In today’s digital world big data almost sounds like an over prescribed medication. A company has revenue struggles? Use big data. Another needs more marketing ROI? Big data. But really, we have only scratched the surface of utilizing big data to its full, practical potential. Big data is a metaphorical iceberg, with the portion above water being structured data and the massive portion below the surface being unstructured data. The challenge for companies today is tackling unstructured data to unlock the full potential of big data computing and analytics.

Earlier this week, I questioned whether social media could replace my need to blog. In my article, I mentioned that Google+ and LinkedIn as social network platforms are able to provide near blog-like functions. Since that article posted, I've already heard comments from my Facebook and Twitter friends that no one uses Google+. I respectfully disagree with my friends. While people like to call Google+ a ghost town the numbers would indicate otherwise.

A few months ago, I had a problem. After eight years of non-stop writing, I found myself exhausted of all enthusiasm to blog. Let me tell you, it's a sad day in Web City when an advocate for content management systems has no real desire to author new content. I was also questioning in this age of "always on" social media whether the traditional blog had lost value not only to me but my readers. If content is no longer king, why should I spend so much effort creating new content? So as summer approached, I decided to take a break from blogging.

When people think of big data, they naturally assume that it’s just about gathering large amounts of information to provide more accurate searches online and help companies provide more targeted advertisements and marketing efforts. They’re both right and wrong. True, there is so much more to big data than just marketing and advertising. It’s effects are now being seen in numerous industries across the globe. It’s solving world problems and improving the quality of life for millions of individuals.

This week, Kentico Software announced the release of Kentico 8.1. According to the company, Kentico 8.1 features a variety of new enhancements that bring greater website performance and ease of use to the digital marketing activities of today’s digital agencies and professional marketers. With new “Buy X, get Y” discount capabilities, Kentico 8.1 promises to offer customers new ways to maximize their online sales.

While the overall job market may still be struggling, for those in the field of big data, the opportunities are plentiful. We’re currently in the middle of a big data boom, where companies of all shapes and sizes are finding ways to use big data to grow and be more successful than ever before. Businesses are in the hunt for people that possess the right skills for big data jobs that have been rapidly emerging in recent years. Higher education is also responding, instituting programs and new degrees to keep up with the demand. In a field that is still ripe with innovation, changes are expected to happen on a fairly regular basis.

Ian Kilpatrick, chairman Wick Hill Group, specialists in secure IP infrastructure solutions, looks at the risks involved with mobile devices and how to secure them.

Mobile devices with their large data capacities, always on capabilities, and global communications access, can represent both a business applications’ dream and a business risk nightmare.

For those in the security industry, the focus is mainly on deploying “solutions” to provide protection. However, we are now at one of those key points of change which happen perhaps once in a generation, and that demand a new way of looking at things.

Companies have plenty of reasons to make bring your own device (BYOD) policies a part of their businesses. One of the main attractions, and a primary reason for adopting BYOD in the first place, is how using a personal device makes employees more productive both in the workplace and at home. Another consequence of using BYOD is that employees are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs. But with these benefits also comes the concern over BYOD cost. BYOD’s most vocal proponents say the policy ends up saving businesses money in the long run, but its critics maintain that bring your own device is ultimately costly.