Interview on Big Data and Analytics for MidMarket

Friend Paul Gillin runs a Big Data Google Plus Hangout on the use of Big Data methods for Midmarket and beyond.  The 37 minute stream brings together current users of these ideas.    As a practitioner myself it has always been intriguing to see how this is now playing out at all levels of use.  In the past it was companies like Procter & Gamble and IBM, who could make these solutions work, now the possibilities have increased considerably.

The interview brings together three practitioners  of the use of analytics for improving business. Two areas of often mid market applications are discussed.  Biometric data in hospitals and marketing data to improve sales operations.

I mostly deal with is commonly called advanced analytics, so it was good to see the examples discussed here that use relatively simple, often just visual methods to get to solutions.   And emphasize the understanding of how companies make decisions.   Again I emphasize starting with the most simple methods.

Another topic discussed was how the Internet of Things is starting to create large amounts of data, in particular in health systems, and leading to big and complex data to be mined and leveraged.  In the case of hospital systems, the Internet of Things can include patients, monitors and diagnostic devices and a complex array of data types including imagery and quantitative measures.   Part of this system would be unstructured data such as text, such as doctor's observations that need to be assembled and attached to more structural data.

Once the data has been captured and simply presented  you can start to consider specific mining techniques to look for deeper points of value.  Every business has value opportunities.

In the final part emphasis is made of getting away from the need for data specialists.   Instead using tailored systems for particular industries, and then selling the analysis as a service.  Even suggesting that intelligence systems like Watson could drive the analysis,

Good piece to listen to to see what is happening in the field today that is important to the small and mid market company.  With pointers to the future.    This blog also covers the topic.

This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.  #MidsizeIBM