Tech Giants Put Big Data To Work

Apple, Amazon and Microsoft may have made themselves globally recognized, billion-dollar brands by producing the most innovative products and services, but these days they’re finding a new way to dominate the market: exploiting big data. 

The profitable strategies used by these tech giants are now being studied across the industry, as more and more entrepreneurs try to find their golden ticket to fortune by tapping into their stores of data and metadata.

So how are today’s tech giants putting big data to work? Are their strategies replicable, and can they be used by other industries to achieve success? How, exactly, does big data stand to change the future?

The Ubiquity of Data
While some people have thrown in the towel early, deciding that big data’s potential can only really be exploited by massive corporations who have access to billions in funding, the greatest aspect of big data is perhaps it’s ubiquity throughout the market and availability to everyone, from Walmart to the local mom and pop store.

Big data’s massive impact on the economy, so big that some experts predict it will have a $15 trillion-dollar economic impact in just 15 years, is largely driven by the fact that it’s universally available to large corporations and consumers alike. 
Nonetheless, tech giants like Google and Amazon are often the innovative birthplaces of the latest big data innovations, so how exactly are these companies taking the numbers and transforming them into usable data?
Companies like Google, which catalog data for literally millions of searches each day, can analyse the information over the long term to detect useful trends and learn about their users. 

Google’s algorithms make great use of big data, for instance, when trying to determine what you’re searching for after you’ve only inputted a few characters into your search bar.

Other companies, like Amazon, are more ambitious with how they use big data to get to know their customers. Amazon’s marketplace is teeming with suggested products for their consumers, largely because the firm has harnessed big data to determine which products people in a certain demographic are likely to purchase, and markets those products specifically to them.

Amazon isn’t the only company getting to know its users. 
Netflix relies on the data it collects from its customers to determine which genre of programs are likely to be viewed more than others, and uses that information when deciding which pilots to fund and which to pull.  The company’s masterful exploitation of data also allows them to determine which shows a user may like ahead of time, so that, like Amazon, they can recommend similar options or programs your friends have recently viewed.

As these tech giants have come to realize the goldmine they possess in their customer’s data, they’ve wised up and made ample investments so that they can make use of it. In one of the largest acquisitions in the history of the tech industry, Google purchased DeepMind, an intelligence startup focused on producing AI which can sort through massive amounts of information effortlessly to find the valuable tidbits. Big data’s potential doesn’t only belong to the tech giants, however.

Big Data, Small Business
Small, home-grown businesses and lesser corporations throughout the world, such as News Break, are coming to realize big data’s potential, too. Thanks to the work of tech giants and government investment, which shouldered most of the original investment burden when it came to big data, small businesses are finding it easier and cheaper than ever before to collect and exploit data.

As tech giants like Amazon use big data to better service their existing customers, smaller companies, too, are using it to find new customers and size up their competition. Many smaller operations are also piggybacking on existing efforts made by tech giants, such as when local businesses rely on Google’s AdWords to get their message out and collect data on who’s seeing their advertisements.

As tech giants like Facebook and Twitter continue on their quest of social media proliferation, with the former already having over 2 billion monthly users, companies big and small alike will gain access to new and better data, too. In tomorrow’s world, business will be driven more so by massive amounts of data collected and analyzed to find the useful portions more than ever before.

As big data grows, so too will the privacy concerns surrounding it, however. Tech giants like Apple, which have sold billions of devices like smart-phones carried around in the pockets of millions each day wherever they go, will have to work with consumers to alleviate their privacy concerns that they’re constantly being tracked.

While tech giants grapple with privacy concerns and business imperatives, one thing remains clear; big data is changing the way we do business and live our lives, and it’s here to stay.

Network World:  

You Might Also Read:

Making Sense Of Dark Data:

Big Data Tech Alters Homeland Security:

 

 

« Hackers Target The Shipping Industry
UN Cyber Warfare Talks Collapse »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

MIRACL

MIRACL

MIRACL provides the world’s only single step Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which can replace passwords on 100% of mobiles, desktops or even Smart TVs.

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What Is A Next-Generation Firewall (and why does it matter)?

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What Is A Next-Generation Firewall (and why does it matter)?

Watch this webinar to hear security experts from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and SANS break down the myths and realities of what an NGFW is, how to use one, and what it can do for your security posture.

Authentic8

Authentic8

Authentic8 transforms how organizations secure and control the use of the web with Silo, its patented cloud browser.

Resecurity, Inc.

Resecurity, Inc.

Resecurity is a cybersecurity company that delivers a unified platform for endpoint protection, risk management, and cyber threat intelligence.

CIRCL

CIRCL

CIRCL is the national Computer Incident Response Center of Luxembourg

Identity Automation

Identity Automation

Identity Automation is a leading provider of Identity and Access Management software.

Sepior

Sepior

Our vision is to make Sepior the leading provider of cloud-encryption software in the world.

Netsafe

Netsafe

Netsafe is an independent, non-profit New Zealand organisation focused on online safety. We help people stay safe online by providing online safety education, advice and support.

CyPhyCon

CyPhyCon

CyPhyCon is an annual event exploring threats and solutions to cyber attacks on cyber-physical systems such as industrial control systems, Internet of Things and Industrial Internet of Things.

DataCloak

DataCloak

DataCloak is an innovation company that focus on providing enterprise data-in-motion security solutions based on zero-trust security technology.

Keyavi Data

Keyavi Data

With Keyavi’s evolutionary data protection technology, your data stays within the bounds of your control in perpetuity.

Business Resilience International Management (BRIM)

Business Resilience International Management (BRIM)

Business Resilience International Management (BRIM) is engaged by law enforcement in the UK and overseas to advise on establishing and developing Cyber Resilience Centres (CRCs) for business.

Infinite Ranges

Infinite Ranges

Infinite Ranges delivers secure, comprehensive digital solutions by connecting experts with the best products and services for the digital age.

F1 Security

F1 Security

F1 Security provides a family of web security solutions including web application firewalls, web shell detection solutions, and web shell scanners.

Pacific Global Security Group

Pacific Global Security Group

Pacific Global Security Group offers an intelligence-driven focus on all aspects of cybersecurity for IT/ICS/OT.

Infinipoint

Infinipoint

Infinipoint pioneers the first Device-Identity-as-a-Service (DIaaS) solution, addressing Zero Trust device access and enabling enterprises of all sizes to automate cyber hygiene.

EasyDMARC

EasyDMARC

EasyDMARC deliver the most comprehensive product for anyone who strives to build the most secure possible defence system for their email ecosystem.

Beetles Cyber Security

Beetles Cyber Security

Beetles is a crowdsourced penetration testing platform designed to build a trusted, hacker-centric approach to protectan organization’s digital attack surface.

SecZone

SecZone

SecZone is a Chinese enterprise with a mission to "Make It Secure." We are dedicated to driving software security innovation globally.

ITRM

ITRM

ITRM are one of the UK’s top managed service providers and offer a range of award-winning IT solutions, from ad-hoc consultancy to cyber security.