The Big Data Mine – What tools are you using to find your hidden gems?
Written by: Morgan Dove
Last month, my husband and I traveled to northern Utah to visit my mother-in-law. As we drove along the I-15, she served as our tour guide, pointing out the various apartment complexes and office buildings that lined the freeway. “Oh! Do you see that big one?” She asked excitedly. “That is a big data center. It holds tons of digital information and the government can monitor everything that everyone is doing, even the stuff on our phones.” The way she said it made me think I was talking to a conspiracy theorist. And, maybe if I had no prior knowledge of data warehouses, I would have mentally classified her as a long time member of the Tin-Foil Hat Club.
In today’s IT market, the term “Big Data” has become an all too commonplace buzzword. It’s everywhere and describes everything. Data inundates our daily lives from our phones, credit cards, computers and televisions. Harvard magazine commented that data flow is currently happening so fast, that the “total accumulation of data during the past two years dwarfs the prior record of human civilization.” The Utah Data Center provides over one million square feet of information storage space, and represents only one of such data centers popping up all over the world.
Obviously, as the technology world grows, the data that supports it will propagate exponentially. There is no question that a stockpile of digitized data exists today, much of which sits on a virtual shelf, never to be heard from again, while a few “special” pieces are often recalled to run reports and provide analysis from which executives can visualize the moving components of their companies. According to an IDG Research Services survey, nearly 72% of all data stored does not have clear business value. So why are millions of square feet of space allocated to storing this “dark data” we don’t necessarily need? What good is a donut shop full of pastries when you really want to buy steel cables?
“While the quantity of Big Data is remarkable,
the real gem lies in what we can do with it.”
The problem with Big Data is that it’s big, it takes up too much space and too many resources are used to sustain it. Estimates show that IT departments spend 70-80% of their time maintaining storage systems, databases and warehouses. While the quantity of Big Data is remarkable, the real gem lies in what it contains, what we can do with it, and what we can learn from it.
How do we ruthlessly excavate the data landscape to find the hidden gems? How do we separate the 28% of rubies and sapphires from the 72% of aluminum oxide rock? What if IT departments could re-focus their energy to analyzing and visualizing data instead of maintaining it?
With the rise of Intelligence-On-Demand, companies hunger for the ability to instantaneously retreive information and make decisions quickly. Implementing advanced BI solutions such as the Helm360 Business Analytics Suite, organizations can forget about vast expanses of data warehouses, and instantly access relevant data that was previously hidden. The advancement of algorithms make it easier than ever to extract meaningful information and identify patterns. This collaboration of technologies equips decision makers with the insight needed to make proactive assessments.
Without the use of a two million square foot warehouse, magic search ninjas are able to race throughout the data-sphere and produce the requested information in real time. Useful data regarding your company’s finances, marketing, human resources, client concerns, business processes and even competitor intelligence; can be isolated and analyzed to drive profit, productivity and competitive advantage.
Think of “warehouse free” data analytics as a diamond in the rough. If there was a tool to help your organization efficiently find the gems, use them to test all of your decisions before making them, and save money while doing it, would that change the way you do business?
To learn more about HELM360 Business Analytics Suite, for the Legal Industry, Click Here.
Helm360 takes the "guess work" out of business analytics while significantly reducing costs and processing times of advanced reporting initiatives. Leveraging the most state-of-the-art technological advancements, Helm360 allows businesses to view data in real time. Our team of highly innovative, passionate, and intelligent people that thrive on ingenuity are committed to delivering exceptional solutions and services that exceed expectations.
