The need to prove the business benefits of big data applications and platforms has taken center stage in a growing number of mainstream organizations, and it isn't always an easy task for IT and analytics managers.
For example, a big data deployment wasn't a slam-dunk decision for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
"For a lot of organizations like ours, big data has not yet become a core foundation of running the business," said Beata Puncevic, director of analytics, data engineering and data management at the medical insurer. "When you go in and talk to a lot of [executives] about investing in a big data platform, it completely does not resonate with the challenges of the day."
At Blue Cross and other healthcare businesses, those challenges include low profit margins that don't leave a lot of money for technology innovation, plus resource and skill-set issues and a relatively conservative culture, according to Puncevic. As a result, she and her colleagues had to put in some extra effort to get approval and funding for a #Hadoop data lake that went into use in May.
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