Big Data

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.

Businesses have seen the value of data for years. Thus, businesses have collected survey, transaction and marketing data all with the hope that by analysing it they can improve their business processes and become more profitable. The problem is that some companies end up paying more than the data is actually worth, due to poor business practices or relying on a data warehouse that simply can't keep up with today’s influx of data. For business leaders who find the following five signs familiar, it may be time to switch to big data as a service, such as Qubole, to get the most out of the data they collect and the money they spend.

It doesn't matter how much data you can store or process if your analysis isn't yielding valuable business insights. Yet it seems many businesses tend to put all of their time and resources into storing and maintaining their data rather than improving their analysis process. These are seven warning signs that you may have fallen into the data collection trap and are not gaining the insights that you need and want.

In a recent survey, 69 percent of North American IT professionals expressed a belief that the risks of using a cloud based service currently outweighed the benefits. The main reason cited was a concern over data security. This concern has made many business leaders hesitant to switch over to the cloud, but the reality is the cloud is growing and is not going away, especially with the possibility of big data cloud computing.