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The opportunities of Big Data: a new frontier
"Big Data" has become a recurring term used by companies and institutions. But what are "Big Data"? According to Gartner, Big Data are huge volumes of information, generated at very high speed and characterized by great variety (from data structured in tables to unstructured data coming from audio and video or generated by the social networks); these information require new techniques to be processed in order to help you improve the decisional process, generate new knowledge and optimize performance.
It's not only the amount of data to be analyzed, but also (and above all) how these data are used; the main business opportunities lie in the ability to go beyond the noise caused by the increasing amount of data available, the find relevant patterns and the give the right information to the end user: this is the real meaning of Big Data. It's not just how big the database is; it's a matter of making all the possible opportunities visible, using advanced techniques to analyze, process and manage the data.
The description provided by McKinsey is particularly interesting, which considers Big Data the new frontier of innovation, competition and productivity. Big Data create value by making available key information at the right time, thus improving every decisional process in which those techniques are applied; Big Data maenable new customer segmentions and tailored offers; Big Data help improve compans processes and products through better knowledge.
Predictive analytics: beyond Business Intelligence
Predictive analytics finds out what most likely will happen in the future. In business, predictive analytics help effectively predict future trends in customer behavior, how they will purchase, who will enter the market, who will leave it and why. Traditional techniques of Business Intelligence can guarantee the transparency of corporate data, but they are a picture of the past, of what has already happened; companies today need more: they need to anticipate future trends so they can make the decisions today that will enable them to successfully achieve tomorrow's goals.
Going beyond Business Intelligence means not limiting yourself to looking in the rearview mirror, but looking ahead and knowing with certainty which is the best road to take. Exploiting the potential of techniques of predictive analytics means going from the old roadmaps to a modern GPS.
Machine Learning and optimization algorithms: adapting to a changing environment
In order to release the full potential of Big Data and apply predictive analytics successfully, it is necessary to process the available data with advanced methods. This is where the technique of Machine Learning comes in. When we speak of Machine Learning, one of the most significant areas of artificial intelligence, we are referring to the study of computational algorithms capable of automatically improving their effectiveness through experience and repetition.
The application of advanced techniques like machine learning and the effective use of optimization algorithms are possible only thanks to deep, specific knowledge.
The drive for innovation on Big Data is written in our DNA: the name itself, Optimist AI, explicitly brings to mind the technologies that refer to optimization and Artificial Intelligence.