Courtesy of Information Management

When you're working but not actually "working" in your information management job, when you're reading articles, listening to sessions, visiting events or attending conferences, it's gotten near impossible to avoid the elephantine words that are "big data."

Courtesy of Rosalie Marshall of V3

Whether you like it or not, big data analytics technology has nabbed its spot as the next hot trend in the IT industry, and the term will be banded about for years to come.

At increasing numbers of industry events big data analytics is listed, along with cloud computing, social networking and mobile computing, as a technology that has the potential to change the IT landscape as we know it.

IDC  published a report last month that forecast the market for big data technology and services will grow from $3.2bn in 2010 to $16.9bn in 2015. This is seven times the annual growth rate that is forecast for the IT market in general.

It's quite shocking when you think about it. Hardly anyone was even talking about big data five years ago.

But now as big data becomes the new IT buzzword, droves of press releases latch on to the term like it's the only subject that will keep the public relations industry alive, while us journalists begin to regard the topic with dread.

And you can't really blame us. We remain swamped by the cloud computing 'revolution', writing story after story about companies that have finally taken to the cloud or IT providers that have released cloud products.

We've covered research into the size and value of the cloud market, investigated the extent to which firms are for prepared for the cloud, and had a good, long discussion about all the possible cloud computing challenges you can think of.

But maybe we shouldn't be so hasty. Before we've dismissed big data as the next cloud, let's just lend it a moment's thought, and consider whether this technology has a silver lining.

Big data analytics is not just a new type of computing architecture that can cut costs and drive efficiencies, but a set of technologies that have the potential to change society so that it resembles sci-fi films.

Interactions between individuals, businesses and the government can become faster and more intelligent with the analysis of big data. Yes, some of this is scary, especially to those individuals who worry over privacy. But there is also a lot of good the technology can offer.

One of the oft-cited examples is law enforcement agencies using big data analytics to research crime hotspots and combat crimes of a specific nature.

This has advanced in the US with an initiative called Crimespotting, and in the UK police force with Crime Maps. Both programmes aggregate crime reports and allow the public to track instances of crimes in their neighbourhoods.

Meanwhile, another example often used to highlight benefits of big data is that of medical researchers soon being able to scan data from public health records, medical textbooks, clinical studies and individuals' genomes to pinpoint successful treatments or to spot diseases before they emerge.

This is in fact not so far off. Europe's largest university hospital, Charite University of Medicine Berlin (PDF) gives every doctor and senior manager ready access to data about operations, scheduling, patient care, and in some cases, patient records. This allows operations to be planned according to the skills on wards at a particular time, reducing the waiting times of all patients. 

By 2017, every cancer patient at the hospital will have their human genome mapped and incorporated into the system, ensuring they are given the best treatment available to them.

The list of the good big data analytics can bring society is pretty much endless.

Another use of the technology would be to prevent cities from becoming too congested with traffic.

Mobile phone signals could be monitored so traffic controllers are alerted when there are too many cars flooding the roads in a particular area, and these controllers could alert other drivers, suggesting they take alternative routes.

There are then the benefits the technology offers businesses. It is already becoming commonplace for financial institutions and insurance industries to analyse large amounts of data in real-time for risk management purposes, but there is also the opportunity for retailers and other types of businesses to use analytics technology to better target their customers.

Examples of these businesses are hard to find at the moment. Not only is the technology to crunch big data expensive, but businesses also do not want to overstep the privacy mark, particularly in the UK where the data privacy debate can rage so fierce.

The UK population remains protective of their data, even though they increasingly choose to share their data with loyalty card providers to save money, or with social networks for their own personal amusement.

Just think of the hoo-hah that's caused whenever Facebook or Google updates their privacy policies.

However individuals' mindsets are likely to change as they increasingly see benefits from sharing their data with businesses. 

For example, Nike+ allows runners to log exactly where they run, rest and stop, and then share this information with their fellow enthusiasts online.

Tens of thousands of running routes are now held by Nike, and I bet the likes of Starbucks and Dunkin Doughnuts would probably be very interested in getting hold of this data.

Okay, you may not want to be lured by doughnuts and lattes when you're trying hard to shift some pounds, and I am half-joking with this example, but the point is our data can be used by businesses to make our easier. Just think about how often we share our location with mapping applications to help us find out where to go.

I may regret saying this, but I do feel the IT industry is about to get a lot more exciting with the growth big data, and it will be interesting to see more examples of businesses using big data to offer us up solutions to our increasingly hectic, always-connected and always-on-the go lifestyles.

Courtesy of Market Watch

Liaison Technologies cites surge in customer interest and recent research as evidence that cloud Master Data Management is gaining traction

Liaison Technologies, a global provider of secure cloud-based integration and data management services and solutions, contends that increased customer interest and recent research conducted by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks company  HHS +0.11% , both point to cloud-based Master Data Management (MDM) as being the catalyst for mid-market companies and global enterprises to adopt a data management strategy.

