This is the time of year when many folks take a moment to be thankful for everything that we have, and to make plans for the year ahead. On my jog this morning (a jog in only the technical sense as I was moving only slightly faster than the ladies walking next to me), I was thinking about how thankful I am for my family, my friends, my co-workers, and the industry in which I work.
It’s really a great time to be in the data business. The data industry only really gets interesting about every 10 years. In the 1990’s it was data warehousing, and then in the 2000’s it was business intelligence. Now in the 2010’s, we’re in the big data era. As I think about the year ahead, I think how fortunate I am to be in another Forrest Gump moment with respect to big data and the industry changes that big data are going to dictate to us.
What I mean by a Forrest Gump moment is that due to a convergence of many trends, developments, and innovations outside of our control, we just happen to be at the right place at the right time for something historic. Like Forrest Gump meeting JFK, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and John Lennon, we just happen to be at the right place at the right time. And as much as we’d like to take credit for creating the moment, in reality we are just lucky. So here’s my advice regarding how to enjoy this Forrest Gump moment.
Don’t Try to Compartmentalize Big Data
Big Data is not about advanced analytics. Big data is not about storage, or in-memory computing, or social media, or data virtualization, or MPP architectures. Big data is not about technology. In fact, big data is not even about data. Don’t let others put big data in a box because that’s the box that they are trying to sell you.
Big data, and its supporting data and technology components, is only an enabler. Big data is interesting not because of what the technology can do. That’s like getting a dog to walk on its hind legs. Interesting but I’m not sure I want the dog to bring me my beers.
Big data is interesting because of the problems it allows us to solve that we previously could not solve. We have the opportunity, using big data and all of its related technology innovations, to enable the following sorts of solutions:
- Dramatically improve patient care at substantially reduced costs and risks
- Find lost pets
- Provide a more relevant, engaging user experience across all types of devices and form factors
- Catch more bad guys more quickly
- Speed more effective medical care to address today’s scariest medical illnesses and conditions
- Waste less
- Reduce operational costs across the extended organization and value chain enabling new sources of economic value
- Improve crop yield at reduced environmental risks
- Be more green
- Improve business transparency and compliance
- Make government more efficient and accountable
- Help the Cubs win the World Series
While many of these changes are marginal (though significant) improvements to what and how things are done today, some of these are game changing and will dictate new winners and losers across many, if not all, industries.
Don’t Try To Control Big Data
There will be many, many organizations and individuals who will be out there in 2012 trying to redefine “big data” to meet their own personal agendas. Don’t get caught up in studying your navel by reading the reams of articles, reports, reviews, and studies out there trying to redefine big data in their own personal image. Instead, think about one of your nastiest business problems to see how big data and the related technology innovations can change how you do things. Think differently. Don’t be content to pave the cow path by applying these new data and technology innovations using old paradigms. Challenge conventional thinking about what can be done. Don’t take no for an answer. Envision how and where big data can power your key business initiatives to deliver new sources of competitive advantage and value to your customer.
In the end, big data is not about new sources of data and increased data velocity and variety. Big data is not about the features and functions of new technology innovations. In the end, big data is about how one uses these new sources of data and new technology innovations to solve significant and meaningful business problems that previously could not be addressed.
So embrace this special moment in our industry. It probably won’t happen again for oh, another 10 years?
