The Big Data Transformation

Chapter 2. Where Do You Start? Follow the Example of This Data-Storage Company

So, you’re intrigued by big data. You even think you’ve identified a real business need for a big-data project. How do you articulate and justify the need to fund the initiative?

When selling big data to your company, you need to know your audience. Big data can deliver massive benefits to the business, but you must know your audience’s interests.

For example, you might know that big data gets you the following:

• 360-degree customer view (improving customer “stickiness”) via cloud services

• Rapid iteration (improving product innovation) via engineering informatics

• Force multipliers (reducing support costs) via support automation

But if others within the business don’t realize what these benefits mean to them, that’s when you need to begin evangelizing:

• Envision the big-picture business value you could be getting from big data

• Communicate that vision to the business and then explain what’s required from them to make it succeed

• Think in terms of revenues, costs, competitiveness, and stickiness, among other benefits

Table 2-1 shows what the various stakeholders you need to convince want to hear.

Table 2-1. Know your audience

Analysts want:	Business owners want:	IT professionals want:	Data scientists want:
SQL and ODBC	New revenue streams	Lower TCO from a reduced footprint	Sheer speed for large queries
ACID for consistency	Sheer speed for critical answers	MPP shared-nothing architecture	R for ...