Big Data Theory

After entering the cloud a few years ago, where we will, according to all indications, remain for a long time, we are now entering the realm of big data.

 In other words, cloud computing as the main trend in the ICT world is slowly being pushed aside by ‘big data’. The analytical firm Gartner predicts that the main trend for the next year will be precisely the combination of cloud computing and strategic ‘big data’, where performance management of applications will play a key role in both areas.
Why is ‘big data’ important? The world, claim Gartner analysts, will spend more than $3.7 trillion on information technology in 2013, slightly more than last year’s $3.6 trillion, but the forecasts regarding ‘big data’ are particularly encouraging. They are expected to generate as many as 4.4 million new jobs globally, of which 1.9 million will be in the USA alone.

You cannot manage what you do not measure – succinctly explains why the recent explosion of digital data is so important. Simply put, thanks to the vast amount of data – big data – managers can measure and know much more about their business and use that knowledge to make better decisions. Big data consists of structured data from traditional databases; unstructured data consisting of images, videos, emails, texts, etc., and semi-structured data collected from sensors and machines. The volume of the world’s ‘digital universe’ is expected to reach up to eight zettabytes by 2015, creating a massive challenge in the context of managing that data.
In addition, the IT infrastructure of tomorrow will be fundamentally different from what we are used to: clouds of various types will be the central place where work is done. Mobile data will be in the personal cloud, social networks have long been there, and large databases will soon move to the cloud. The cloud is no longer just a cheap and accessible service, but the fundamental infrastructure of every company.

The mobile world will also look different, with 1.6 billion mobile devices sold in 2016. Two-thirds of employees will have a smartphone, and two-fifths of workers will be mobile. IT departments will need to adjust their strategy to this change. For example, in less than two years, the iPad will be as common as the BlackBerry was until yesterday. Productivity will consequently increase, and by 2018, as much as 70 percent of mobile workers will use a tablet or hybrid device.
The internet will be even more prevalent than today. Everything will be capable of connecting to the internet. Cameras, microphones, sensors, and similar devices will be connected to the internet. The Internet of Things (IoT) is, according to Gartner, the term for this trend that indicates how the internet will expand to ‘smart’ user devices – more precisely, equipped with sensors, capable of recognizing speech and text, and exchanging data with other (medical, fitness, security, etc.) devices. IoT will also create a whole wave of entrepreneurs, as the demand for such devices is just being created.
It is expected that globally, mobile phones will surpass personal computers as the most common device users access the web by next year. The significant expansion of mobile telephony signals the end of the ‘windows’ as a common platform that we have all been using for a long time. Analysts believe we are facing a long-term shift from today’s applications to web applications such as HTML 5. The trend is also the decreasing price of tablets. Many tablets are expected to be cheaper than the average price of a hardcover book today.

In any case, cloud computing will become ‘mainstream’, and the PC is slowly going into history. Personal cloud computing will replace PCs and become the ‘center of the user’s digital life’, predicts Gartner. For Gartner, personal cloud means that we will all have a multitude of applications that we can access from any device – PC, tablet, or smartphone. We will not even own a PC – not even for work. Cloud computing will provide users with a whole new level of flexibility with the devices they use daily, while simultaneously leveraging the advantages of each of those devices, ultimately enabling greater user satisfaction and increased productivity. In addition to individuals, corporations will also enter the post-PC era.
It is expected that ‘enterprise app stores’ will revolutionize IT departments. Market managers will evolve as a concept and will increasingly expand, and app store markets will become a focal point for users to have everything they need with easy access.

The new standard for client computing will be a software-based virtual platform, rather than hardware as before. Companies will need to offer virtual desktops and create ‘app stores’ so that users can find corporate applications. They will also need to modify their applications so that they can work on tablets and smartphones.
Social media will reach growth limits. However, companies will introduce social platforms as a mandatory part of corporate strategy, on which billions of dollars will be spent. Gartner predicts that the competition in the social media market will intensify, where the race among application and service providers will cause the investment bubble to burst in 2013.
As a sort of fuel for all these technological changes, the so-called consumerization of IT emerges. This implies the trend of adopting new information technologies created for consumers by corporations. The trends brought by cloud, web applications, and mobile platforms create a better user experience than traditional solutions, so what users have in their private sphere, they want to have in their business as well.

 Top-10 digital trends in 2013.

1. The Mobile Device War
Mobile devices, primarily smartphones, will surpass the home computer as the primary device for accessing the web, and by 2015, eight out of ten mobile phones will be smartphones. For every two laptops sold, one tablet will be sold, and Windows 8 will take third place in the market, behind Android and iOS.

2. Mobile Applications and HTML5
From the multitude of programming tools and platforms, only two groups will crystallize in the near future: HTML5 and the rest. Developers will focus on applications that support touch interfaces but can also be used on ‘classic’ platforms.

3. Private Cloud
Data will slowly but increasingly migrate to the cloud, replacing home, centralized data storage on personal computers. Instead of one computer, a network of devices (smartphone, laptop, and tablet) will be used, and the user will always access their resources equally, regardless of where and how they access them.

4. App Stores
Closed ecosystems of applications will come under pressure to open up to more user platforms and payment systems. Gartner believes that by 2014, many organizations will deliver mobile applications to their employees through private app stores.

5. The Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept that indicates how the internet will expand to ‘smart’ user devices – more precisely, equipped with sensors, capable of recognizing speech and text, and exchanging data with other (medical, fitness, security, or some fourth) devices.

6. Hybrid IT and Cloud
IT sectors in many companies are currently undergoing a transition to cloud services – they will become increasingly available, making many services that companies currently perform themselves expensive, and internal cloud will be applied more frequently.

7. Big Data
Large databases will strategically shift from projects to the information architecture of the entire company. Corporations will move away from traditional centralized databases to multiple systems with ‘content management’. Business intelligence, data storage, and metadata will gain importance.

8. Analytics
Analytics is becoming so cheap and accessible that it can be done at every step of the job. It will be performed by analytical servers in the cloud based on large data repositories, and optimization and simulations will be possible at any moment.

9. In Memory Computing
In Memory Computing (IMC) transfers once lengthy business calculations to powerful cloud servers, shortening long calculations to seconds. Along with SAP and Oracle, many smaller vendors will offer this service, which will lower its price.

10. Integrated Ecosystems
The market is slowly turning towards integrated ecosystems, moving further away from a heterogeneous approach. This trend will be driven by the desire for simpler operation, lower costs, and higher levels of security. Therefore, vendors will increasingly offer ready-made devices that integrate hardware and software.