Thursday, February 28, 2008

ARIS: the super-mugging redux

Last March, we reported how Juice Analytics, a high-tech company based in DC, had greeted the announcement of ARIS, the DOE's superexpensive supercomputer, calling it an $80 million super mugging.

Ah, the sweet smell of a swindle. Don't you just hate it when consulting companies cajole deals with hand-wringing about technology and, especially, preying on clients' lack of expertise?

Teachers are underpaid, hardly appreciated, and overworked. I can only wonder what the half-life is of a system that asks teachers to log on to get information delivered by the "chief accountability officer."

See the latest from Juice Analytics, after we sent them the link to the recent NY Post article reporting on how ARIS has indeed proved to be a super-disaster: How to Feel Better About Your Data Warehouse Fiasco.

Update: In the midst of the budget cuts, the wasted money spent on this poorly conceived and executed project seems even more obscene. See this letter from Councilmembers Robert Jackson and David Yassky, saying that the contract with IBM for ARIS should be cancelled, especially given all the problems with its performance. Hurray for them!

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