Dots and Patterns

[bigdatanewsmagazine]

The rise of big data marketplaces – Computerworld

Thanks to the ever-marching progression of Moore’s Law, we’re moving into the era where data itself becomes a traded commodity. Before we look at this megatrend and how it will almost certainly impact nearly everything and everyone on Earth in some form, let’s take a brief look at where we’ve been:

Online marketplaces for goods and services

We know them and, in some cases, love them: Amazon, eBay, E*TRADE, Match.com (why not?), just about everything conceivable has found its way online and into our Internet-enabled handheld devices. Add to that the emergence of the hosted services à  la Airbnb, Uber and so many more. In all cases, the ‘datafication’ of what, who, where and when have brought an unprecedented level of ease, speed and most interestingly, expectation of same, to nearly everyone with a smartphone, tablet or laptop. To qualify as a marketplace, a company must facilitate the buying and selling of goods and/or services through some form of curation, and generally produces its revenues through taking a percentage of the transactions, subscription fees, or a combination of the two.

Early data marketplaces

There are some. Without a doubt, the most prominent and successful “original” data marketplace is Bloomberg — in 2014 the company reportedly generated $9 billion in revenue, primarily consisting of financial data sales. In most respects, Bloomberg meets the “marketplace test” by bringing in data from a variety of sources and suppliers (some generated in-house), curating and making it available to its customers who pay per-transaction and/or subscription fees.

Now, big data marketplaces

As Moore’s Law, applied to processing power, storage, available low-cost bandwidth and other core elements, brings us headlong into the generation of more data each year than was generated in the entire history of computing before it, we’re now talking about big data.

It’s logical that with so much data ripping around and no signs of slowing, opportunities are emerging for whole new marketplaces that can bring in, organize and make the data available for third party consumption. The sheer volume of data calls out for curation, and just like what the now household names have done for goods, services and intangibles such as financial information, we are doubtless going to experience the rise and global acceptance of data marketplaces in both vertical and horizontal categories.

Like what?

Ideas abound, but let’s look at a few of the more interesting areas. We know that eventually most healthcare data will be online, and that simply placing it all into databases with Web front ends won’t cut it, for many obvious reasons. But that same data when curated by a trusted provider concerned with the filtering of what can be given to whom (for example, a state or federal agency might have mandated access to full records, whereas someone doing research for a pharmaceuticals company or device manufacturer would be allowed only selected information), will make a lot of the digging around much less onerous. Companies and governmental entities will pay for that curation and convenience.

This is where the term ‘marketplace’ is apt — imagine the time before supermarkets (or Amazon for that matter), when you would have to visit many sources to get your household goods and meals together.

In the digital world, convenience is The Master of All. A data marketplace might be formed around online video — we really haven’t seen that yet in a grand way, where many suppliers vend to many buyers in a transactional way via a system not owned or initiated by the content suppliers — but it’s plausible that such a thing could emerge. Whether the incumbents or newcomers own that space remains to be seen.

 Again, the hallmarks of a data marketplace are:

data is gathered from a multiplicity of suppliers

data is curated (to mean, at minimum, ensuring quality, tagging with provenance and other factors as appropriate to a given data type, and more)

data is indexed to make it straightforward for buyers to find out what they require, and

data is vended with a pricing/billing methodology.

These criteria filter out the big search providers, social media sites and others who don’t vend datasets from third party suppliers in the form of a merchant exchange.

What a data marketplace isn’t

Often data gets confused with analytics. When one is considering a marketplace, the analytics aren’t necessarily done within the marketplace itself, but could be.

For example, Bloomberg, as it has grown, introduced various “products” which are based upon analyzing various input data sources and “packaging” them as turnkey suites of statistics and other information useful to its customers in the financial services industry.

Note that some amount of analysis is required to ensure data quality and other important elements of curation. But in broad terms, the data marketplace is where the raw data, albeit with many operations performed on it to allow indexing and therefore searching, is input, stored and vended.

