Many companies today are using big data and analytics to make real-time, data-driven decisions. Even those companies that have only just embarked on their analytics journeys are looking to their data to change the way business decisions are made and gain the benefits that actionable intelligence promises.
However, moving from analysis to actionable intelligence is easier said than done, and many organisations struggle to bridge the value proposition across the different aspects of data they have to navigate. Gaining value from the analytics journey starts with the right foundation. This includes things like data architecture, data governance, and management practices. Once these are in place, we can shift into visualisation and cutting-edge technologies like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
Success is all about taking the right approach from the start. It’s about getting the design right and the thinking upfront correct. Hyperscale cloud is helping to change the conversations that companies are having, but many are still struggling to derive the value they want from their data because they haven’t established the right foundation.
This is largely rooted in the traditional divide between business and IT. IT has always been responsible for planning capacity and infrastructure at the request of business, but all too often, business hasn’t fully understood – or used – the full capabilities of that infrastructure. In addition, there has historically been a delay between IT delivery and the business request. By the time the infrastructure lands, is optimised, and the data is included, the analytics is weeks, or even months past what the business was trying to solve for in the first place.
Hyperscale has changed this dynamic, eliminating the serial process of creating infrastructure. As a result, time to value changes and analytics projects can be far more efficient and far more effective. This is critical to eliminating the business-IT divide. Not only does hyperscale enable organisations to do more, faster, but it allows them to fail quickly. This is important because business doesn’t have all the right questions immediately, and by eliminating the delay caused by adding or changing infrastructure, hyperscale enables the flexibility that is needed for innovation.
Every industry creates an intense amount of data that can add value. A company’s ability to make sense out of that data forms part of its competitive advantage. As a result, companies need to understand that their IT strategy is a data strategy, and that this is actually a business strategy.
This requires a mindset shift. The Covid-19 pandemic has proved that what we thought was good enough is not good enough – we have to become truly data driven in order to shift according to changing business needs. Hyperscale enables this, ensuring that businesses can see value quickly by matching technology to specific use cases or questions.
However, the basics have to be in place. A good understanding of what the business is trying to achieve must be matched with a solid foundation. The need for governance, ensuring that data is safe, and an understanding of the data journey do not go away in the hyperscale world. Neither does the need for the right skills.
With a solid foundation in place, hyperscale removes many of the obstacles facing companies looking to get the most out of their data. In a hyperscale world, businesses are limited only by their imagination.
Listen to the Podcast HERE
Image Credit: studyclerk.com
