Big Data is one of tech’s hottest buzz words at the moment, with many companies forcing it into their product announcements like they have been with cloud computing for the last 18 months.
But much like cloud computing, it seems that Big Data is suffering from an identity crisis. A new survey from LogLogic has found what it calls "significant" gaps between theory and practice with regard to big data.
In a survey of 207 senior IT-decision makers, 38% confessed to not having a clear understanding of what Big Data is. Despite this, nearly half (49%) said they were somewhat or very concerned about managing big data.
In addition, 59% said they lack the tools required to manage data from their IT systems. This means they often resort to separate, disparate systems and even spreadsheets to look after data.
The survey also looked at attitudes to cloud computer and found remarkably similar results. Nearly three-quarters, or 72%, said they lack the tools to manage data for their existing, and future cloud environments.
"The results show significant inconsistencies in practice. Namely, while big data, cloud needs and compliance requirements are clearly major concerns, the majority of companies are not prepared to deal with any of them adequately," said Bob West, founder and CEO of Echelon One, who carried out the research along with LogLogic. Echelon One is an IT security research consultancy.
"It’s fascinating to see the rift, and the overwhelming percentage of companies surveyed are not prepared to manage big data properly, monitor cloud environments effectively, or report network and device activities properly. These companies are leaving themselves exposed to attacks, making less-than-informed business decisions, and even risking fines from the federal regulatory agencies, for not complying with their requirements," West added.
"Big data is about many terabytes of unstructured data. Information is power, and big data if managed properly can provide a ton of insight to help deal with security, operational, and compliance issues," noted Mandeep Khera, chief marketing officer of LogLogic.
"Organisations of every size are collecting more data from a variety of sources within the enterprise and the cloud infrastructures, and many organisations are not using the right tools and processes to manage these data. If this pattern continues, we will see enterprises falling farther behind, unable to derive actionable insights, which can help organisations make intelligent decisions," Khera said.
