Culture/Leadership

spreadsheet / shutterstock

Most business users have no IT experience. They can only rely on the business spreadsheet software to complete such computing. However, the traditional business spreadsheet software is weak in calculation, which will bring about errors in the calculation process.[read more]

Statistician's profile

As someone who trained as a statistician, I've always struggled with that title. I love the rigor and insight that Statistics brings to data analysis, but let's face it: Statistics — the name — has always had a bit of a branding problem. That's why I'm a fan of the term "data scientist."[read more]

Tactical analytics: stay on the right path

From social media sentiment analysis to dynamic product pricing, we’re adopting more and more super-fast micro-decision systems to do what’s good “right now, right there” without much consideration for the cumulative effect over a longer period and a broader scope.[read more]

business skillset / shutterstock

Employees with technical skills are critical to enable an analytics program, but the ability to communicate, relate and navigate throughout an organization—so called “softer skills”—are especially needed to propagate analysis and communicate the impact of data-driven decision-making.[read more]

data flow

Crowdsourcing is an Internet-age phenomenon by which problems are distributed to “the crowd,” and those in the online community offer partial solutions. These partial solutions, when taken in aggregate, solve the overall problem. Today, crowdsourcing is contributing to scientific advances in health care.[read more]

Internat'l Big Data Week / shutterstock

Big Data Week in Atlanta gathered hundreds of professionals from across several industry sectors around the common idea that Big Data is fueling answers to difficult questions. Big Data is fueling cross-sector innovation that is here to stay; it will drive Atlanta to be a leader across industries. Here’s how and why.[read more]

big data privacy / shutterstock

One of the most discussed concerns surrounding big data today is privacy. While many powerful analytics are possible with the detailed data that is now collected on each of us, the sensitive nature of much of that data requires rethinking data practices and applications.[read more]

Data science: sexier than ever?

A recent Harvard Business Review article argues that being a data scientist is the sexiest job of the 21st century. Data scientists help companies turn their data (big data and small data) into valuable insights. But do the people who have the sexiest job of the 21st century have to be sexy?[read more]

Future of Big Data / shutterstock

Big Data and ROI. Many of you will be asked to justify the investment you’re making in Big Data Analytics technology. ROI is key term you’ll hear. But companies that are trying to look at Data Analytics as a tactical budget item are in trouble. Here's why.[read more]

stock market genius / shutterstock

The way Buffett operates is not unlike the best use cases for big data. Among other things, his success lies in his ability to make good decisions in accordance with quality benchmarks. This is the key to using big data well, and to business success in general.[read more]

big data debate / shutterstock

Whether you use small or big data, your imagination (developing theories) and integrity (following the scientific method) are what counts. There is nothing wrong with a scientific mind-set based on empirical observations, as long as people don’t see cause-and-effect in correlations.[read more]

IT disaster plan / shutterstock

When considering business continuity and disaster recovery options, there’s really only one constant from business to business: it’s important to have a plan. If something happens and there isn’t a plan, your company may never be able to get back on its feet again. But where do you start?[read more]

big data & healthcare

With so much waste and opportunity in the healthcare industry, it should be no surprise that quite a few software vendors are focusing on Big Data–and not just behemoths like IBM. Start-ups like Explorys, Humedica, Apixio, and scores of others have entered the space.[read more]

A new analytic architecture

Gartner recently published a new research note called ‘Market Trends: The Collision of Data Discovery and Business Intelligence Will Cause Destruction.’ (Data discovery is Gartner’s term for Business Discovery.) The Gartner report sets out two possible scenarios.[read more]

Predictive analytics whiz: Dr. Eric Siegel

In this interview, Social Media Today's Henry Spethmann speaks with Dr. Eric Siegel -- author of the new book "Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die" -- about what predictive analytics is and how it can be applied to a number of different disciplines.[read more]