Christmas is the time for giving, so why not give your hard-working CIOs what they really want when it comes to big data?

 

1. The end of buzzwords

No more big data please, Arun Murthy, founder, Hortonworks, told CBR: "I just wish the term went away and just call it data and be done with it."

This highlights some of the feeling towards the term big data. Because it is such a broad term it helps breed complexity into an already complex area.

So let’s be done with it and just call it data.

 

2. Clear messaging

Oh your platform is market-leading is it? I wonder how many product pitches CIOs have to sift through before they find something that isn’t market-leading.

Just like buzzwords, let’s end the waffle and confusion and just stick to the facts.

 

3. Standardisation

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were universal data collection processes? Where all software played nice, you didn’t have to battle data integration at every turn and management was easy.

Platform providers have taken steps in standardising and making it easy to connect different data sources, but plenty more can be done.

 

4. Clear data sharing policies

The European Union should be creating a set of laws that finally make it clear how exactly data can be shared and used across Europe.

The problem is that this has been going on for at least four years, with changing regulations causing stress and anguish for businesses.

An early Christmas present would give CIOs peace of mind and a welcome break from worrying about what might happen.

 

5. No more data breaches

CIOs don’t want to lose their jobs this Christmas and a breach can result in exactly that. In 2014, Target’s CIO, Beth Jacob resigned following the company’s massive data breach that resulted in 40 million customers affected and a 46% profit loss.

So, one wish this Christmas will be for no more data breaches.

 

6. No more human errors

If you look back at many of the data breaches that have occurred, they can be traced back to human error. A 2014 Security Services 2014 Cyber Security Intelligence Index report from IBM attributed around 95% of IT security breaches to human error.

I’m sure CIOs this Christmas will be wishing for a few less human errors.

 

7. More automation

If a reduction of human errors isn’t enough or isn’t possible, then perhaps automation may come in handy.

Both making sure the job gets done and freeing up your skilled data workers for those more valuable tasks can be achieved.

 

8. Easier data migration

Moving your data around when you’re talking about petabytes is no easy task, but you want it in the right place at the right time so you can analyse it.

Whether data migration is simplified through better network infrastructure or some other means, easier data migration must be on the wish list.

 

9. Focused data collection

Having a plan in place for data collection is something that firms like Gartner have highlighted as being important in your data strategy.

So a welcome gift to CIOs might be a detailed plan of what you are planning to collect, a clear and focused strategy in place.

 

10. The right questions

You’ve got the data and all the tools you could desire, but you still need to ask the right questions of your data.

Knowing the right questions to ask can save you time and money, something that would make the CIOs life a little easier.