Actionable Intelligence: A Guide to Delivering Business Results with Big Data Fast!

Chapter 10 Next Frontiers

Key Points and Questions

• With the advent of digitized information, we now have the capability to integrate, analyze, and exploit both structured and unstructured data. Our ability to understand and learn from data has been transformed, enabling us to move from the era of information to the era of insight.
• What kind of information would enable leaders in any industry to make better decisions? Whether health care, education, transportation, manufacturing, banking, or retail, there are constant basic questions: “What is the current situation?” and “What should we do next with limited resources?”
• “The rise of human-computer cooperation in solving big problems has never been about simply finding the right algorithm but rather finding the right interface between the data-crunching capability of machines and human ingenuity.”¹
• The future and possibilities with big data and actionable intelligence are endless.

How do you feel about a cashless society? One where everyone has a global identification number based on their DNA. No need to carry wallets filled with credit cards, and various countries' currency. Just walk up to a retailer and transact business or even look at a particular item with Google Glass and subtly click with your eye movement to make the purchase.

In 1995, I was on a bus with my fellow Andersen Consulting start-group members and, as usual, I wanted to take a poll. Would they enjoy a cashless society? Everyone said “yes” emphatically! ...