InsightaaS: At this time of year, there’s a barrage of predictions forecasting new developments in the IT industry or in specific niches – heck, we published one ourselves in December!
I recently got a chance to review two analytics-focused pieces on LinkedIn. One, by Bernard Marr, is a review of “the big [Big Data] stories of the past 12 months.” The other, written by Wayne Eckerson, is entitled “Business Intelligence in 2016: What to Expect.”
Both pieces are clear and concise, and raise interesting issues. What I found most striking, though, is that neither seems particularly *different*. It is of course true that an effective approach to highlighting important occurrences and near-term developments doesn’t demand that the authors aim to shock or mystify their readers. But I tend to think of analytics as a n emerging, fast-moving area, poised to burst into the mainstream by enabling radical new business practices. With this as context, what was most surprising about both pieces is that their observations aren’t all that surprising!
That’s not to say that the posts are boring – they’re not, and both are worth the time to read. Marr’s review positions Big Data within the broader societal context, including (for example) a statement from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in which she warns that “Whoever sees data as a threat, whoever thinks about every piece of data in terms of what bad can be done with it, will not be able to take advantage of the opportunity of digitization.” And while Eckerson’s commentary takes one odd misstep (“The cloud reaches a tipping point”? In 2016?), observations regarding management tools for data lakes and the connections between data catalogs and governance provide intriguing grist for future strategy and analysis/
Click here to read Bernard Marr’s post, Big Data: The Big Stories Of The Past 12 Months In Review
Click here to read Wayne Eckerson’s Business Intelligence in 2016: What to Expect
