Many of you that run your own Domino blogs will already be aware of Google Analytics – a free online service to provide high-quality statistics on web site traffic.  I have used it for my blogs and other sites for 18 months or so, and really couldn’t imagine life without it.
Well, Analytics came into being when Google purchased an existing company, Urchin, about 2 years ago.  Urchin made their name from the package that they sold to ISPs and hosting providers that could be used to offer stats to their customers.  Google took that package and made it available to all for free, which you can’t argue with!  However, there are still plenty of situations where you may not wish to trust Google with your site traffic data, or else where it is difficult to get the site to send data to the external Google servers (e.g. Intranet sites, or in very security conscious locations).
Therefore, Google is going to release an updated version of the Urchin package:
Today we’re happy to announce that the Urchin Software from Google beta is now available for download at urchin.com. Urchin Software from Google is a web analytics product similar in scope to Google Analytics, except you install and manage the software on your own servers.
The downside? The price:
You can download a 90-day version of the beta here. Once Urchin Software from Google comes out of beta, you’ll be able to purchase it for $2995 through the Urchin Software Authorized Consultants. Please visit the FAQ page on the Urchin site to see details on pricing, previous version upgrading/importing instructions, system requirements, and differences between Urchin and Google Analytics.
Still, might be worth downloading the beta to see if it offers any major benefits to you or your organisation?
