The global business environment has recently changed in many ways, from the pandemic to international supply chains issues and so many others, how we work and shop will likely never be the same. As a consequence, acceptance and use of cloud computing technologies has accelerated significantly – with eCommerce and working remotely as two cultural […]
A Brief History of Neural Networks
In the last few decades, neural networks have evolved from an academic curiosity into a vast “deep learning” industry. Deep learning uses neural networks, a data structure design loosely inspired by the layout of biological neurons. These neural networks are constructed in layers, and the inputs from one layer are connected to the outputs of […]
Big Data Ecosystem Updates: Hadoop, Containers, and VMs Explained
Twenty years ago, a startup called VMware brought in business by providing a platform to create nonphysical machine virtualizations, such as Linux, Windows, and others. As server processing capacity increased, basic applications couldn’t maximize the use of all the abundant new resources. Enter Virtual Machines (VMs), designed to run software on top of a physical […]
A Brief History of Database Management
A database management system (DBMS) allows a person to organize, store, and retrieve data from a computer. It is a way of communicating with a computer’s “stored memory.” In the very early years of computers, “punch cards” were used for input, output, and data storage. Punch cards offered a fast way to enter data and […]
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Protection
Artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques are altering the way organizations gather, process, and protect data. They are being used to gather massive amounts of information about internet users in the form of big data, and to secure and protect it. The challenge is how to maximize the use of big data, while simultaneously safeguarding […]
A Brief History of Data Science
The term “Data Science” was created in the early 1960s to describe a new profession that would support the understanding and interpretation of the large amounts of data which was being amassed at the time. (At the time, there was no way of predicting the truly massive amounts of data over the next fifty years.) […]
A Brief History of Data Silos
The original purpose of a data silo was to keep secrets. People have been keeping secrets for a long, long time. Prior to the written word, keeping a secret meant not sharing specific information with anyone else, verbally. And then came the written word. Secrets could be shared accidentally, or even stolen. Life became more […]
So You Want to be a Big Data Analyst?
With the increasing use of big data by organizations in every field, the need for big data analysts will continue to grow. Big data analysts examine vast amounts of varied data. They uncover hidden patterns, customer preferences, and market trends. One of the primary differences between a big data analyst and a data scientist is […]
A Brief History of Analytics
Historically speaking, a simple definition of analytics is “the study of analysis.” A more useful, more modern description would suggest “data analytics” is an important tool for gaining business insights and providing tailored responses to customers. Data analytics, sometimes abbreviated to “analytics,” has become increasingly important for organizations of all sizes. The practice of data […]
Fundamentals of the Data Lakehouse
During the last few years, a new concept in Data Architecture has emerged. It is called the “data lakehouse.” The data lakehouse offers a new paradigm that takes the best characteristics of data warehouses (large amounts of coordinated data) and data lakes (massive amounts of uncoordinated data), and merges them, providing improved controls and tools. […]