Week 6 Discussion 2

Week 6 Discussion 2
Any organization wishing to maintain a competitive advantage can benefit from big data management and analytical tools. When properly utilized, big data can increase efficiency, productivity, and predict future market conditions (Laudon, p. 231). As processors become faster and more affordable, big data management will become a necessary component of all organizations. The actual benefit from big data will lie in the ability to analyze and apply the vast amounts of information that are flooding databases at all times.
Big data permeates every aspect of modern life. Not even the Library of Congress is beyond needing big data maintenance. In 2010, the library agreed to archive Twitter (Purcell, 2013). The need for big data management in this case is obvious. The challenge for the library lies in performing searches in the database. The ever-growing catalogue contains over 170 billion tweets; more than 130 terabytes of information (Purcell, 2013). Finding a needle in the data haystack of just one eighth of this behemoth currently takes over 24 hours (Purcell, 2013).
Humans currently generate the same amount of data every 48 hours as we did in the time period from the beginning of history until 2003 (Rieland, 2012). Every action we take is recorded and data sent to its respective depository (Rieland, 2012). It is this constant data mining that has led to the development of entire industries centered around the collection, sale, and analysis of data. Google, for example, developed BigQuery, which scans huge amounts of data in mere seconds (Reiland, 2012). Other companies collect and exchange data as a commodity.
Companies utilize this data to learn about their customers. Businesses keep records of every purchase customers make. Target has become so skilled at analyzing this data that they are able to determine the likelihood of pregnancy based on purchasing patterns (Hill, 2012). In addition, Target’s computers are able to determine the relative due date, all by analyzing what products are bought and when (Hill, 2012). Target uses its information to determine what promotional items individuals would be interested in based on specific criteria.
While big data analysis is useful to a point, there is a finite amount of data that can be analyzed and used effectively. Peter Fader, professor at the Wharton School of Business, states, “…the more data we have, the more false confidence we will have,” (Reiland, 2012). Fader believes that big data is the most useful when limits are established and science supplements data when those limits are reached (Reiland, 2012).
Big data management and analytical tools are likely to be needed and used by every organization in the future. If Moore’s law continues to hold true, the amount of data that will be available for analysis in years to come will likely outgrow the tools available to use it (Reiland, 2012). Therefore, the trend of constant data collection can only be followed by a move toward recognizing what data is of value. Only then will big data remain relevant for both private business and government use.
References
Laudon, K.C., & Laudon, J.P. (2014). Management Information Systems: Managing a Digital Firm (13th ed). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, Inc.
Purcell, Andrew (2013, January 16). US Library of Congress faces big data challenge for Twitter archive. International Science Grid This Week. Retrieved from http://www.isgtw.org/spotlight/us-library-congress-faces-big-data-challenge-twitter-archive
Rieland, Randy (2012, May 7). Big Data or Too Much Information? Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/big-data-or-too-much-information-82491666/
Hill, Kashmir (2012, February 16). How Target Figured Out a Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/

References: Laudon, K.C., & Laudon, J.P. (2014). Management Information Systems: Managing a Digital Firm (13th ed). Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, Inc. Purcell, Andrew (2013, January 16). US Library of Congress faces big data challenge for Twitter archive. International Science Grid This Week. Retrieved from http://www.isgtw.org/spotlight/us-library-congress-faces-big-data-challenge-twitter-archive Rieland, Randy (2012, May 7). Big Data or Too Much Information? Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/big-data-or-too-much-information-82491666/ Hill, Kashmir (2012, February 16). How Target Figured Out a Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/