By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    predictive analytics in dropshipping
    Predictive Analytics Helps New Dropshipping Businesses Thrive
    12 Min Read
    data-driven approach in healthcare
    The Importance of Data-Driven Approaches to Improving Healthcare in Rural Areas
    6 Min Read
    analytics for tax compliance
    Analytics Changes the Calculus of Business Tax Compliance
    8 Min Read
    big data analytics in gaming
    The Role of Big Data Analytics in Gaming
    10 Min Read
    analyst,women,looking,at,kpi,data,on,computer,screen
    Promising Benefits of Predictive Analytics in Asset Management
    11 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Zen and Mao
Share
Notification Show More
Latest News
ai digital marketing tools
Top Five AI-Driven Digital Marketing Tools in 2023
Artificial Intelligence
ai-generated content
Is AI-Generated Content a Net Positive for Businesses?
Artificial Intelligence
predictive analytics in dropshipping
Predictive Analytics Helps New Dropshipping Businesses Thrive
Predictive Analytics
cloud data security in 2023
Top Tools for Your Cloud Data Security Stack in 2023
Cloud Computing
become a data scientist
Boosting Your Chances for Landing a Job as a Data Scientist
Jobs
Aa
SmartData Collective
Aa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Big Data > Data Quality > Zen and Mao
Business IntelligenceData QualityData Warehousing

Zen and Mao

JillDyche
Last updated: 2010/06/22 at 1:00 PM
JillDyche
4 Min Read
SHARE

In which Jill considers spending less, but buying smart.

In which Jill considers spending less, but buying smart.

5 buddhas on a train by kevindooley via Flickr (creative  commons)

Lately I’ve become aware—okay, it’s been brought to my attention—that I buy stuff I don’t need. My two big weaknesses are Costco and art fairs.

More Read

ai digital marketing tools

Top Five AI-Driven Digital Marketing Tools in 2023

Is AI-Generated Content a Net Positive for Businesses?
Combat AI-Powered Threats with Cybersecurity Simulations & Other Practices
Utilizing Data to Discover Shortcomings Within Your Business Model
Embedded BI Tools Bring Huge Benefits to Business Applications

When it comes to Costco, I don’t really need half-gallon can of 3-bean salad, a foam rubber kitchen rug, or a bag of those fabulous dark chocolate-covered Açai berries. I just sort of situationally covet them. Plus the shopping carts at Costco are huge and a 32 ounce bag of Kirkland Cashew Clusters with Almonds and Pumpkin seeds seems a paltry—though highly recommended!—bounty. Do I really need a vat of protein powder? No. The waterproof outdoor chair cushions? No. The double-size pack of Strivectin stretch mark cream? Maybe I do, maybe I don’t, mind your own business.

As far as art fairs go, a few weeks ago I wandered through an open-air festival and discovered a woman selling Asian-inspired jewelry. I noticed a large pin featuring the face of the Buddha. If I wore that to internal status meetings, I thought, it could inspire Zen-like behavior. After all, I couldn’t very well lug my Buddha garden statue (thanks, Costco!) with me everywhere I went, could I? So I bought the Buddha pin and wore it the following week to a client meeting.

“Gone Commie on us, Dyché?” asked my slapstick-humored CIO client examining my new lapel pin. It was only then that I noticed that the countenance peering serenely from my lapel looked a lot more like the Chairman Mao than the Buddha. When it comes to adorning my clothing—all due respect—Chairman Mao wouldn’t be my first choice. So much for the Zen.

This all reminds me of how my clients have been spending their IT budgets—or not spending them. A bank engaged us last year to assess its aging data warehouse and suggest a subsequent plan of attack. Based on existing cost and resource challenges, we recommended a wholesale re-platforming. We gathered requirements, performed an ROI analysis, and wrote a vendor RFP for the client. The subsequent investment in the new data warehouse was $7 million, an investment that the bank should recoup in the next four years.

The bank was thoughtful and practical about our recommendations. IT management didn’t futz around. But when it came to our recommendation to invest in a data quality tool and start a project they were positively inert. Never mind that solution we recommended would be a fraction of the price of the new data warehouse platform. “It’s easier for us to justify a $7 million capital expenditure than it is to justify a new piece of software,” they apologized.

Which brings me back to my Buddha pin. I thought that it might do something for me that it ultimately didn’t do. Looking back on that purchase it was an over-investment. Some might even call it a waste of money.

The dark chocolate covered Açai berries are a totally different story, though. [Chomp, chomp.] With that, I wish you Namaste.

JillDyche June 22, 2010
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
Share

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

ai digital marketing tools
Top Five AI-Driven Digital Marketing Tools in 2023
Artificial Intelligence
ai-generated content
Is AI-Generated Content a Net Positive for Businesses?
Artificial Intelligence
predictive analytics in dropshipping
Predictive Analytics Helps New Dropshipping Businesses Thrive
Predictive Analytics
cloud data security in 2023
Top Tools for Your Cloud Data Security Stack in 2023
Cloud Computing

Stay Connected

1.2k Followers Like
33.7k Followers Follow
222 Followers Pin

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

[mc4wp_form id=”1616″]

You Might also Like

ai digital marketing tools
Artificial Intelligence

Top Five AI-Driven Digital Marketing Tools in 2023

6 Min Read
ai-generated content
Artificial Intelligence

Is AI-Generated Content a Net Positive for Businesses?

5 Min Read
cybersecurity simulations
Artificial IntelligenceExclusiveITSecurity

Combat AI-Powered Threats with Cybersecurity Simulations & Other Practices

7 Min Read
utlizing big data for business model
Big Data

Utilizing Data to Discover Shortcomings Within Your Business Model

6 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

data-driven web design
5 Great Tips for Using Data Analytics for Website UX
Big Data
ai is improving the safety of cars
From Bolts to Bots: How AI Is Fortifying the Automotive Industry
Artificial Intelligence

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US

© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?