A new white
paper, written by industry experts with many decades of experience
between them, gets to the heart of the challenges enterprises are encountering
as they work to successfully implement big data initiatives. The document explains how big data can
be a turning point for many; however,
it can also lead many to economic and career-ending failures if not used correctly.
“Big data has become so sexy and cool that everyone wants to sound like a strong proponent,” writes preface author Ron Ashkenas, Senior Partner, Schaffer Consulting. “If a CEO asks his technology
team whether or not they are ‘doing big data’ the politically correct
answer is ‘of course we are.’ Yet, big data is still in its infancy.
Before any fad becomes a fundamental it needs to demonstrate value, not
just once, but over and over. Big data has the potential to make a huge
impact. But as the authors of this paper argue, let’s be cautious about
declaring victory prematurely.”
The authors, Cary Burch and Mark
P. Dangelo, describe in detail how initial big data successes are
ignoring critical organizational, personnel, and process requirements
needed for repeatability—the hype and expectations are grandiose fed by
media reports and vendor claims. Moreover, big data is an emerging
business innovation, which must be iteratively incorporated into
enterprise capabilities, while navigating complex, multi-faceted data
volumes, velocities, varieties, and veracities.
Download a copy of Big Data.