Why BIG data might soon play a central role in most IT careers
If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that we’re going to continue to see extremely large amounts of data being collected from every direction on a daily basis. Likewise, the overall amount of data being compiled daily is only going to increase. Whether we’re talking about the private or public sectors, individuals or businesses, there is a corresponding pool of data which must be dealt with.
But simply devising storage solutions for all this data is only half of the story, the difficult part is actually obtaining (or extracting) valuable information / intelligence from said data pools. This goal of using BIG data in a way that increases its overall usefulness is entirely dependent on organization and analysis tools, many of which are currently under development.
Businesses and larger organizations see the inherent value in devising better systems for managing BIG data, largely because they have been using consumer data to create better sales strategies for a long time now. Simply put, there is a lot of evidence out there that proves just how value BIG data analysis actually is and even how it might be used to help companies increase sales and stop profit losses. But what’s even more obvious is that BIG data is going to continue to be accumulated anyway (regardless of whether or not it is used in any meaningful way), so there exists an opportunity to transform something which is essentially limitless into a means of generating useful information / profits.
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When you think of Cloud Computing capabilities and control, IaaS is the way to go…
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This of course leads us to the realization that it will be IT personnel who will ultimately tasked with implementing big data strategies and analysis. The question is; are you, as a current or future IT employee, prepared for the challenges posed by BIG data? At this current point in time, many IT professionals simply aren’t as well prepared for a move toward utilization of BIG data, which is great news for those who are intrepid enough to make their own preparations. A complete certification course covering BIG data management is a simple and affordable way to introduce yourself (and your entire organization) to the benefits of this emerging sector which is absolutely bursting with potential.
Still not convinced? Here is a quote from a report conducted by the McKinsey Global Institute:
“By 2018, the United States alone could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytical skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions.”
In other words, we currently don’t have anywhere near the amount of BIG data specialists / analysts that we need in this particular sector (right now). Regardless of what facet of the IT industry you are entering and/or specializing in, having some training (and even better, certification) in this burgeoning growth sector will not only ensure your ultimate employability, but also promote additional success.
Another hidden factor (in the explosion of BIG data onto the IT scene) is the increased competition that’s going to result from its use. For example, if BIG data is used to more intimately highlight specific consumer traits and target demographics, less time can be spent on useless promotion. Likewise, if businesses are able to pinpoint their consumer bases for certain products they can also more easily predict their desires. Or, to put it another way, a company can effectively target an audience for a new service/product that’s on the drawing board well in advance of its actual production and release. Naturally, once it becomes common knowledge that BIG data analysis can be used in any number of ways to build an organization, everyone is going to want “in” on it (in reality, this is already happening to a large extent).
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Explore some of the more unique (and potentially profitable) areas of IT certification…
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Aside from actually trying to increase sales, one of the best ways to spur growth is in risk avoidance. BIG data will undoubtedly bring a whole new way of looking at and addressing risk avoidance to the forefront (and it will be up to IT personnel, in most cases, to spearhead this sort of development). Understandably, this will create more important responsibilities for IT workers, which will likely translate into larger salaries (for those with the proper training and knowledge).