Big data and machine learning present exciting new opportunities for businesses to bring their goals into sharper focus and remain competitive. The sheer volume of information large businesses process holds potential gold in terms of the value it may add to improved marketing, customer service offerings and smarter business processes.

This blog looks at some examples of how these two technologies are being leveraged for better collaboration and more informed decision making.

Microsoft introduced a software code named Oslo into certain versions of its Office 365 suite that will ‘learn’ how people work within applications like Sharepoint, Outlook and other Microsoft applications. The result is that more relevant information such as emails, office documents, co-worker information and other data is made available to users based on their application usage, the information they regularly access and tasks they perform within the company. The aim is to change the way companies work and to bring people together over enterprises that often span large geographical areas.

A productivity suite that intelligently ‘connects the dots’ and makes relevant content more readily available can prove invaluable to improving business processes and communication methods for enterprises.

Big data analytics can also result in environmentally friendly and optimised data centres with large energy demands. Google has employed big data and machine learning technology at their data centres that use metrics on temperature readings, server performance data and other information to find ways of consuming energy more efficiently. Analyzing the volumes of server logs and other metrics has allowed Google to implement more efficient policies around how data centres consume energy. With big names such as Google, Microsoft and others continually pushing the envelope, the future of big data and machine learning looks promising.

Big data analytics presents big opportunities for organisations.

Data is everywhere and enterprises that take advantage of the insights gained from the information they process stand to broaden their revenue streams and find ways to stay ahead of competition. The volumes of data that is logged, processed and stored by enterprise organisations can prove too much for humans alone to cope with productively.

Below are some of the potential benefits enterprises can reap from big data analytics:

• Visualisation of massive data sets that provide new market insights
• Real-time and historic trend identification
• More targeted advertising spend
• Move from reactive to proactive business model based on information value
• Improve internal business processes and communications
• Accurate and powerful reporting that eliminates guesswork
• Insight into customer experience and improved service offerings
• Improve product performance from data acquired (crash reports, for example)
• More accurate market trend analysis (housing, financial, etc.)

The ability to capture and process huge volumes of information by means of computing has resulted in the accumulation of data that can be monetised if leveraged correctly. Big data and machine learning, complemented by the rise of cloud computing and virtualisation, create fertile ground for new and exciting opportunities around almost every aspect of the business world.

Image credits: Pixabay

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