Big data: embrace it or be swallowed by it?

• Author: Misuraca, John
• Position: Data management

For many of us, the term "big data" brings thoughts of the National Security Agency collecting our emails or tracking websites we visit. The mere mention of it brings fear and concerns of hackers stealing our Social Security, credit card or bank account numbers. The announcement that credit cards used by customers at Target had been compromised resulted in a significant drop in sales by the store chain.

The movie "Moneyball" entertained us in 2011 with a baseball story that didn't focus on players or coaches, but on management and analytics. The plot centered on the Oakland A's baseball team and its hiring of the fictional Peter Brand (who was based on a real person) to analyze major league players who were not necessarily stars, but provided value in ways never before envisioned by general managers.

Despite a payroll much smaller than any other major league team, the A's went to the playoffs and compete to be in the World Series. A few years later, every major professional team in every major sport is using analytics at some level. Some teams have hired employees whose only jobs are to find and analyze player and team information and present it in a way that will be useful in making decisions that can bring them a championship.

Disney World recently introduced a wristband for resort guests that allows them to enter the parks, get priority passes rides, open the doors to their hotel rooms and pay for food and merchandise anywhere in the resort without pulling out a ticket or credit card. Disney also can track when band users are on certain rides and email them a picture or video of them on it for later viewing.

While providing an item of convenience and benefits for their customers, the wristbands are allowing Disney to collect a huge amount of information on the attendance and spending habits of their guests that will enable them to provide those customers a better experience, entice them back to the resort and interest people with similar demographics to plan their next vacation to Orlando.

These are just three examples of how big data is affecting us in positive and negative ways. Huge amounts of information are being collected, analyzed and applied to increase the performance of organizations. The introduction of the computer and advent of the Internet has taken data and information to a level never imagined just a few years ago. The huge increase in the amount of cheaper storage is making it easy for the volume of available data to...