Like many others, we were quite surprised at the news that the proverbial guns had been lowered between Cloudera and Hortonworks after a decade of intense rivalry. The news of their mega-merger percolated through social media circles with admissions of shock but not horror. And although I was reminded of a prior premonition, I was as…
Four steps to getting started with Big Data and Analytics
Darragh McConville explains why we identified Arcadia Data as a unique Big Data Analytics platform
I’ve spoken to a few people this week who have expressed surprise at Workday’s acquisition of Platfora. I wanted to pen this blog to explain why I feel it makes sense. What is Platfora? Platfora is an Hadoop-only, big data discovery platform that includes data preparation and visualisation. Its goal is to empower business users to…
This post picks up where my previous Focus post left off. Build The Build phase will see you create the right capability and construct the minimum viable platform and pipeline to deliver insight quickly. 4. Develop skills In order to succeed, your foray into analytics will require new skills and expertise. You will need a mix of technologists and business experts who…
I’m often asked on by clients on the best approach to starting on their big data journey. I prefer to describe it as an analytics journey, or adventure, if you will. I would like to discuss the ten steps I see as being crucial to establishing a foundation for organisation-wide success. I see these ten steps falling nicely…
As a Big Data Architect you are responsible for the successful implementation of next-generation analytics platforms. You must oversee the integration of these platforms into existing technology estates. Below are five of the common pitfalls that you should avoid. 1. Making Hadoop an Either/Or Decision “Should we go for Teradata or Hadoop?” – if you find…
Manhattan was overrun with almost 6000 big data and analytics enthusiasts last week. The Strata + Hadoop conference was hosted as part of NYC Data week and myself and Thomas Swann represented Kainos. The enthusiasm and excitement from the attendees was palpable, with the realisation that our industry is now in the midst of a genuine revolution. Below are ten…
Predictions “Our clients want us to help them predict the future” was a statement made to me during a recent chat with a customer. Now, you may think my initial reaction was to laugh or to await a punch line, but my response was, perhaps unpredictably, “Well, if you don’t help them, someone else will”,…
Famed for their evangelical implementation of the SaaS delivery model, Workday is the manifestation of ‘true cloud’ software; however it is their lesser-publicised delivery model I want to discuss– embedded iPaaS. PaaS Categories PaaS provides infrastructure software, such as integration mechanisms, storage areas and runtime environments, upon which applications are built and deployed, examples…
Organisations are seeking serious innovation during these economically challenging times. But innovation comes at a cost that can be summed up in one word: disruption. The disordering of existing business models and functions takes time and effort, and has a corresponding cost. No reason not to welcome it! People are rethinking how they do their…
Increasingly, I view public clouds like any public amenity. Take, for example, the new complex built by my local council to provide leisure facilities to the general public. The council is responsible for the operation, up-keep and maintenance of the complex, and ultimately underwrites the risk attributed to operating these services. I don’t hold…
The 1960s was a revolutionary period in home entertainment. Television sets proliferated in households and the transistor radio (a relatively new technology) was deemed redundant. The television superseded the radio as the focal point for family entertainment and the longevity – or even the need – of the trusty transistor was questioned. Consumers would cease to…
