SPECIAL REPORT: What is BIG DATA and what does it mean to you?

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Arthur C. Clarke
Author of “2001: A Space Odyssey”
who pioneered the concept of the telecommunications satellite.

BIG DATA (and what you need to know about it)

Kitty Hawk to the Moon…..Henry Ford to Tesla….. Watson and Crick’s discovery of the structure of DNA to mapping the human genome; every technology has its story, but information technology’s story is impacting more people faster. Technology writer Robert X. Cringely is featuring a “must read” series in his blog, “I, Cringely”, that explores IT’s latest and most compelling chapter, “Big Data” and how we got there. It is well worth your time.

Cringely writes “Personal computing changed America, the Internet changed the world, but Big Data is about to transform the world. Big Data will drive our technological development for the next hundred years.”  

If you’re not a digital native, this series of blogs will put IT’s big developments in perspective for you; if your birth occurred after the PC’s advent, these articles will introduce you to the IT world before the advent of the microprocessor, and perhaps provide a new appreciation for a world you may be taking for granted.

There are three articles in this series “Thinking About Big Data,” They are not short, but are well written, generally avoiding “geek speak.” Those who would like to understand what is perhaps the most important aspect of IT today will be well rewarded by investing some time on Mr. Cringely’s blog.

Part 1 introduces the concepts of data bases and metadata and discusses the first implementation of “Bigish Data” at Amazon. Part 2 describes how Google et al. brought Big Data to prime time. Part 3, the final and somewhat scary part, predicts the world-changing impact of Big Data (which has already begun). As an example, if your son or daughter wants to be a radiologist, you will want to share this series and perhaps encourage them to pursue another field of medicine.

This is required reading for non-technology executives who want to understand the IT forces that have and are driving your strategy and business model in the years ahead.