Articles on Big Data

Are your digital transformation initiatives stuck? It could be the data you need to drive transformation remains in silos, or maybe it’s just bad data.

Proper data integration and management will help you spend less time sifting through data and more time divining insights from it.

The role of Chief Data Officer plays a critical role in data-driven transformation. But only if they’re set up to succeed.

I'm regularly asked about how to get started with big data. My response is always the same: I give them my big data roadmap for success.

Stop thinking about big data technologies.  Think of ways to 'analyze, contextualize, internalize' your data instead.

You (and your company) probably don't need machine learning. Most companies just need good data management with good regression modeling.

Your data project is going to fail. You can plan everything perfectly, use the best systems, hire the best people yet your project will fail.

Big data isn't the answer. Big data is a just one more tool that can be used in the toolbox that an organization can use to improve.

Data preparation is extremely important to your data analytics / big data projects. Good data preparation can lead to good data analytics outcomes.

Data Analytics means different things to different people. I discuss prescriptive vs descriptive analytics and try to explain why you should care.

Good data science isn't about finding answers to questions. Good data science is about setting up your data and systems to allow you to find more questions.

I spend a lot of time talking to companies about big data and data science. Many conversations are with people at the CxO level (CEO's, COO's, CFO's, etc

The three roadblocks to big data success are: Starting too fast, Going too big and Corporate Culture

Based on the predicted rates of growth in big data, it looks like the future of big data is still a positive one.

Are companies failing at big data? Sure...but I think that's just because most companies are still very early in the learning cycle for big data.

Focus on what the data tells you, not the data itself. If you cannot turn data into information and knowledge, your data initiatives will fail.

Big data doesn't have to require big projects, big budgets or big teams, especially when starting out.

if you want a great data analytics culture, build a great communications culture. You can't have one without the other.

Today's data challenge is the same one that has plagued organizations for years. Data and analysis are useless unless you actually act on them.

Collecting and analyzing data means nothing if you do not use it for more than taking up storage space. That is wasted money and time.

In order to use data within your business, you must first collect that data. Seems simple enough right?  You capture some data, store it somewhere and the

In “Big Data, Big Analytics and You”, I wrote: “Big data is obviously important to most organizations. There’s plenty of data out there and even more data

Is bit data worth it? Absolutely...but only if you put the time and effort into the analysis of that data. Big data isn't easy, but it is worth it.

Big data has been a popular topic over the last few years.  Many organizations have been studying big data systems and processes as well as the science

I received a review copy of Humanizing Big Data by Colin Strong a few weeks ago. The subtitle to the book is "Marketing at the meeting of Data, Social

In what might be the best titled article I've read in a while, Vince Kellen writes about the dangers of confirmation bias (or 'finding what we want to

There's no 'easy' button or 'secret' to success in big data. It takes hard work and listening to the data to let it tell its own story.

Big data and analytics is no longer about the size or type of data but about how fast data can be converted into useful business information.

Being data-driven means nothing if data does not lead to better decisions. Find the data systems that work for your business and use them well.

Implementing big data is more than buying software. It requires building a data culture across the organization.

Today, we are drowning in data and starved for information. What can we do about it?

When I talk to people about big data and data analytics I try to tailor the message to their experience level. For example, if I’m talking to data

What are the important skills for a data scientist?

Using modern day interactive analytics systems allows organizations to analyze and visualize their data in a very dynamic manner

Insurance companies are using big data and social media analytics to make more informed pricing decisions. Here is what that means for the industry.

Make sure you're OK with doing 'janitor work'. Make sure you're OK spending most of your time working on the unseen pieces of the iceberg.

Big data is complex and difficult, but with proper planning and strategic thinking, you can prepare for many of the challenges you will face.

To succeed with big data, treat it differently than the data warehouse. Open up your data and allow easy, interactive access across departments.

Data is not everything, but with proper planning and management it can deliver real, long-term value. Drive your data, do not let it drive you.

