The meaning of messages

Recent events highlight fundamental changes in communication that affect us all. Electronic messages from world leaders now bypass traditional media channels to communicate directly with millions. What are the implications ? Business has historically used computers to... read more

Unleashing Big Data creativity

Creative industries approach issues differently to corporates and the Oscars prompted me to investigate success stories in film-making to see if we can learn any lessons in the Big Data world. Pixar is a well-known brand today that is particularly striking in several... read more

Property prices – where to look

There are many theories on property prices but nothing beats a traditional view of demand vs supply. You are the best judge of demand local to your country and area, I wanted to understand the supply dynamics driving the complaint of many would-be UK purchasers that... read more

Help is only a million miles away

Whilst enjoying “The Martian” film starring Matt Damon http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-martian I was struck by many striking parallels with the challenges faced by Data experts. The film covers a lone astronaut’s battle to survive on Mars, so what are the... read more

Big Data learning pathways

You may be interested in developing your Big Data knowledge, skills and capability but choosing which development path to follow can be tricky. To become a Big Data expert you need: The knowledge and understanding to identify use cases, to manage effectively and to... read more

How to choose a successful Big Data platform

Launching User Orientated Architecture (UOA) inspired me to share why Big Data success depends on IT platform choice, what factors to consider and how to frame the solution. Who are the leaders? Some have developed their Big Data operations on the strategy of “more... read more

Using data to better understand your customer

Most businesses want to drive success in sales and marketing by understanding their customers better.   The challenge has been to deliver continually improving analytics into customer-level behaviour across different products and channels. Using relational... read more

The building blocks for Big Data

Traditionally Technical Architects design the logical, physical and logical, physical and processes for IT systems. This design is needed for consistent IT strategy and to ensure solutions meet the needs of the business, rather than the desires of its vendors. However... read more

Give me 3 reasons to spend money on Big Data

Most businesses have already invested in infrastructure and people to make data-driven decisions. New analytics tools and skills need to provide incremental value both now and in the future to justify new investment. After 20 years of working in data analytics I have... read more