3 Things You Need To Know About Big Data

By The Business Solutions Network

While I was at the CompTIA Breakaway show last week in Las Vegas, I was surprised how much emphasis was put on the topic of big data. I have to admit that prior to this event, this wasn't a topic that's been very high on my radar. However, after attending the MSP Partners meeting and seeing all the research CompTIA has on this topic, I'm becoming a believer in big data.

Before I get to the reasons I think you should pay closer attention to big data, let me first define what big data is. It's information that can be mined for useful information, but it cannot be handled through traditional means (e.g. relational databases) because of its nature (i.e. unstructured). (For those of you who have been in the industry for at least 10 years, you may recall this topic when it used to be called "knowledge management").

Based on CompTIA's survey of 500 U.S. businesses and IT executives, here are the three most important takeaways I want to leave you with:

1. 34% Say "Very Important Now," 41% Say "Very Important in 2014"
This is pretty big news, pardon the pun. More than 1/3 of those surveyed said that being able to manage their big data is very important right now and that number is expected to grow 7% within the next two years. In fact, only 12% of those surveyed were "neutral" (11%) or felt that big data was "unimportant" (1%). More than half (65%) of survey respondents agreed that if they could harness all of their data, they'd have stronger companies.

2. Data Mismanagement Is A Big Pain Point For Your Customers
It's not until you delve into the "why" behind the big data interest that you start to understand what's driving this trend. Exactly half of business executives surveyed acknowledged that their inability to manage data resulted in wasted time that could be spent in other areas of the business. The second highest pain point (43%) was inefficient or slow decision-making/lack of agility that resulted from being unable to properly manage all their data. Other notable pain points included "internal confusion over priorities" (31%) and "reduced margins due to operational inefficiencies" (30%).

3. Less Than 1/3 Of Your Peers Are Addressing Big Data Needs Right Now
Perhaps you were late to the game with selling backup and disaster recovery solutions, cloud services, or managed services in general.  If you started offering big data solutions and services, you'd be in the minority of all resellers. Here's what CompTIA's research showed, based on feedback from 435 U.S.

For more information on this topic, check out CompTIA's website. Membership, which starts at $20 per month, gives you access to all their research, A+ certification programs, and other channel-focused resources. If you're one of the few resellers that's already starting to offer big data solutions and services, I'd like to hear about. Drop me a line through this blog or via the BSMinfo.com website.