Technological advances have become indispensable for the world we have today and, above all, for the future that is yet to come. After all, more and more individuals are generating and consuming data, which, in some way, will have consequences for the way in which this excess of information is dealt with.

Currently, the use of Big Data is becoming common for different companies around the world, regardless of their segment of activity. This is because it helps them create growth opportunities, in addition to combining and analyzing their base on a given sector, which can be extremely useful in the face of competition.

But, after all, how can this huge series of data be indispensable for a company? And, more than that, how could it bring benefits to business and even increase a company's profits? Understand now and be surprised!

What is Big Data?

With the growth of the internet and the emergence of wireless networks, smartphones and social media, a new concept emerged and gained more strength in the field of Information Technology: Big Data.

This nomenclature is defined as a set of raw data that is collected and stored, through various means, and can be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends and associations, especially in relation to human behavior and interactions.

Thus, when it comes to Big Data, three indispensable characteristics were taken into consideration by Doug Laney, in 2001. Called 3Vs, they would be:

1. Large volume of data in many environments;
2. Wide variety of types of data stored;
3. Speed at which they are generated, collected and processed.

However, over time, scholars realized that other points are also fundamental to understanding this complex system, which meant that veracity, value and variability were also included in the process.

Thus, although Big Data is not equivalent to any specific volume of data, its extent can be understood when it is verified that its implementations involve Terabytes (TB), Petabytes (PB) and even Exabytes (EB) of data captured at the same time. over time. In other words, there is a lot of material stored.

With this in mind, companies use Big Data in their systems to:

• Improve operations;
• Provide good customer service;
• Create personalized marketing campaigns based on specific consumer preferences;
• Increase profitability.

In fact, those that use this service have a potential competitive advantage over those that do not, as they are able to make faster and more informed business decisions, as long as they use the data effectively.

Know your infrastructure

Big Data is made up of an IT infrastructure, which involves:

• Data collection tools;
• A software system, such as BigData on-premise and cloud;
• A storage medium;
• Network that transfers information;
• Environments that host analysis tools;
• A backup structure.

Taking this into consideration, it is possible to say that cloud computing, in particular, has opened up many options for the use of Big Data, allowing companies to take advantage of it without having to invest in large on-site data storage and processing facilities.

Still, to move forward with Big Data and transform it into information with commercial value, an entrepreneur will likely need to make investments in the following key infrastructure elements, such as data collection and its subsequent storage and analysis.

In fact, the first of these items corresponds to:

• Sales records;
• Customer database;
• Feedback;
• Social media channels;
• Marketing Lists;
• Email files;
• And any data obtained from monitoring or measuring aspects of your operations.

The storage of this information is where the manager will keep your data after it is collected from its sources.

And, finally, analysis is when the individual wants to use the files they have to discover something useful and that will define new strategies for the organization, such as discovering the target audience for their products, for example.

However, the problem is that, as the volume of data generated and stored became exorbitant, not only for one company, but for many around the world, it became necessary for new systems and tools, more sophisticated, but accessible, were developed to help with this task.

Benefits of Big Data for companies

Big Data gives companies the ability to add a variety of data, from hundreds of different sources, in real time. Thus, it is possible to carry out an analysis of who is purchasing your goods and services, which means that new Marketing strategies can be developed.

To give you an idea, its solutions are capable of eliminating data niches, so that organizations can obtain an exclusive view of customers, including numerous descriptive, calculated and sector-specific metrics, which allow the construction of a detailed record of their behavior. individuals.

Furthermore, these profiles provide organizations with a global understanding of their consumers, through in-depth knowledge of this subject and its operations. After all, when a company knows its customer's preferences, it will automatically have an advantage over its competition.

That's because the digital footprints we leave behind reveal a wealth of information about our preferences, beliefs and values. And this information allows companies to adapt their products and services exactly to what the buyer wants.

In this scenario, it becomes much easier to increase commitment to this individual, and can even lead the organization to achieve a longer and more profitable relationship with this potential customer, which is exactly what every entrepreneur wants.

See how analyzing all your online and offline information can help grow your business? The reality is that as data volumes continue to increase, its promise to businesses also appears to grow exponentially, enabling them to accurately convert raw data into relevant projections, forecasts, and trends.

With this in mind, despite seeming somewhat intimidating, Big Data can be a good solution not only for attracting customers, but also for managing small to large companies, making their profits increase and allowing them to use all the information acquired in your favor.

Need help? Count on specialized consultancy

If you need help to better understand how Big Data works and what its advantages are, counting on the help of experts is essential.

To this end, Integrity is an Information Technology (IT) consultancy focused on on-premise and cloud BigData infrastructure services, such as Cloudera, Databricks, Azure and AWS.

Furthermore, we also provide consultancy in the ingestion and transformation of data in batch and streaming with Apache NiFi, Hive, Hbase, Spark and Kafka, in addition to Data Engineering, Management, Security and Data Governance.

Therefore, if one of these items is your organization's demand, you can be sure that our team of experts will be ready to answer your questions and use all our expertise to benefit you, making your business as profitable as possible.

For more information on the subject, be sure to get in touch contact us and discover how we can help you throughout this process. We are waiting for you!