What is BIG data and what are its challenges?
In our electronically connected society, nearly everything we do creates some type of data. Aside from the obvious things like information stored or added via computers and the internet, there is sales tracking, GPS, as well as other forms of data. At the same time, the level of data which we (as a global society) are adding on a daily / annual basis is increasing exponentially.
What is BIG data? From a simple standpoint, BIG data is any pool of information which has grown to such a size as to make management, organization or extrapolation (of said collection) difficult. Likewise, BIG data doesn’t always come in an easily quantifiable form either. You might have some BIG data pools which exhibit some form of structure (sales records would be a great example of this), while others are completely unstructured (for instance, most of the information being shared or stored via social media sites).
In terms of challenges, BIG data faces quite a few, like:
Extracting detail-oriented conclusions from BIG data sets very quickly
Creating analysis methods for different types of large data sets
Making BIG data faster and easier to access
How to create structured data from unstructured sources
Accessing enough computational power to process extremely large amounts of data in a timely manner
Developing better systems for securing BIG data
How to deliver particular data (from larger data sets) to specific users in real time
Figuring out efficient methods and means of storing BIG data (for short and long-term applications)
Any way you want to look at it, each one of these challenges (including many others) must be met with suitable solutions in the very near future. This isn’t an optional area in which businesses and individuals can decide whether or not they want to utilize, BIG data is everywhere now; it has worked its way into the very fabric of our society. Luckily, there are plenty of potential solutions and technologies which are being implemented on all fronts which are more than capable of helping to tame BIG data.
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Cloud Computing has the power to tame BIG data, get certified today!
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One of the most obvious pairings for BIG data is none other than cloud computing. The cloud’s ability to requisition nearly unlimited resources is exactly what is needed when it comes to analyzing and processing extremely large pools of data. As many of you might already be aware, even the most powerful and sophisticated super computers don’t possess the sheer horse-power that an extended cloud network solution can access.
But analysis isn’t the only thing the cloud is good for (where BIG data is concerned); storage, organization and access are all much easier to deal with too. Additionally, many companies are using cloud computing to actually design BIG data solutions for unique problems. Furthermore, once applications or components have been created and deployed, they can be more easily copied and modified via cloud computing, making it easier to devise more customized BIG data solutions.
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Specialty IT Certifications provide protection against big shifts in the industry
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If there’s one thing that you should remember about BIG data, it’s that it isn’t going anywhere. In other words, you’re only going to be hearing more and more about BIG data as time rolls forward. Why, you ask? Because (as previously stated) the proliferation of data continues to accelerate, and it all has to go somewhere, right?
The emergence of BIG data as a conventional area of employment (in and of itself) actually presents some very unique opportunities for IT professionals who realize what’s going on. Many experts are forecasting that careers for those with a concentration in BIG data may well be among the most highly sought-after IT workers in the very near future. This is why those IT careerists who are serious about meeting the demands and shifts which are coming should complete some form of BIG data certification program.