Hadoop expected to be key as big data evolves

The rapid evolution of big data is having a profound impact on how companies store and mine this information, placing greater emphasis on effective big data analytics and business intelligence tools. A recent report by Gartner suggested that solutions like Hadoop will be valuable for firms addressing the challenges associated with these massive information pools.

The research firm suggested that 65 percent of all advanced analytic applications by 2015 will come embedded with Hadoop. The solution is ideal for studying unstructured data to determine certain behaviors found in corporate information. Gartner added that cloud computing has been a key driver of Hadoop and this trend will continue in the near future.

According to Bill Gassman, Gartner research director, businesses that can analyze their data are in line for many advantages, including gaining a competitive edge over rival firms and reducing operational costs.

“Technology providers will benefit by offering a more competitive product that delivers task-specific analytics directly to the intended role, and avoids a competitive situation with internally developed resources,” Gassman said.

Structured, unstructured data
Gartner also suggested that more than 30 percent of all analytics projects by 2015 will be based on insight gained from structured and unstructured data. Rita Sallam, research vice president at the firm, explained that more companies are using content repositories like text, email, audio and video to gain insight from this information.

“Correlating, analyzing, presenting and embedding insights from structured and unstructured information together enables organizations to better personalize the customer experience and exploit new opportunities for growth, efficiencies, differentiation, innovation and even new business models,” Sallam said.

Making big data easier
One of the major issues with big data is that companies are finding it difficult to manage. Looking ahead, it is clear that greater emphasis will be placed on tools such as Hadoop and other solutions to make big data less complex, according to GigaOM contributor Scott Brave.

Brave explained that making it easier to mine data to reveal user behavior, identify transaction histories and study social information is critical for many businesses, especially those operating in the eCommerce industry. Big data analytics tools such as Hadoop allow firms to limit bottlenecks while making this information less of a headache. Although these solutions do not solve every problem, they do help companies take a step in the right direction.