to VRX’s hotel customers so they could access the content that VRX created for them. VRX referred to it as its “Digital Asset Management Service.” MacLaren said the reaction from the customers was significant and many asked if they could use the tool to manage non-VRX assets they owned.

Expanding Horizons

MacLaren now had a custom cloud digital asset management product used by thousands of hotels. VRX called it “MediaValet,” but the system seemed a good fit for other industries as well.

“We did a little bit of online advertising, just to see if there was a market outside of the hospitality and travel industries and we were overwhelmed by demand,” he said.

MediaValet has since become its own standalone brand, to make it more accessible to new clients who wouldn’t be familiar with the VRX brand.

MediaValet now has clients in industries from manufacturing to real estate, construction to advertising. MacLaren, who now heads both VRX and MediaValet, attributes much of this cross-industry, cross-continent success to the Azure platform.

“I think Azure is going to do this for a lot of companies,” he said. The platform makes it easy to build the required tools and make them available cost effectively – keys for startups, MacLaren said.

“Platform-as-a-service cloud offerings are going to enable companies of various sizes, across industries, to reduce their IT costs, improve their productivity, and uncover new product and service offerings,” he said.

To view the full article on Channel Insider, please click here.

This article was written by Nelson Bennett of Business in Vancouver in response to Microsoft's Release yesterday regarding IDC's recent study on the rapid growth of the Cloud and it's affect on new job creation around the world.


Moving to the Cloud Creates Jobs: VRX Studios
By Nelson Bennett, March 7, 2012

Moving to the cloud could foster 6,000 jobs in Vancouver over the next three years, according to a study commissioned by Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT).

Microsoft, which uses its massive data centres to provide cloud computing, commissioned IDC to study the job creation power of cloud migration.

The IDC study concluded cloud computing could create 14 million jobs worldwide over the next three years, 70,000 Canada-wide and 6,000 in Vancouver – a claim dismissed by TechEYE.net as “drivel.”

Earlier this year, at its annual technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) predictions, Deloitte said cloud migration is happening slower than the hype would suggest.

In response to Microsoft's Release yesterday that extolled the virtues of the Cloud and how it's driving job growth around the world, Scott Simpson wrote the following story that appeared on the front page of the business section of The Vancouver Sun today.



Cloud Computing will Touch Off Global Job Boom
By Scott Simpson, March 6, 2012

Metro Vancouver is expected to gain 6,000 jobs by 2015 as part of a global trend toward adoption of cloud-based computing technology.

Research undertaken for Microsoft by International Data Corporation indicates that the cloud will support creation of 14 million jobs worldwide, including 70,000 in Canada within three years.



IDC foresees 20 per cent annual job growth related to cloud services through 2015 in Vancouver. The technology consulting firm determined that at least 75 per cent of information technology (IT) spending is consumed by maintenance of cash-eating legacy computing systems and “routine upgrades.”

IDC says businesses will shift from in-house systems to off-site, third-party systems to process, manage and store data – redirecting money to business growth and innovation. Transitioning out of IT could free up $1.1 trillion globally by 2015.

IDC reported worldwide spending of $28 billion on cloud services in 2011. Businesses using the cloud generated an additional $400 billion in revenue and 1.5 million new jobs. Half those jobs were created by small and medium sized companies.

This year alone, IDC projects cloud-based job gains of 6.7 million, led by communications and media, banking, and manufacturing.

IDC projects that by 2015 in Vancouver, small and medium sized businesses will add at least 2,900 new jobs as a result of cloud technology, Large-scale companies will add more than 3,000 new workers.

John Weigelt, national technology officer for Microsoft Canada, said in Vancouver that it’s a philosophical shift — and a financial one — as opposed to a technology issue.

The cost to start a company focusing on applications for smartphones and tablets ranges around $25,000, as opposed to $25 million or more a decade ago because there’s no need to invest heavily in computer servers or other infrastructure. Cloud systems like Microsoft’s Azure offer state of the art computing power through the Internet at a fraction of the cost of an internal system.

“People starting businesses have these bright ideas and when they’re seeking funding, the people providing the funding are looking to fund those ideas. They don’t want to fund infrastructure, they don’t want to fund equipment and hardware,” Weigelt said.

“By making use of computing resources on demand, you can put the money into the bright idea. In the mobile apps environment you don’t have to build a server farm. You don’t have to wait for equipment to come in. You don’t have to wait for software to be provisioned. You can plug into the web and make use of what you require, on demand.”

