The Big Data-Driven Business

Chapter 9Implementing a Big Data Plan (Sometimes by Thinking Small)

Big data is an intimidating concept. It sounds hard. It sounds overwhelming. It sounds expensive.

Data has always been with us. The difference now is that is it more accessible and more immediate. Data, lots of it, is available in real time.

“It's been here for a very long time,” Vinny Sosa, director of web intelligence and optimization at Citrix Systems, marketers of GoToMeeting, said of big data. “Now it just has a name.”

The key to getting big data right at your company is not to get bogged down with the concept of big data. Start by identifying the needs of your customers and your business. Also, think small—focus on the parts of data you think can change your business for the better, not on the entirety of the data available to you. Keep in mind the old proverb: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Note that leveraging data is not reserved for big companies. Big companies do have advantages, such as deep pockets. But small companies have advantages, too. For instance, they are nimble and are often not tied down by legacy systems and data siloed in various corners of the company.

It's instructive to examine how George Stenitzer approached bringing more data and analytics into his marketing department when he was the vice president of communications at Tellabs back in 2010. Stenitzer focused first on what he wanted. He knew Tellabs, a telecommunications equipment company, had been investing ...