Big data is all the rage these days. It has transitioned from just a hype word that people liked to throw around to sound smart to a technology that’s completely changing the world. Still, people try to minimize the importance of big data. Whenever something good comes around, there are people that will try and fight it. That can surely be said about big data.
Big data is all the rage these days. It has transitioned from just a hype word that people liked to throw around to sound smart to a technology that’s completely changing the world. Still, people try to minimize the importance of big data. Whenever something good comes around, there are people that will try and fight it. That can surely be said about big data. There are numerous objections to big data and what it can do, but most of these objections are unfounded and can easily be refuted by those who understand the big data industry. Let’s take a look at five common objections to big data and the responses for each one.
1. It’s too expensive for the average business
We hear this all the time. Big data is too expensive for anyone outside extremely large and successful businesses to implement. Perhaps, in the past that may have been the case. But that was the far distant past. In recent years big data in the cloud has come to fruition and has made big data technology available to all businesses — big or small. No longer do companies have to worry about installing expensive servers and infrastructure on site, nor do they have to maintain it. And they don’t have to have huge teams of data professionals to take care of their data. The cloud provider like Amazon Elastic MapReduce takes care of all that through programs like Hadoop, Hive, Pig and Presto. Big data has never been more affordable for the average business.
2. It’s unnecessary
“We’ve already got more information than we can handle, why would we want anymore?” That’s a common response from companies approached with big data. What these companies don’t understand, is that big data isn’t just a data gathering technology. It’s also an incredibly powerful analytics tool. With big data, your company can take that unused information, information that probably won’t ever be used without big data, and make sense of it. Certainly there’s insight to be gained from the information that you already have. Along those same lines, with big data it’s easier to gather relevant information. Too many companies gather information for information’s sake. With big data it’s easier for companies to be focused in their data gathering methods, which in turn makes the analytics and implementation much easier. Most importantly, your company can always take advantage of gathering more and better information. Especially with all that is available on the web, companies can drastically increase success by implementing big data.
3. It’s too complicated
Too many people think that in order to use big data you’ve got to have or hire a team full of data scientists. That isn’t the case, especially with big data in the cloud. More than ever, companies of all products and services and with whatever level of data experience can take advantage of big data. More important than having data scientists is having talented team members who understand the importance of big data and can find ways to use it to solve company problems. With big data in the cloud, the cloud provider has taken care of the complicated parts of big data — running and maintaining the software and servers. As a company you just worry about getting value for that information. With the right people, any team can do that.
4. Poor Security
With big data in the cloud, this is an increasingly common objection that people put forward. That concern is natural because with big data in the cloud the information isn’t on site where a CEO or other executive can see it at all times. However, big data in the cloud is extremely secure. These companies that employ big data in the cloud succeed by their ability to keep company’s information safe. They know what it takes. They take every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of the data. With any reputable company you can be sure that you’re getting the best protection available, possibly better than you could get with on premise computing.
5. It’s too big
For many businesses, especially smaller ones, big data can be almost incomprehensible and understandably so. There are so many different parts to it that if you take one look you may think it’s just too much for your business to ever use. Again, this is where big data in the cloud is so important. Because of what the cloud provider does for your business, you don’t have to worry about the complicated, technical aspects of the technology. Those are the parts that often make it seem too big. As a business executive you just find ways to get more information and improve your business because of it. Eventually you’re going to need big data anyway, with the way data and technology are going, why not do it now and take advantage of it earlier rather than later?
Big data is here to stay. It’s changing the world on a large and small scale. It can change your business too if you let it.
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