Business
According to South African Experts, Big Data Reaching Tipping Point
Time is important – what’s the point if it takes days to understand a problem? “You need real-time analytics that kicks off 15 minutes after someone has sent a tweet. Data analytics is needed everywhere and in every industry,” Hope said. If the focus is on the value big data analytics provides for business, then big data initiatives must be aligned to specific goals, according to the report.
Big data should be seen as an extension of your overall information architecture, says Boikanyo Victor Botlhokwane, consultant with Oracle. Simplify and standardize your IT operations to get economic advantages. There needs to be a centralized IT strategy, and standards and governance. “If you have a mature model, why implement a new model?” Botlhokwane said. “Marry it with what you already have. Big data is not the other child in the organisation, but an extension of your existing data management strategy within your organization.”
He also advises correlating your big data with data already existing in the organisation and integrate them. “This allows you to capture a unified view of your customer data,” he said. Your IT environment must be dynamic, able to move fast; and a well-planned cloud strategy can help get your big data initiatives out there fastest, he said.
For proper big data to take place, proper infrastructure must be in place he said. “You do not want your infrastructure to buckle, but there is also no need to start from scratch with big data infrastructure. Identify what hardware and software is needed.” He advises using a phased approach. “Identify one desired data set, capture it, explore new data management technologies, and determine integration points with existing data. It is easier to grow a pilot into a full-blown project.” Bolthokwane advised, “This way, you don’t disrupt the business. A 60-percent shortfall in big data skills is predicted by 2018.”
Copyright AFK Insider 2014
