Big data is a key theme for computing in 2015, even if it’s hard to find the skills needed to make it a reality. It’s worth remembering, however, that big data is only useful if it leads to a change in business behaviour.
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Cisco’s Internet of everything practice head Joseph Bradley reiterated that point during a session at Cisco Live 2015 in Melbourne this week. As he pointed out:
Big data is absolutely worth nothing without big judgement. If you do the same thing you did before I presented you the data, there’s no value.
While big data projects might occasionally be used to confirm an existing strategy, the expense involved means they only really make sense if you can use them to justify more radical change. The key question, Bradley suggests, is “How do I connect that solution to allow people to do something different?” That’s not necessarily a technical challenge — often it’s a cultural one — but it’s something you’ll need to address for any big data project.
Disclosure: Angus Kidman travelled to Melbourne as a guest of Cisco.
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