Cloud powers innovation, spurs sky high job growth in Canada and across the globe
By Canada Newswire Group, March 6, 2012



To view the full infographic, please click on the image above.

New IDC study says cloud will deliver almost 6,000 new Vancouver jobs by 2015; 70,000 in Canada

VANCOUVER, March 6, 2012 /CNW/ - Cloud technology is expected to create millions of new jobs around the world and will be an important force in inspiring the business innovation needed to restore global economic health, according to a new IDC study released today. The study, commissioned by Microsoft, found that by the end of 2015, nearly 14 million new jobs will be created worldwide, and just over 70,000 across Canada.

In Vancouver, new jobs related to the cloud will increase an average of 20 per cent annually, resulting in almost 6,000 by 2015.

The cloud is a web-based way to process, manage and store data - an IT solution so cost-effective that businesses of all sizes are moving away from the expensive maintenance of legacy systems, and instead opting to build on top of the cloud's common infrastructure. By using the cloud's global scalability, businesses can, in turn, invest those savings directly into business innovation.

IDC reports that worldwide, at least 75 per cent of IT spending is currently tied up with the maintenance of legacy systems and routine upgrades.

"By harnessing the power of the cloud, businesses benefit from reduced fees and equipment costs, and in turn free up IT staff to turn their focus to more mission-critical and strategic tasks," says John Weigelt, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Canada. "But we often overlook one of the cloud's most compelling benefits: by empowering business innovation and increasing revenues, using cloud technology can lead to job creation across all sectors, and in turn, drive Canada's economy forward."

The IDC also reveals several other interesting cloud facts:

• In 2011, more than $28 billion was spent on cloud services worldwide.
• In 2011, the cloud helped businesses around the world generate more than $400 billion in additional revenues and 1.5 million new jobs. More than 50 per cent of those jobs accrued to small and medium businesses.
• By 2015 in Vancouver, businesses with less than 500 staff (SMEs) will see an increase of more than 2,900 new jobs, while larger enterprise companies will increase by more than 3,000 jobs.

Our illustrious founder and CEO was on hand at Microsoft's 2012 Windows Azure Partner Summit in Redmond, WA last week to tell our Azure story. David regaled the audience of global ISV CTOs and CIOs with the ups and downs we've experienced developing MediaValet from a tool - to address our parent company's (VRX Studios') digital asset management woes back in late 2009 - to the fully independent, global SaaS offering that MediaValet is today.

On hand to tell their Windows Azure stories as well were Rob Minaglia, the VP of Strategic Alliances at CA Technologies; Art Haddad, the Lead Architect at Esri; Van Beach, Product Manager for Milliman; Ted Pendleton, Sr. VP, Numerix; and, Chris Ford, RenderMan Business Director, Pixar Animation Studios.

There were numerous senior Microsoft people who presented at the two day event as well, including: Kim Akers, General Manager, ISV Partners, Developer & Platform Evangelism; Tim O'Brien, General Manger, Platform Strategy; Scott Guthrie, Corporate Vice President, Azure Application Platform; Dr. Dileep Bhandarkar, Distinguished Engineer, Foundation Services; Steven Martin, General Manager, Windows Azure Business Strategy; Bob Kelly, Corporate Vice President, Windows Azure Marketing; and, Kevin McCarthy, Chief Financial Officer, Xbox.

In our minds, the best quote of the event was Bob Kelly's: "Microsoft wants to run the world's Apps". We heard this repeatedly throughout Bob's presentation and it's the first time we've heard it put this way. This is very good us as it means Microsoft will continue to invest in the Azure platform, making it better and better for applications such as MediaValet. If the past year is any indication of what's to come, we can only assume that the platform and the tools that support it are going to improve exponentially throughout 2012.

Thank you Microsoft, we're "all in" as well.

Cheers,
The MediaValet Team.

Our friends at Microsoft graciously published a new business case on MediaValet this week extolling our virtues and regaling readers on how we leveraged Windows Azure to not only build a tool to help our sister company, VRX Studios, reduce costs and increase productivity but also to transform that tool into a entirely separate business that now delivers digital asset management services, under a SaaS model, to companies of all sizes and industries all over the world. Thanks Microsoft, we really appreciate it!

To read the case study, please click here.