The Future of Data Analysis Platforms
July 11, 2013
Large consulting and accounting firm Information Management expresses its views on analytics in, “Big Data: Rethinking the Platform.” Writer Narendra Mulani sketches out a common problem for today’s companies: incorporating new analysis technologies into existing infrastructures. Some try to forgo the new by translating all data into a structured format before analysis but, he explains, that frustrating path just ends up wasting time and money. It is better to accept from the beginning that your system will need an overhaul to make the most of the big data trend.
Companies can approach their redesign a number of ways, stresses the write-up. Virtualized and consolidated data centers have become popular, but Mulani suspects another model might supplant that approach. He writes:
“In particular, a platform consisting of large numbers of smaller, commodity servers handling storage locally is highly scalable. To expand capacity, the business just adds more of these smaller servers, which are relatively inexpensive, rather than having to upgrade enterprise services and storage equipment at great cost. . . . In practice, in order to deliver the most value to the business, chief technology officers and their teams will need to operate with both [old and new] models, while ensuring their data flows to the right places at the right time. This hybrid model will enable businesses to capture the benefits of new big data platforms without giving up their existing architectures. Indeed, some of the technologies that power the new will also be used to invigorate what is already in place.”
The article goes on to enumerate some things to consider with such a hybrid approach, and notes that what works for one organization will not meet the needs of others. Designing a system requires a balance between development costs and potential benefits for each company. For Mulani, one central principle guides the process: “IT should be an enabler of business results.” It is a simple concept that nevertheless eludes some decision makers.
Cynthia Murrell, July 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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