A fun example is a traditional brick-and-mortar supermarket. You can go to the baking goods section and purchase a bag of flour, and the other ingredients needed to make bread. Or you can go to the bakery section and buy a loaf of bread. Or you can go to the deli section and get yourself a sandwich. Within each section, value is added to the wheat, with the attendant increase in the price per gram of the wheat itself plus other elements introduced with the ‘processing’ into a finished product.

This is a pretty apt analogy to the digital version, whereby you can buy raw but curated data, or a pre-filtered/packaged version, or even a conglomerated “product” built from various data components.  

When will we see true data marketplaces?

At the vanguard of this trend, and with the belief that before long data marketplaces will be integrated within normal business operations, pioneering efforts are underway to create the first systems for “data sellers” to vend to “data buyers.” The advent of IoT will bring this forward rapidly since data will be coming from millions of sources and with many potential buyers. Watch This Space.

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from The rise of big data marketplaces – Computerworld

[sdigambar]

Net Neutrality - One for the Telcos!

“Net Neutrality”. We like alliterations, don’t we? 

What is Net Neutrality? “The principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites.” [sic]( google search)

A huge debate is raging on Net Neutrality in many countries. A large section of the society is for it. Don’t get me wrong, I would happily take a gigabit of bandwidth at blazing speed for free if someone has to offer. However, I also believe that it should not be a zero sum game for the Telco’s.

We as individuals, organizations, and governments have long relied upon maximizing the value of the asset/s we have acquired or inherited. At the same time, for the love of the internet, we deny the same right to the Telco’s who have invested billions of dollars in building the infrastructure and are paying huge spectrum fees to the government.

Let’s consider a few examples to uncover our hidden biases.

Government builds roads. If it’s a toll road, you pay a toll. What you get in return is speed and convenience. The government’s interest is to recover investments, augment revenues, and regulate traffic patterns. If we apply the principles of Net Neutrality, we should not be paying toll as we already pay taxes (Read data plans for ISPs). Moreover, products and services on this infrastructure corridor come at a premium. (Gas, food, or other services)

We use electricity. There are rate slabs.  If we use more we pay a higher rate for an overage. Soon we will be paying different rates depending on the time of the day when we use. This is not for our convenience, but for the utility companies to improve asset utilization and optimize resources.

Similar patterns for various products and services exist in the marketplace. In the private sector, airlines charge for more leg space, preference for boarding, etc. In health care we get to choose a plan based on our preference and anticipated needs.

Charging for privileged access has been a business strategy by governments and organizations for decades. Why are we extending a special status to internet access? Isn’t access to electricity, water, health, and infrastructure more important than internet access? Isn’t the job of the governments to create policies and frameworks that promote enough competition to avoid monopolies and oligopolies? Should the government decide the business strategy of an organization? Why, “Bandwidth” and “Internet Access” as an asset should be any different than other assets such as spectrum and infrastructure? Aren’t the OTT organizations getting an unfair advantage at disproportionately lower cost structures?  

Eventually, old business models die and new emerge. Through proper reform, it has to support a general price level for a commodity. The job that the internet does for end user doesn’t change as much, but makes it more effective and efficient. Job of the government should be more of policy formation. We should make sure that rapid deflationary trends are not triggered by the advancements in new technology.

The views are my own. Please feel free to share your opinion

[bigdatanewsmagazine]

Enterprises have lots of solid choices for big data predictive analytics.

That’s the key takeaway from Forrester’s just released Wave for Big Data Predictive Analytics Solutions for the second quarter of 2015.

That being said, the products Forrester analysts Mike Gualtieri and...

[sdigambar]

You have to try this..hide your camera..do anything

[sdigambar]

Walmart has installed a huge “Mobile” suction pump!

Everyone knows (well at least in the US) about  the Savings Catcher App by Walmart launched sometime back in 2014.  For some who don’tknow how it work, here is a snapshot.  You buy stuff from Walmart. Scan you receipt  barcode/QR code within the Savings CatcherMobile app. Walmart has  army of peoplewho gather advertised prices  and compare against their own up to 7 days from date of purchase.  If they find a lower price they return your money, well not exactly, but  in a form of gift card. The consumer wins and so does Walmart.

