Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology Marin Dimitrov (CTO) WaSABi’2014 Contents • Semantic Technology – Fad or Future? • Innovation, Hype & Chasm • Lessons Learned Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #2 About Ontotext • Provides products & solutions for content enrichment and metadata management • Major clients and industries – Media & Publishing – Health Care & Life Sciences – Cultural Heritage & Digital Libraries – Government – Recruitment Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #3 SEMANTIC TECHNOLOGY – FAD OR FUTURE? Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #4 Life Sciences Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 Cultural Heritage Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 Publishing Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 Showcases & Talks at SemTechBiz Since 2010 • Accenture, AFP, Alcatel-Lucent, Autodesk, BestBuy, Boeing, CapGemini, Cisco, Daimler, Disney Media, DoD, eBay, EC, Elsevier, EMC, Fujitsu, Gartner, Getty, Google, IBM, Library of Congress, Lockheed Martin, Mayo Clinic, Merck, Microsoft, NASA, Novartis, Oracle, Press Association, Renault, Salesforce, SAP, Siemens, Statoil, Teradata, TIBCO, Walmart, Wells Fargo, Yahoo, Yandex Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 Knowledge Graphs Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 Top Information Management Trends 2013 (Gartner) Semantic Technologies Semantic technologies extract meaning from data, ranging from quantitative data and text, to video, voice and images. Many of these techniques have existed for years and are based on advanced statistics, data mining, machine learning and knowledge management. One reason they are garnering more interest is the renewed business requirement for monetizing information as a strategic asset. Even more pressing is the technical need. Increasing volumes, variety and velocity — big data — in IM and business operations, requires semantic technology that makes sense out of data for humans, or automates decisions Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #10 A Different Point of View Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #11 Big Data Hype Cycle 2012 (Gartner) Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 INNOVATION, HYPE & CHASM Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #13 Technology Hype Cycle (Gartner) Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 Time-to-value Gap (Gartner) Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 Time-to-value Gap (Gartner) • Performance – Consistent reliability, availability, quality • Integration – Innovation must fit into existing environments & constraints • Penetration – Critical mass of adopters required • Payback – Deriving business values, cost savings, ROI – Amounts and/or timing usually difficult to estimate Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #16 Big Data Hype Cycle 2012 (Gartner) Semantic Technologies on the Hype Cycles 2013 (Gartner) • Hype cycles for Web Computing, Information Infrastructure, Enterprise Information management, etc. • Related technologies – Graph databases, Semantic Web, metadata management, content/text analytics, taxonomy & ontology management, entity resolution & analysis – Positioned in the early phases: on the rise / at the peak / sliding into the trough Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #18 Technology Adoption Lifecycle Technology Visionaries Pragmatists Conservatives enthusiasts Pursue new Practical More risk Pursue new benefits Risk averse averse technology Over- Need to Not aggressively estimate ROI maintain comfortable Risk tolerant Risk tolerant existing with Not too No need for infrastructure technology concerned well- Need well- about ROI established established references references Easily handle Can handle new new technology technology Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority Late Majority Laggards 2.5% 13.5% 34% 34% 16% Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #19 Technology Adoption Lifecycle & Gartner Hype Cycle Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority Late Majority Laggards 2.5% 13.5% 34% 34% 16% Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #20 Gaps in the Technology Adoption Lifecycle Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority Late Majority Laggards 2.5% 13.5% 34% 34% 16% Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #21 The Chasm (Geoffrey Moore) Gaps: each group differs significantly from the previous one Innovators Early Adopters Early Majority Late Majority Laggards 2.5% 13.5% 34% 34% 16% Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #22 The Chasm (Geoffrey Moore) Low risk tolerance Early Market success stories are not a good reference Need a “whole product” (complete solution) to a business-critical problem More concerned about existing product infrastructure Prefer to buy from market leaders Technology companies unable to deliver the “whole product” because they lack focus – get stuck on the “chasm” CHASM Early Market Mainstream Market Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #23 Crossing The Chasm (Geoffrey Moore) • Identify one attractive mainstream market customer (niche) • Focus on providing the “whole product” for their problem – Partnerships with other providers may be required – A reference “success story” for other mainstream buyers • Become the market leader in the niche & move into adjacent niches – Bowling alley effect Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #24 The Competitive-Positioning Compass (Geoffrey Moore) Revenues Benchmarks Partners Product reviews Top customers Sales volume Full product line Trade press Business press Visionary Financial analyst endorsement endorsements Market share Architecture Standards & Trials & demos certification Technology press 3 party support rd Guru endorsement Industry press Industry analyst endorsements Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #25 LESSONS LEARNED Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #26 Lessons Learned • Innovations go through ups and downs before reaching the productivity phase – Customer: experimentation and patience often required before value is delivered – Customer: TCO often higher than expected – Provider: target the value gaps early: Performance, Integration, Penetration, Payback • Understand the technology adoption challenges – Early market success does not translate to mainstream market success – Different strategies for delivering value to Enthusiasts, Visionaries, Pragmatists & Conservatives Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #27 Lessons Learned • Follow the “chasm crossing” principles – Focus on an attractive mainstream customer / niche – Find partners & deliver the “whole product” (complete solution) that solves a business-critical problem – Use the success story as a 1st reference point – Move into adjacent niches (bowling alley effect) • Clearly convey the benefits of your solution – Not via a product feature list or benchmarks – Speak the language of the customer – How is your solution better than the current one? – Measurable returns and timeframe for achieving them Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #28 Clearly Convey the Benefits of Your Solution FAIL Ontotext brochure 2012 Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #29 Clearly Convey the Benefits of Your Solution WIN Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #30 Recommended Reading Crossing the Chasm with Semantic Technology (WaSABi’2014) May 2014 #31 Q&A Thank you! 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