Five tips to get started with big data

Everyone seems to be talking about "big data" these days. Do you wonder what you’re missing out on? Let’s take a look at how you can get started with Big Data.

    Learn what it is, and what it is not. While we are all comfortable with the concept of data, why the emphasis on "big" data now? The world of data has changed. The speed at which data is produced and often is required to be consumed is nearly at the speed of thought. With data from sensors, geo-spatial tracked data and the discourse of human conversation being captured in social media today, our heads are left spinning with the amount of data being collected. And this is not just facts about dollars and cents or counts of activity. These are complex data points, often verbose text data that must be interpreted to identify the relevant meanings to your business. Big data simply means that you have a lot of data, and it is quite complex to use.

    Get with the program. Organizations can no longer stick their collective heads in the sand about the amount of data they must handle.

    Find the right people. Notice people come before tools. Data analysis tools are often touted as the “magic solution” to big data. While they will help you get there, you must have the right people that understand business strategy and data analysis (including statistical analysis, business modeling, and data mining).

    Find the right tools. The centralized IT group cannot keep up with the business’s demands for data and analytics. Self-service BI and analytics is the name of the game here. You want tools with features such as in-memory analytics that provide high-powered analysis on desktop-sized machines that your analysts can use.

    Be an IT-hugger. So often, once the business users and analysts get their hands on high-powered tools, they decide that IT is no longer needed. This could not be further from the truth. Often, IT has developed complex solutions to integrating data from large and diverse systems, providing standard methods for retrieving the data you need. In addition, IT is trained to plan for critical elements of your environment such as security and scalability. Figure out what the business needs, develop solid business rules around these requirements and learn from IT all you can.

Not so hard, right? Now, the next step? Go analyze. Go figure out how to turn your good company into a great company with the power of analytics.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2014/05/five-tips-to-get-started-with-big-data.html

Is Big Data right for your business?

Today, you can find “news” about Big Data just about everywhere. It’s being talked about in print magazines, newspapers, and all over the web. But, with so much news out there, how can you know if Big Data is right for your business, and, if so, how you should implement?

First, you need to have a working understanding of what Big Data is, and not the popular Cliff Notes version of the definition either. We’re talking about a real, working understanding. Big Data is a term used to describe technologies that allow companies to parse and catalogue datasets that are far too large to manage with conventional data gathering and mining tools.

One popular myth about Big Data is that it has only been around for “a couple” of years. Not so. In fact, major industries such as healthcare and entertainment have been using Big Data to “crack the code” for their production and marketing departments for years. So, we now have several years of a working understanding of how Big Data can work, and a proven track record in several major industries.

What IS true about Big Data is that many companies have just begun to take a serious look at it over the past two years. The world, we all realize, is changing. Smartphones are changing the way people use the internet and that, in turn, is changing how people shop, how they interact, and how they make the majority of their day to day decisions.

It’s a quantum leap forward in a short period of time, and that has many people wondering, and not a few CEOs worried. Is it too early to buy-in for their business, or, if they wait too long, will they be left behind, sacrificing market share to a more daring competitor? This conundrum is, in many ways, not unlike questions technology has forced on businesses before.

In the early days of computing, many companies wondered if they should jump on board, or keep doing things the old fashioned way. Well, we all know how that turned out.

Then, Jeff Bezos came along with an idea that became Amazon. Many companies, particularly in the publishing and entertainment industries, laughed him off the same way record companies scoffed at iTunes. Again, we all know how that turned out.

Bottom line? You will not know if Big Data will work for you unless you dig in, take it very seriously, and do what you can to learn all you can.

Source:http://www.jewocity.com/blog/is-big-data-right-for-your-business/12331

Five tips to get started with big data

Everyone seems to be talking about "big data" these days. Do you wonder what you’re missing out on? Let’s take a look at how you can get started with Big Data.

    Learn what it is, and what it is not. While we are all comfortable with the concept of data, why the emphasis on "big" data now? The world of data has changed. The speed at which data is produced and often is required to be consumed is nearly at the speed of thought. With data from sensors, geo-spatial tracked data and the discourse of human conversation being captured in social media today, our heads are left spinning with the amount of data being collected. And this is not just facts about dollars and cents or counts of activity. These are complex data points, often verbose text data that must be interpreted to identify the relevant meanings to your business. Big data simply means that you have a lot of data, and it is quite complex to use.

    Get with the program. Organizations can no longer stick their collective heads in the sand about the amount of data they must handle.

