As technology plays an increasingly influential role in our everyday lives, our presence in the virtual world intensifies. As a result, gone are the days when consumer preferences were the guesswork of desperate advertisers. As technology-bearers we leave behind not only carbon footprints but click-prints – an online trace of what we like, what we want and where we go to get it.
Advertisers can now wield an enhanced plethora of marketing strategies utilizing insights derived from big data, and if you’re not doing the same, it’s likely that you’re falling behind. Indeed, an article published by the Economist recently asserted that data is now the world’s hottest commodity – a more valuable resource even than oil.
But that’s not to say that big data is just about advertiser empowerment. With the industry expanding at an unprecedented rate, many businesses are in danger of drowning in data. Ageing systems can easily be swamped, often decreasing productivity levels and leaving highly sensitive data assets vulnerable and unprotected.
As your company acquires more and more data, the procurement of an infallible big data strategy is no longer an advantage but a necessity. This typically means transitioning away from traditional techniques and choosing a platform of dedicated or cloud based servers that are designed to cope with the demands of unorganised data volumes.
Upgrading server capacity to cope with data demands
That might sound terrifying, but it needn’t be as painless as it sounds. Instead, it means businesses need to look at specialist providers and explore how upgrading server infrastructure could help them to handle the big data coming their way.
Businesses shouldn’t be shy of being greedy here. They should demand the best from their hosting provider, making sure that it can:
- Offer a scalable option to suit your budget and requirements.
- Assume responsibility for everything from hosting performance, security, storage and memory to reliability and tech support.
- Provide real-time processing capabilities, vastly superior to older batch-process frameworks.
And remember, time is money. Migrating heavy, unorganized information into advanced systems designed to store, aggregate and convert data will strengthen your capacity to act upon time-sensitive opportunities. Insight can be communicated through intuitive visualization software and you should rest assured, knowing your assets are housed in protected server centres.
An added bonus is that suppliers offering rapid provisioning services also keep business downtime to a minimum during the transition. Just remember to assess the needs of your individual business before approaching hosting providers – that way you’ll avoid being overwhelmed by the multitude of products on offer.
Big data cannot be ignored
If the concept of change sounds intimidating at this time, it’s important to remember that big data and its challenges are not something that can be avoided for long. It’s something that your business is probably already having to confront and it’s almost certainly affecting your competitors and their success.
To maintain an edge, you must be prepared to utilize the spoils of the evolution by embracing the technology that can provide the best intelligence in your field. In fact, it is worth not only acknowledging and adapting to the reality of big data in the present, but also considering how big data will affect the future and accommodate such predictions when devising long-term business strategies. That way you can stay prepared and operate at the forefront of your game.
