Changes Big Data And Technology Have Brought Into The Retail Industry

There was once a time when retailers relied on large spreadsheets to keep track of things. Critical employees had to fly around in order to find the best products and maintain the best inventory. Today, the scenario is totally different. Big Data has played a part in the changes witnessed in the retail industry. Some have adapted well to the changes (some have even taken advantage of the changes) and some have struggled with them. Marianne Bickle (Contributor, Forbes.com), looks at some of the changes that Big Data and technology have brought about...  To read 4 of the changes, click here...

About the Author: Shane Penrod is a Florida Native that currently resides in Tampa Florida with his beautiful Fiance Jaime and their 7 dogs. Shane is passionate about the emergence of Big Data and its endless potential, an Internet Marketer by trade, and an entrepreneur at heart. You can follow Shane's updates on BigDataCompanies.com, Facebook , and G+.

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...