With the rise in the digitization of businesses, companies have turned to innovative ways to extract insights from massive data. They leverage Big Data to mine information, build predictive models and improve products and services. It helps understand business problems, company performance, asset costs, and customer satisfaction indices. So how do companies use Big Data to do all of the above? They use Big Data tools and technologies to process the data, extract useful information and create innovative products.
This article discusses what Big Data tools are, how they can meet business challenges, and why learning Big Data tools can make you career-ready in data-driven companies. However, you have many Big Data tools, some proprietary and some open-source. Choosing the right Big Data tools poses challenges, as some tools are better than others for performing specific tasks.
So let us explore all about Big Data tools. What they are, what benefits they offer, and how to choose the right one for your task.
What is a Big Data tool?
Big Data tools refer to the software systems, platforms, and technologies that process and clean structured and unstructured data from multiple sources like social media, apps, smartphones, and IoT. They process historical and live streaming data for insights and data-driven decision-making. Predictive modeling, meeting customer expectations, building and improving products and services, and solving business challenges, are some of the capabilities of Big Data tools. They compute disparate data types, clean up the data, process, and manage the massive data for useful insights and business goals.
Benefits of Big Data tools
The amount of Big Data passing through the systems is humungous. Traditional software and applications cannot process the vast amount of streaming Big Data from multiple sources. So we have Big Data tools for processing the massive data.
The benefits of using Big Data tools are many, some of which are:
- Faster processing speed
Big Data tools ramp up the processing speed and enable it to sift through massive amounts of data in fractions of seconds. The higher computing speed of a Big Data tool improves the productivity of data-driven companies handling Big Data. It also allows streaming analytics for real-time data.
- Lower costs
A significant benefit of using Big Data tools is that it allows companies to save money due to their ability to compute and store large data sets. Companies using Big Data tools can keep all their data in a single platform and cut out external storage costs.
- Forecasting abilities
Companies that make predictive models for marketing their products and services or predict customer behavior need to sift through massive data for data-driven forecasts. The use of Big Data tools helps businesses harness the data for speedy analytics and decision-making.
- Product innovation
Another advantage of using Big Data tools is the efficient analysis of data and Big Data analytics for improving products and services. Large amounts of data can be quickly analyzed for data-driven decisions.
How to choose Big Data tools?
Choosing the right Big Data tools from the many options available in the market can be a challenging task. The massive volume and high velocity of the data make the choice of a suitable Big Data tool very formidable, the reason why many companies turn to experienced data professionals to ensure the best Big Data tools are chosen without a workbench overload.
Here are some ways to choose the right Big Data tool for your organization:
- Determine your organization’s data needs
The first step is to evaluate the organization’s data needs and how it aligns with the business goals. What types of data is to be processed? What insights are sought? What purpose will these insights serve? How soon must the data analytics be delivered? Why is it required, and how can it contribute to the success of the organization? These are some questions to help understand what types of Big Data tools can best fit the business needs to accelerate the process of the digital transformation journey.
- Check out your options
Check out the various Big Data tools available, and what are the deliverables? Make a comparative analysis to determine which tools best match the organization’s needs. Consider factors such as features, computing speed, interface, pricing, and user reviews to establish the best on offer in terms of value.
- Specialized vs. all-in-one tools
Open source tools do not require license fees. However, they offer too many choices. So you can opt for a dedicated and highly specialized Big Data tool for your organization’s needs if you can invest in a platform that offers diversified functions and features.
- Confirm integration abilities and interoperability
Check how the Big Data tool integrates with the other data processing systems. Is it compatible with other programs? Can it work with the usual processes? Does the Big Data tool offer security features, data sharing, and reports on the go? NIST’s Final Big Data Interoperability Framework is a critical consideration, and the choice of Big Data tool must conform to this framework besides supporting and integrating with different software.
Every industry has its set of challenges that make it imperative to confirm integration with existing IT data and infrastructure. This is where the framework comes in, with its standards for Big Data tools
- Support services
A key consideration when choosing a Big Data tool is the availability of support services and tools. It is an oft-overlooked factor but an equally important one. So examine your Big Data tool’s vendor support options. While open source solutions may give rise to concerns in terms of support, traditional software vendors offer more sophisticated support services. Help desk services, including email, video, phone and text chat options, and 24/7 support, can save an organization millions by preventing processing gaps, loss from outages, operational silos, and delays in timely actions.
With a speedy redressal of concerns as soon as they occur, customers can be kept happy and the brand image restored.
Summary
The choice of the right Big Data tool is critical for the success of any data-driven organization, and CTOs, IT practitioners, and Big Data professionals must keep an eye on innovations and trends powering this space.