Is Linkurious an alternative to i2 Analyst’s Notebook?

Law enforcement and intelligence analysis teams are often familiar with i2 Analyst's Notebook, formerly developed by IBM. The software has been a go-to solution in the industry since 2011, but many teams are now looking for a solution that is more scalable and easier to use.

Linkurious is a powerful i2 Analyst’s Notebook alternative for intelligence analysis based on several different criteria. We've put together a quick guide to outline 4 major differences between Linkurious and Analyst’s Notebook.

In January 2022, the full i2 portfolio - including i2 Analyst's Notebook, i2 Enterprise Insight Analysis, and i2 iBase - was acquired by Harris Computer. The acquisition leaves i2 users with uncertainty about the future of the software they depend on and the support they can expect.

In this context, now is a good time to consider reliable i2 alternatives like Linkurious. 

Most i2 users are using i2 Analyst's Notebook, a standalone desktop application. As a standalone application, i2 Analyst's Notebook can only handle a small dataset. For this reason some organizations invest in i2 iBase, a proprietary database that acts as a backend for i2 Analyst's Notebook instances. i2 iBase relies on Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft Access which can manage larger datasets than i2 Analyst's Notebook.

The drawback here is that relational databases are ill-suited for managing complex connected data at scale. A graph database, on the other hand, is optimized for the storage and querying of complex connected data. With built-in support for graph databases like Neo4j, Memgraph, Azure Cosmos DB and others, analysts can use Linkurious as an i2 alternative to:

• Dynamically explore complex networks without suffering from slow performances
• Detect complex patterns with graph analytics to identify suspicious activities.

Linkurious also offers advanced features that let both technical and non-technical users get to the bottom of even the most complex connected data, including:

• Graph-powered alerts with customizable rules to automatically detect complex anomalies
• The ability to fuse and connect billions of data points from internal databases to external sources (OSINT, subscription services) to build a single source of truth

i2 Analyst's Notebook is a desktop application. It can be extended with other products in the i2 ecosystem such as i2 iBase. I2 clients are nonetheless restricted in terms of integrating the network analysis capabilities of i2 with other applications. 

Linkurious, on the other hand, has been built to leverage other tools (including open-source solutions such as ElasticSearch, Neo4j or CosmosDB) and to be easily integrated into existing applications via its web-based API. Users can keep costs manageable, since Linkurious connects effortlessly with existing systems.

Linkurious’s open architecture gives it the ability as an i2 Analyst’s Notebook alternative to:

• Leverage the booming ecosystem of graph databases to get the best performances at a competitive price
• Integrate network visualization and analysis capabilities into existing tools to maximize the value of your IT investments

As a desktop application, i2 Analyst’s Notebook is not built for collaboration. Sharing results requires sending a file. The person receiving that file will also need to install the software on his or her computer. The end result is two people working on two separate files - hardly convenient. Some of these limitations can be attenuated with the use of other i2 products. 

As an i2 Analyst’s Notebook alternative, Linkurious makes working collaboratively more intuitive. As a web application, Linkurious is installed on a single server and accessible by users via their web browser, no installation required. Since everyone is using the same application, it becomes easy to share information.

Linkurious also has a whole suite of collaboration features to unlock the power of teamwork:

• Tools to collaborate on graph visualizations including comments, tagging, etc.
• Collaboration on alerts and case management to give managers a clear view of their team’s workload.
• Ability to manage complex access rights to make sure the right people have access to the right information.

What about the capabilities of Linkurious as an i2 Analyst’s Notebook alternative in terms of investigating complex networks? i2 has added a lot of functionalities over the years to help its users, but these can be hard to master. 

Linkurious provides the ability to explore the full context around your data quickly and intuitively: style data, search and filter data, switch across layouts or edit data. Linkurious focuses not just on providing features but also on making sure these features can actually be used by anyone, including non-technical users. The software is designed to be intuitive enough to be used quickly and effectively with limited training.

With Linkurious’s intuitive interface, users can:

• Easily search and query your data, instantly visualize graphs with up to 10,000 nodes, expand neighbors with a click, undo-redo actions, display networks on geographical maps, and save your results.
• Customize styles, filter out noise, navigate data over time, and simplify visualizations by grouping nodes with common properties.

i2 Analyst’s Notebook has a long history and is well adapted for small scale projects with limited collaboration and experienced users. When combined with other i2 products such as iBase, i2 becomes more similar to Linkurious. 

If your project includes a lot of data, data from various sources, or requires extensive teamwork, Linkurious is a more natural fit. Similarly, if you want to integrate your network analysis tool with other solutions or if you want to easily onboard analysts without having to conduct extensive training, you may want to look into Linkurious Enterprise.

See the platform in action: try out Linkurious for yourself.