This Transformation Feels Different. Disruptively So. Quote:The drawing board for all of these newly created disruptors isn’t a better retail store or a

If you ask 100 people to define the value that data brings an organization, you’ll most likely get 150 different answers. Yes...that’s right...150

I'm often asked the following question: What is the difference between Business Intelligence and Big Data? Before getting into my approach to answering

The new CIO challenge: Assembling the right combo of human and machine smarts Quote: Business peers are tech savvy, customers are plugged into your

According to the  2014 IDG Enterprise Big Data survey, most large organizations today (almost 49% of survey respondents) claim to be well along the

Over on the Obsessive-Compulsive Data Quality blog, Jim Harris recently wrote:  While organizations of all sizes are rightfully excited about the business

Last week I noticed this little gem over on ReadWriteWeb.com: Gartner highlights that only 8% of enterprises have actually deployed big data projects

What's Your Story? Quote: Taking our corporate strategy, translating it into traceable, optimizable metrics, and using our data and models in a

We often read anecdotal evidence of how companies and consultants are using big data to solve ‘big’ problems but it is rare that we see real world

Innovate on Purpose: People are our most important asset Quote: Innovation is vitally, critically dependent on good people who are passionate about

The Internet Of Things Will Be Huge—Just Not As Huge As The Hype – ReadWrite Quote: Like most things in life, the real value of the Internet of Things

Over the past few months, I’ve heard and/or read the following statements from consultants: Big data is complex. Big data is complicated. Big data is the

I just finished reading Big Data for Small and Medium Businesses on IBM’s Forward View. In the article, IBM VP Paul Zikopoulos talks about big data and

Big data is everywhere. Everyone wants to be doing big data. There’s one big data induced problem that many aren’t talking about or acknowledging.  That

About a year ago, I heard the following two lines from well-respected IT professionals. The first comment: 1.) Big data is the future And the second:: 2.)

Big Social Data: The Second Era Starts Quote: When Big Data techniques are applied to the social media firehose, some amazing things start to happen. Like

Finding the right people has always been a problem for IT organizations for many reasons. There’s always been a “build or buy” decision for organizations

I just finished reading "Can big data technology be used to replace creative marketing?" and felt the need to vent a bit. This first part of this vent:

According to Wikipedia, predictive analytics is described as: Predictive analytics encompasses a variety of techniques from statistics, modeling, machine

Data Science for Business - O'Reilly Radar Quote: Data analytic thinking means knowing what questions to ask, how to ask those questions, and whether the

Before we get started - a definition of “construct” is needed. Taking a page from my years in quantitative research, I submit this definition (based on

Open Innovation: The Heart of Small Business | Free Enterprise Quote: The small business often has the advantage of proximity to their customers, but this

I'm a fan of data. I love using data to solve problems and find answers. I love combining context and data to help organizations find identify issues and

I just finished reading Big Data and Marketing: A Confused Relationship? over on Marketing Pilgrim. There's some good stuff in the post - but what really

BYOD security and the importance of covering your backend — Tech News and Analysis Quote: So you’ve accepted BYOD and a host of new apps to support.

Meet the startups making machine learning an elementary affair — Tech News and Analysis Quote: The choices are getting a lot better for businesses that

After Sandy, SMBs Should Consider Following Wall Street into the Cloud | SMBSource Quote: As Hurricane Sandy showed, the possibility of massive system

IBM just released a few announcements related to Big Data. Namely, the use of big data and analytics to better understand and target customers. The

Last month I wrote a post titled "Is Big Data to Big for Small Business?" where I asked the questions: Is there a place for small organizations in the

Young and Hungry - carpe factum Quote: Young and hungry is not about ego. In proving itself, young and hungry lets the accomplishment trump the

Global IT Spend Will Rise 4.1% To $3.8 Trillion In 2013, ‘A Calm Ocean With Turbulent Currents’, With Mobile Driving Growth | TechCrunch Quote: After

Big Data.  Two small words with huge meaning. Do a search for "big data" on Google and you'll find over 23 million results. Do a book search on amazon for

Be Vulnerable - Feld Thoughts Quote: The great leaders I know are vulnerable. Maybe not to everyone, maybe not all the time, and maybe not in all