    Find the right people. Notice people come before tools. Data analysis tools are often touted as the “magic solution” to big data. While they will help you get there, you must have the right people that understand business strategy and data analysis (including statistical analysis, business modeling, and data mining).

    Find the right tools. The centralized IT group cannot keep up with the business’s demands for data and analytics. Self-service BI and analytics is the name of the game here. You want tools with features such as in-memory analytics that provide high-powered analysis on desktop-sized machines that your analysts can use.

    Be an IT-hugger. So often, once the business users and analysts get their hands on high-powered tools, they decide that IT is no longer needed. This could not be further from the truth. Often, IT has developed complex solutions to integrating data from large and diverse systems, providing standard methods for retrieving the data you need. In addition, IT is trained to plan for critical elements of your environment such as security and scalability. Figure out what the business needs, develop solid business rules around these requirements and learn from IT all you can.

Not so hard, right? Now, the next step? Go analyze. Go figure out how to turn your good company into a great company with the power of analytics.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2014/05/five-tips-to-get-started-with-big-data.html

Connotate's Intelligent Web Scraping Technology Powers Investigative Reports

Data collected by Connotate, the leader in intelligent web scraping, has generated six news stories in major media outlets over the past two weeks, the company announced today.  Stories ranged from a deep look into Airbnb's practices to predicting if the Superbowl would be a commercial bust to determining the best New York neighborhoods for a last-minute Valentine's Day dinner.

"The use of web-sourced data in investigative journalism is a great example of its potential and power," said Keith Cooper, CEO of Connotate.  "And it's just one way – out of hundreds – that web data can be used. In fact, today our customers are using Connotate-sourced web data to improve everything from competitive and market intelligence to lead generation and contact management and far beyond."

Connotate employs sophisticated machine learning science to automate many previously manual data extraction tasks, and to ensure that processes are persistent – that is, don't break down if a website's content and design change.  Connotate provided to reporters the structured, organized data sourced from public websites that allowed them to arrive at fresh, fact-based insights.

Skift reporter Jason Klampet turned to Connotate to supply him with web-scraped data to determine whether the New York State Attorney General's office had a case against new apartment-sharing company Airbnb and claims of New York City lodging and tax regulation violations. Using automated Agents to pull specific data, , Connotate intelligent agents delivered a full month's set of listings for New York City, including inventory, availability, unit management, super-hosts and more. On February 13, Skift released two news items: "Airbnb in NYC: The Real Numbers Behind the Sharing Story" and "The 10 Airbnb Super-Hosts That Rule New York City."

CNET picked up the story and came out with its own, "Study finds 66 percent of NY's Airbnb listings may be illegal – A dive into Airbnb's listings reveals an interesting breakdown of the dwelling types available on the site, according to data-crunching firm Connotate."

Caryn Ganeles of the Village Voice used Connotate's data and infographic addressing 3,000 Manhattan restaurants to report the good news – the romantic West Village had the most seats available – and bad news – procrastinators had little chance of gaining entry into high-end restaurants for peak-hour meals. The story, "What's the Prime New York Neighborhood for Valentine's Day?" ran on February 14.

Just before the Super Bowl hit New Jersey, dropping ticket prices and an increasing number of hotel vacancies made spectators wonder whether the big game was turning into a big bust. Connotate's automated Web agents tracked the costs among tickets and hotel and determined patterns that gave the media the necessary insights to understand the situation. USA Today provided its coverage in "Super Bowl sales might be a sign of challenges ahead." The New York Daily News published "Owners of hotels nervous about vacancies days before Super Bowl."

About Connotate

Connotate puts the power of Web data monitoring and collection into the hands of the business user. Connotate delivers the scalability, reliability and resiliency necessary to drive strategic value from dynamic Web sources. Connotate's growing customer list includes global businesses such as McGraw-Hill, Associated Press and Thomson Reuters.

Source:http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/27/6194335/connotates-intelligent-web-scraping.html

Google Places and Your Business Success

Google Places is now a crucial element to your business's online success, but did you know it? Have you even heard of this significant marketing website? Many new and even existing business owners have not heard of it, and they are losing out on a lot of potential profit because of it. If you want to get your business to the top of the search engine results and get more customers, then you need this service.

Google Places is a free business listing service run by Google. All you have to do to use it is type the name into Google, fill out the form, and submit your listing. This site will also provide you with free tips on how to make your listing work more for you.

