Embrace Big Data to Ensure Your Organization’s Future

Your viewing habits are a source of Big Data. At least, that’s how Netflix is approaching it. In a well-written piece over at Salon.com, Andrew Leonard talks about how the video-streaming business is creating an opportunity for companies (I would imagine Hulu is doing this too) to keep track of not only what you’re watching, but also your actions — pause, rewind, abort — while watching TV shows and movies.

All of this Big Data goes into a database that allows its data analysts to figure out which shows work and which don’t. You better believe that Netflix’s fairly new venture into original programming, “House of Cards,” isn’t just for your viewing pleasure; it’s a way for it to use Big Data to tailor future programming to you, its audience.

So what does this mean for your organization? Well, simply put, it just proves that Big Data can make a big difference for your organization’s future. The Netflix example is already demonstrating how Big Data is changing the landscape, in terms of product selection and customer service. It certainly can’t be ignored any longer, so it’s probably a good idea to start looking at data integration methods, as challenging as that may be.

First things first, you’ll want to take stock of your current data inventory so that you don’t end up with redundant data that takes up precious space — not to mention precious time to sort.

Job analysts are already predicting that Big Data will bring big job growth in the years ahead, so it might wise to assign someone with the role of lead data architect to ensure that data schemas are taking full advantage of the valuable information being collected.

Now is the time to embrace this new and growing technology to stay competitive for years to come. You’ll be way ahead of the game once the Big Data laggards decide to come on board.