Big Data

For years, when it came to working in the office, an employee would need to use whatever equipment was provided by the company. The costs of the computers and other devices were the business’s responsibility, but once the equipment was in the employee’s hands, he or she was responsible for what happened to it. In recent years, however, a new trend has emerged that has changed the landscape of how companies conduct their business. It’s called Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and it’s also changing how the world of marketing works.

Mobile apps are taking the online world by storm.

Companies have a challenge to develop apps that meet the customers needs while still providing marketing opportunities. Big data technology makes it easier for companies to do just that in the following ways.

Last December, International Data Corporation presented a top ten list of technology predictions for 2014. Among those predictions, IDC claims that enterprise spending on Big Data analytics services in 2014 will increase by 21 percent over 2013, to exceed $4.5 Billion. Obviously companies are starting to recognize that their vast pools of data hold immense potential.

Last October, Facebook announced that 49 percent of advertising revenue comes from its mobile platform. The percentage was up from zero just 18 months before. How did the company manage that? With big data, of course. The social media site used data analysis to determine how many ads should be featured, and how a user would react to a particular ad before placing it in the news feed.

Bring your own device (BYOD) and big data are pretty big terms in the tech space right now, but so far the conversations about big data and BYOD have been largely separate. Many articles have addressed the problems and headache it is causing IT teams, especially since many companies are not prepared to handle employees bringing their own mobile devices. A survey of small and medium-sized businesses found that 22 percent had a BYOD policy in place.

Big data is an exciting opportunity for businesses looking for the information they need to use targeted messaging and personalized experiences to boost profits, but the thought of a company having access to all of their online information has many consumers worried. With information about the National Security Agency’s monitoring of email and phone calls, and social networks like Facebook constantly pushing that privacy boundary, it’s only natural that people are concerned about the privacy and security of their data.

Data is one of those boring but essential components of a successful, modern business. Business leaders rely on research to make marketing and sales decisions, and data records all of the interactions within the business. Since data has so much potential to guide an organization to success, it is surprising how many companies store data that is completely useless to them. It’s not that the data is inherently worthless, but the organization doesn't have the capacity to handle or analyze the data for the information to have value.

Cloud computing is rapidly evolving. From its original offerings of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service(SaaS) have emerged a series of data management solutions, such as Database as a Service (DaaS). With so many offerings available, it doesn’t seem like another edition should warrant a lot of attention, but Big Data as a Service (BDaaS) such as provided by Qubole should have the attention of business leaders. BDaaS revolutionizes the big data services industry by making it more affordable, easier to use and more accessible than it was before.

Should small business owners be jumping into the realm of cloud computing? More than likely your small business can benefit from one or more of the cloud services. Cloud computing provides the resources and flexibility small business owners need to build a business and compete in a highly competitive market. Still, jumping in without thinking strategically about the steps your business will take could lead to wasted resources, so read on for the basics you need to know.

There was a time when marketing firms had to treat everyone like generic off-brand mac & cheese. Sure, they could make certain assumptions based upon average consumers, but real, personalized customer offers and promotions just weren't possible. That time, however, has passed. These days, brands are able to gather data about individual customers from before any sort of interaction even begins to take place. Through information sources such as web browsers, social media, surveys, customer reward programs, transaction data, etc., it is possible to gather massive amounts of data regarding the personal preferences of millions of potential customers.