This website was launched in 2009 by Google. It allows business owners to create a business profile, which can have as much contact information as you choose. You can also include pictures, videos, business hours, and even include a mark for your business's physical location on Google Maps. You can use this service even if you don't have a website, and your business can soar to the top of the Google search results with a listing alone. Once people find your listing, they will know what your business is, what it does, and how to contact you. What could be better?

Not only is Google Places a great listing service, it is also interactive. Users can leave reviews of your business for other people to see. This will help people decide if you are a business they can trust, and the more reviews you get, the closer to the top of the search engine results your listing will be. In order to encourage customers to leave a review, simply send them an email asking them to do so. You can use an auto responder to do this automatically for new customers.

You'll also want to make sure the contact information you list in other business directories online is accurate, as Google Places scrapes information from these other sites. You don't want inaccurate information appearing in your listing! Finally, be sure to use the proper keywords to describe your business in your listing. Think of what words potential customers may type into Google when searching for your particular product or service, then use those words in your business description. It will help you get closer to the top of the search engine listings and allow your customers to find you more easily.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Google-Places-and-Your-Business-Success&id=5781751

Choose Perfect and Experienced Research Paper Writing Service

Are you very worried about completing your college homework? Well, you do not have to get worried now as it has come for your rescue with its best service and help. You do not have to get worried as you can try to look forward to getting the perfect research paper writing service without any worries at all. With its best quality writing pieces, it also helps you to get it done within a very short period of time as well. So, it would prove to be the best one for you that would also make you feel relaxed and tensed free as well. If you think “do my essay,’ you do not have to worry at all as it would get completed very easily. It also helps you to get live support where you can try to ask questions in case you have got any sort of doubts on your mind. You do not have to worry even if you have loads of essay assignments as the professionals would handle it and make you get the ultimate satisfaction.

Your thought or your problem like, ‘write my essay for cheap’, would be very much possible when you try to get their service from experts. It also provides you with discounts where you can save a lot of your money at the same time. With the best professional essay writers, it would make you bring a big smile to your face without any worries making you feel good about it. You do not have to worry at all as you can also get the perfect college homework help. It would also make you feel confident when you get hold of the best help on homework. You do not have to get worried whether you need experts for completing your work on subjects like Physics, Journalism, Biology, Mass Communication…etc, as they would help you to get it done quite easily.

And also helps you to get help on custom papers, homework service without having to get tensed as they would be able to get it done very easily and that too much before the deadline. So, you just need to pay to write essay while you can try to do other work or listen to music as well. With the perfect and cheap paper writing service, you cannot expect better than this that would make you feel proud of your choice, So, if you were searching for ‘someone to write my paper,’ then you would be able to get the right one for you without having to go out of your place. With the best quality work, it would make you feel proud of the perfect source that you have got for yourself that would be of great help to avail the ultimate homework service for you.

Source:http://your-story.org/choose-perfect-experienced-research-paper-writing-service-409372/

Full-Service Litigation Support For Law Firms

Litigation support has become an integral part like legal notices. Organizations worldwide depend on the consultation and support provided to solve their current and pending cases. The services varies from research and documentation of facts and precedents of a case before it is tried in the court to providing assistance in determining damages after the trial. The whole process is highly professional and is conducted by consultants working independently or as a member of a firm that provides litigation support services.

The litigation support consultants help the attorneys focus on the basic aspects of a particular case that is already filed or is about to be filed. After proper understanding of the preliminary data, the consultants then analyze the previous legal actions that are relevant to the case and proceed to do a research on the status of current laws. The process of detailing these data makes huge difference in presenting a case in a court of law.

The basic services provided by litigation firms can be summed up in two steps.

First comes the issuing of Legal Notice: the consultants draft the notice based on the scanned documents of each individual case and on the instructions received from the clients. This action not only saves money and time but also plays an important role as the first step in favor of the case. After the legal notice is issued senior counsels are engaged for conducting cases before the court.

These firms are manned with people experienced in research and criminal science. The consultants focus on the fishing through a plethora of information and competently extracting the useful data out of them. These data plays an important role in the case and often become the deciding factor of the trial.

Litigation support agencies continue to provide their services even after a case is over. In cases when a particular case is lost the litigation support consultants together with the attorneys try to figure out new factors that came out during the trial which can be used for logging an appeal. While in case of a win these agencies help the attorneys in determining the exact process of collection of damages, if any and also assist them in the further legal actions, if required. By providing quality services to clients, litigation support firms have proved themselves as an effective instrument in bailing out people troubled with time or financial constrains.

Source:http://ezinearticles.com/?Full-Service-Litigation-Support-For-Law-Firms&id=4440707