A 2011 survey conducted by Aberdeen shows a significant uptick in cloud MDM adoption over the past few years, with over one-fifth of respondents using the model. This interest is further reflected in a series of new customers for Liaison's cloud-based Managed Services for Master Data Management across industries--including in the entertainment and distribution industries--because of how well it resolves some of the key drivers of poor-quality product data. These drivers include a typical data growth rate of 35 percent year over year, the practice of holding data in separate departmental silos, which makes it difficult for employees to find, and the challenge of matching up multiple internal data formats and external data formats stemming from suppliers--a top pressure of 36 percent of companies, according to the Aberdeen survey.

"Cloud MDM matches up well against the known drivers of poor-quality master data," said Christopher Hale, VP, Global Product Marketing for Liaison. "One of its inherent benefits is that by definition it is a central repository of information in the cloud, accessible through a portal, browser or application. This 'equal opportunity' access removes the barriers caused by data silos or complex distributed organizations, and the pay-as-you-go model easily scales to handle volume increases."

The challenges and barriers preventing traditional MDM investment are simple: high data complexity, too many data owners, and hesitation to spend the time and money for uncertain returns. Additionally, many organizations regard the technical complexities of integrating the data as insurmountable. Conversely, cloud MDM services resolve these problems by providing a central, scalable, readily accessible repository of accurate data, affordably.

"The state of data quality across industries is of overwhelming poor quality, making much of it useless for business operations and fact-based decision-making," said Hale. "Cloud services are making data management feasible for organizations that embrace the value of easily accessible and trustworthy data, but have delayed an MDM initiative because they considered them too hard to do or too expensive."

Liaison's Managed Services for Master Data Management combine proven technology solutions, processes and professional resources to help organizations quickly consolidate, cleanse, rationalize and share data. Liaison's governance-driven service approach provides a highly scalable and secure infrastructure in the cloud, and a professional services team of data management experts handles day-to-day data management tasks. It further offers a host of ancillary services such as data integration, data mapping, data quality, data cleansing and a SOA-based Cloud Services Brokerage model. Together, Liaison's cloud-based data services and solutions offer the freedom and flexibility of the cloud while leveraging the data models organizations currently have in place.

To view a complimentary webcast in which Aberdeen Group's Nathaniel Rowe discusses the current state and future of Master Data Management, including providing a roadmap for success, go to https://liaison.com/resource-center/webcasts/does-cloud-pave-the-road-with-gold-for-mdm-registration .

About Liaison Technologies

Liaison Technologies is a global integration and data management company providing unique and high-value solutions to securely move, transform and manage business information on-premise or in the cloud. With a comprehensive array of business-to-business and application-to-application integration and data transformation services, Liaison's practitioners implement data management infrastructures adapted to specific business requirements. Headquartered in Atlanta, Liaison has offices in the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.liaison.com .

Liaison and the Liaison logo are trademarks of Liaison Technologies, Inc. All other names or product names mentioned in this release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Courtesy of Derek Singleton of Software Advice - a website that help buyers with their erp software comparison

The explosive growth of Cloud technologies is shaking up IT departments everywhere. This technology shift is creating a new professional skills market that's in high demand and short supply.

"Everyone is talking about Cloud, but there are so few people that have Cloud skills. There's a real void of talent." - Ben Kepes, Principal Analyst at  Diversity Limited

For IT professionals, maintaining a job in the age of Cloud computing requires developing a new set of skills to match evolving IT roles. Through analyst interviews and discussions with IT professionals, I've identified five skills IT professionals need to position themselves for a career in the Cloud.

1. Learn the C-Suite Vocabulary

For years, there's been talk about the IT department becoming a "strategic partner" of business. In the age of Cloud computing, this means developing deep knowledge of the range of Cloud-based technologies on the market and how these technologies impact the range of C-level priorities.

Learning about the range of solutions on the market-from IaaS to SaaS technologies-is something that most IT professionals are already undertaking. These days, however, just knowing the solutions isn't enough.

MR Rangaswami, co-Founder of Sandhill, believes IT professionals also must know how to "map Cloud systems and divide functionality between Cloud and on-premise systems." Understanding these functional divisions drives efficiencies by ensuring the company has the right mix of technology.

Beyond that, IT professionals must convey to the C-suite (where technology expertise varies) how a recommended Cloud technology supports practical business needs. For instance, some executives may think that everything is ready to move to the Cloud while others have lingering security and privacy questions. IT professionals must be able to deftly navigate this terrain.

