The New Face of Business Data: Go Big and Go Cloud

There are few terms so hyped as "big data", having quietly crept up on "cloud computing" for a phrase frequently said but never agreed upon. A large part of the problem is that with so many companies talking about big data it's often difficult to assess what can - or should - be done with the reams information even small businesses now generate on a daily basis.

Accelerating into the Cloud

Increasing adoption of the cloud in IT departments represents a clear next step for big data, according to Raul F. Chong, a Senior Program Manager at IBM. Only two years ago he was delivering presentations on the cloud as a "new" technology, but notes that it is now widely used by IT and job offers citing cloud familiarity are quickly becoming common. He says that although the cloud has gained a foothold in part because of its pay per use model, it is also the "enabler of big data." A recent study, for example, found that:

• 80% of the world's data is still unstructured, meaning
• Businesses are making critical decisions with only 20% of the knowledge they need, and
• 56% of business leaders feel overwhelmed at how much data they need to manage

Microsoft Dynamics partner and business intelligence (BI) solution provider TARGIT, meanwhile, sees the cloud as only one factor in the big data equation; the company's CTO, Morten Middelfart, maintains that a strong component of human analysis is also crucial in getting the most from any intelligence software.

According to Middelfart, the right BI tools can easily organize and monitor different types of ...