It’s a game changer app both for Walmart and for all the other retailers who play in the space.  Walmart is playing a three prong strategy all at the same time, a master stroke.

1)      Change brand perception and/or make it matter less

2)      Increase foot falls and market share

3)      Improve inventory/asset turns

How will it change the game for Walmart and Other retailers? Here is how

One, people will start buying more from Walmart and comparison shopping will be less appealing. Walmart takes care of this for you. Two, if  your are selling  the same brand, providing the same features  and functionality  it should not matter where you buy from , the obvious choice will be lowest price. And last but not the least, it’s going to take away or at least divert management attention of all other retailers to focus on efficiency improvements on an urgent basis.

 Obviously this has triggered a response from other retailers. Some retailers have started extending the “Loyalty Program” prices to their customers even when they have traditionally not been buying from them. There would be other who would start selling more of their proprietary labels to slow down the impact and this might work in the short run. Some may be encouraged to create more  product variants to make it difficult to compare, but the implication of this would be confusion in consumers mind and high investments to make consumers switch loyalties.

Is the game over for other retailers?  May be not. They all have network of merchandising agents that they can deploy to adopt a similar strategy. However, what would be more difficult to change would be their internal cost structures and operating models, not to mention, their relationship with suppliers. One should not forget, Walmart already has lower cost structures across their ecosystem.

So what should the other retailers do?

1)      Accelerate investments in Big Data and Supply Chain Analytics.

2)      Partner with you supplier to help them optimize their operations by actively  getting involved, like what IKEA does

3)      Change the product mix  to increase the service component as a differentiator ( More difficult  for commodities and categories that Walmart plays in)

The view and opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author

Sandeep Digambar is a professional with experience in Business Startegy, IT Transformation, Business Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Large Program Management, IT Portfolio Strategy, BI and Analytics, IT Operating Model Design, Sourcing and Supply Chain Consulting, Information Management, Performance Improvement, Cost Restructuring etc.

[motivationsupply]

Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion. – #MuhammadAli #motivationsupply #motivation #success #entrepreneur #dreambig #grinding #inspiration #quote #relentless #passion #greatness #business #tgim

[sdigambar]

so apt ......

[sdigambar]

Social networks, the new enterprise system!

While I was pondering over recently announced twitter results, one thought struck me, what would the enterprise application landscape look like 5 years from now?

As far as twitter is concerned, one critical fact will always remain - user growth will be hard to come for twitter just because characteristics of the platform are unique. Of course this is changing as twitter comes up with innovative ways to help people get there. While twitter probably did not show a lot of user growth, they are certainly changing their revenue models. On one hand banks such as ICICI in India have started accepting transfers over tweets ( wait until they start charging) , in America twitter has forged an alliance with Amazon to sell products.

LinkedIn is probably on to a similar trajectory, while it’s replacing jobs portal to certain degree, it is also becoming the CRM of the new age. More and more people are using LinkedIn for lead generation and connecting with customers. Moreover, you don’t have to mandate your sales force to keep the customer profile updated as they themselves do it. Minimal Data Quality Issues.

A key question to be considered is that if all the customers (Business or Individuals) are aggregated on Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social apps then how would the game change for cloud companies such as salesforce.com, NetSuite or more traditional license based product vendors like SAP and Oracle? The social enterprise already has a lot of geospatial, demographic and other data. What they need is a simple way to connect businesses/manufacturers with, well “Users On Their Platform”... the buyers/consumers. Regulators are probably going to play a major role going forward as the lines between “Industry”, “Segments” etc. rapidly blur.

Let me know your take.

 The view and opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The do not reflect the views of any other organization except the author

Sandeep Digambar is a professional with experience in IT Transformation, Business Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Large Program Management, IT Portfolio strategy, BI and Analytics, IT Operating Model Design, Sourcing and Supply Chain Consulting, Information Management, Performance Improvement, Cost Restructuring etc