2. Become a Developer

In the old world, development and systems operations were two distinct IT functions. The Cloud-and straightforward development frameworks like Ruby-is blurring this division. As Ben Kepes notes, "today's modern platforms are sufficiently robust and self-contained" to eliminate much of the leg work of deploying and maintaining an application.

Current demand is high for individuals that can code, develop and deploy applications because there are so many applications to build and so few talented next generation developers. As a result, IT professionals are increasingly managing custom development for out-the-box solutions or simply building applications from scratch.

As such, skills working with popular Cloud platforms such as Force.com, Microsoft Azure and other PaaS options that come with development tools is a must, as is a familiarity with popular languages such as PHP, Ruby, JAVA or .NET.

3. Learn Cloud Integration Technologies

Of course, as Cloud applications proliferate in the enterprise, integration skills become essential for IT professionals. Rangaswami says that he's "spoken with companies that have as many as 10 SaaS and Cloud-based systems deployed." This creates a need to integrate Cloud applications to one another and to existing legacy systems.

Successfully integrating applications is complicated by the number of integration options and methods at the disposal of IT professionals today. To excel, IT professionals must be versed in third-party Cloud-based integration services such as Boomi and Informatica as well as integration appliances like Cast Iron. When these third-party tools are not sufficient, the IT department may be asked to build a custom integration using SOAP, RESTful APIs or a custom integration server.

With all of these integration needs, Rangaswami believes that there will also be a need for "skills around Master Data Management and Enterprise Architecture" to successfully manage the flow of information between applications.

4. Master Mobile Security

In addition to managing information flow, IT professionals must now manage information access on multiple mobile devices. With roughly 500 million smartphones out there today, and an increasing number of companies allowing employees to 'bring your own device' (BYOD), enterprise mobile security is one of the most important IT issues in the Cloud era.

Unfortunately, there is no accepted standard or certification for managing permissions and access to company information from both company issued and personal mobile devices. However, the industry is gravitating toward the OAuth certification standard according to Tom Patros, Principal at IT consultancy Red Argyle. IT developers should be familiar with this and other emerging security measures.

5. Get Certified by One or More Cloud Providers

A final area of focus for the IT community is to obtain Cloud certification from a Cloud provider to show your skills are vetted. A wide range of programs are currently offered by providers such as Amazon, Salesforce, Rackspace and others.

Obtaining certification from a Cloud provider is tactical relative to the strategic areas highlighted here. However, certifications can help add to Cloud skill marketability. And, ultimately, being able to market this new Cloud skill set is crucial to getting, and maintaining, a job in the age of Cloud computing.

IT professionals that proactively seek to develop these Cloud skills will position themselves to have a thriving career in the era of Cloud computing. Since these skills are currently in high demand and short supply, developing this skill set will also ensure a smooth professional transition as the Cloud continues to expand in the enterprise.

What skills do you think IT professionals should develop for the Cloud world? Please leave me your thoughts in the comments section below.

Courtesy of Viet Nam News

Despite the choppy economy this year, real growth in information technology spending, cloud computing and big data were leading the era of IT transformation, said Ajit Nair, managing director, Southeast Asia Emerging Markets at EMC Corp, at a workshop on Saturday in Da Nang.

"Though the time is not ideal, there will be real growth, and Asia-Pacific is expected to grow faster than average," Ajit said.

Last year, Asia-Pacific ranked second in terms of IT spending, with an increase of 10.9 per cent, following Latin America with a rise of 16.3 per cent, according to International Data Corporation (IDC), a global market intelligence firm. This year, global IT spending is forecast to grow 3-5 per cent and Asia Pacific will lead the world with an increase of 7.3 per cent.

"Viet Nam will grow faster than most countries in the Asia Pacific," Ajit said, arguing the country was one of Asia's strongest emerging markets with increased infrastructure developments as good opportunities for both foreign and domestic investments.

Nguyen Duc Toan, country director of EMC Viet Nam said, while the top three concerns of CIOs (chief information officer) focused on limited budgets, a data boom and data security, cloud computing was considered the ideal solution to help businesses overcome such difficulties.

The cloud environment allows enterprises to get their applications up and running faster with easier manageability and less maintenance. IT resources would be provided on demand to meet the fluctuating and unpredictable business demand as well.

However, he also said cloud computing was a concept rather than a product, for which meeting the five criteria of rapid elasticity, measured service, on-demand self service, resource pooling and broad network access were necessary.

Currently in Viet Nam, DongA Bank is the first enterprise building data centre based on this model of computing and it has completed the first stage of IT environment virtualisation.

Tran Nguyen Vu, deputy director of the Ministry of Finance's Department of Financial Informatics and Statistics, also said his ministry on its way to the cloud application using EMC Symmetrix VMAX storage platform with an open environment to store, analyse and use large amounts of data