Big Data -- Does It Make The End Of The Theorist?

Are computers going to actually become capable of understanding subjects like human history and literature? Is Big Data going to make your theorist "useless" much like the internal combustion engine made the use of horses as energy drivers obsolete?

Ian Steadman of Wired takes a look at this and draws a number of important conclusions...

1.  Big Data (and the processing power of supercomputers) and better analyses tools mean that massive volumes of data can now be processed within very short time frames. Once areas that have been restricted to the theorist can be treated as a big data problem, they could be analyzed as such with often very remarkable (or rather interesting results).

2. Whereas previous approaches to analyses depended on starting with a hypothesis and then stepping out to prove or disprove, Big Data gives the researcher the opportunity to spot real patterns that have nothing to do with previous bias. In other words, the hypothesis follows analyses and NOT the other way round. Seemingly unconnected data sets can eventually turn up interesting patterns that couldn't have been possible otherwise.   Read other conclusions here...

Big Data -- What Do You Want To Do With It?

You can bet that Big Data can help your business achieve a number of goals. It can help you cut down costs, develop better products, target your customers better and so on. However, it is important that you also bear in mind that it is "unlikely to realize" every benefit possible with it -- At least, NOT at the very beginning.

Thomas H. Davenport (a guest contributor at WSJ.com) stresses the importance of deciding what your business or organization really wants from Big Data before you set sail. He believes it is a very important question because it will determine a number of things that are critical to successful implementation.  Read these valid points here...

Small Businesses To Enjoy The Convergence Of Big Data And SaaS In 2013

It's a fact that many mid to large-sized businesses have experienced increased productivity thanks to the use of Big Data and Saas (Software as a service) applications. Marketing teams, for example, are able to access huge amounts of data that help them gain valuable insights on their customers' behaviors on their sites and how they interact with their products/services.

However, most small businesses have NOT usually been able to experience benefits like this. In other words, they hear a lot about Big Data, but can only imagine how much better their businesses would be if only they could implement Big Data analysis as effectively in their businesses.

Chris Luo (VP, Marketing at FiveStars -- Previously with Facebook and then Google Adwords) believes that 2013 will witness a change -- Small businesses will benefit from the convergence of Big Data and Saas.

This would be in spite of the fact that there are a number of challenges that stand in their way. But to keep things in perspective, he believes that the impact on small businesses will be different from what enterprises have experienced so far in a few key areas...  Read further on these key areas here...

Big Data -- Ensuring Effective Collaboration

With the explosion of Big Data, what happens when you have to execute large projects that typically involve many people (often in different areas of the world) and millions of documents? What happens as your project "generates a massive amount of intelligence"? You need an effective collaboration platform that will help your business benefit from Big Data without hampering any aspect of your project.

Leigh Jasper (CEO and co-founder of Aconex, a provider of online collaboration solutions) offers his advice. He points out that the answer is in getting a collaboration service that has the following features...  Read them here...

Big Data -- Before You Take A Plunge

Businesses now have the capacity to capture a wide variety of data at a velocity that would be best described at hyper-sonic  This means that the average business has more information to gather valuable insights that will help shape important decisions.

In fact, many people see Big Data as one of the factors that are setting the stage for a revival of sorts in the US manufacturing sector (because they are far ahead of their contemporaries globally). However, Al Bredenberg's article at Thomasnet.com draws attention to a few factors that must be added to the mix if the benefits of Big Data are to be seen especially by manufacturers...  Find them out here...

Big Data -- Survey Shows The Big Potential

Anyone who has been following the trend faithfully knows that Big Data has big business potential. People have asked questions about how to deliver more customized utility bills, better medical diagnosis, develop better products, detect fraud before it happens and give better forecasts of business trends. The answer lies within Big Data. Many of us know that already.

However, it helps make your case when an organization like Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (IAIS) conducts a survey that backs up what you've already known. The report on the findings of the survey showed a number of opportunities...  Read about them here...

IBM To Improve Big Data With Pulses Of Light

The trending news in the industry is that light pulses will now be used to transmit information. Thanks to IBM's latest technological breakthrough, certain limitations with big data might be a thing of the past. Currently, information transmission is via electrical signals. This breakthrough changes all that.

The benefits of this breakthrough are many. Top among them are the movement of big data at the speed of light. Using a traffic analogy, if data sent via electrical signals are the equivalent of a tiny track, pulses of light on a chip are the equivalent of a super highway.

What does this mean for large volumes of data? It means we are about to say goodbye to congested data traffic. In addition, this will also cut down the high costs usually associated with traditional interconnects. To the business owner, it means that insights can be gleaned much faster than possible at the moment all at a cost that is far lower than it takes today.  Read more on this here...

The Big Data Revolution -- Utilities Make Considerable Progress

Utilities have to cope with a flood of data due to the implementation of smart meters and the overall digitization of their operations. Mozhi Habibi (Leader of IBM’s energy and utility solutions strategy worldwide) calls attention to the challenges faced by utilities and progress made. First the challenges…

To give a fair idea of the challenges posed by a highly digitized grid, he draws a comparison between analog meter reading and what’s obtainable with smart meters: In time past, meter reading was just once every month to show the amount of energy consumed by a customer. However, smart meters can send data every fifteen minutes. This translates to about 35,000 readings or updates per year. Multiply this by the number of meters sending data to a central information pool and you’ll appreciate the sheer volume they now have to deal with.

But with the right adjustments (which has been going on silently in the background), these utilities have been able to improve their business by taking advantage of big data. Read about some of the strides mentioned in the article here...