Say these two words, “data mining” and you’re likely to receive an extremely mixed reaction from people ranging from piqued interest to outright fear.  As they say however, we often fear things which we don’t understand, and at this point it’s safe to assume that many individuals don’t understand how data mining can actually provide benefits to businesses.  By the same token it would be foolish to simply avoid looking at the many ways that something like data mining could be used to snoop on or control people, but you could say the same thing about most IT technologies.

The fact of the matter is that data mining is no more or less dangerous than the people who are using it.  Therefore, if we want to make sure that data mining is being used correctly and ethically, it only makes sense that we bring more people into the field; in this way, some semblance of balance can be maintained if certain groups decided to use if for nefarious purposes.

Getting back to business and the point at hand; how exactly might data mining play a role in, or influence decision-making processes in the business world?  By this point pretty much everyone should be familiar with the term “Big Data”, right?  In essence, data mining techniques are already being used there to extract additional value from large chunks of information via analysis.

Recently, a company called MaintenanceNet has been circulating a story which is relevant; basically, it involves their ongoing efforts to use cloud computing to mine data related to expiring warranty and maintenance contracts.  Once they discover an organization that has IT hardware which is either expiring or is soon to be replaced, they use automated systems to email them with their offers.  Needless to say, this inventive use of data mining has worked quite well for them and other businesses are starting to take notice and adopt similar measures.

As you can gather from the above example, data mining can provide additional value, but it can also help businesses to make more informed decisions as well.  For instance, if a company found that such an approach to finding new business worked fairly well, they wouldn’t need to invest quite as much in marketing or advertising, would they?  In other words, if it where possible to find clientele without having to initiate a multi-million dollar advertising campaign, couldn’t they put those funds toward some new research and development project instead?

It’s this type of “full-spectrum” awareness that a process like data mining provides which gives an organization a distinctive edge when it comes to making sure that they’re making more informed decisions.  If certain information or business is “falling through the cracks”, so to speak, then we’re really talking about lost profits and opportunities.

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Similarly, data mining can be used in tandem with predictive analytics to give businesses much stronger cues when it comes to identifying who their best potential customers might be.  Through predictive analysis you can often determine not only where these clients are, but also what they are likely to purchase next.  If you’re making decisions with regards to your company’s annual budget and/or future plans, having some idea about the market(s) you’re feeding is absolutely critical.  In the past, gathering this type of statistical data was not only extremely time-consuming; it was also very labor-intensive (of course that was before the internet changed everything).  Now, you can make long-term business decisions armed with data that’s been generated through mining and predictive analysis.

By the same token, it’s often possible to predict when and how certain types of customers will leave or disengage with your products / services.  Once again, if you know “why” something is happening you can take steps to prevent it from happening.  The end result is that data mining allows businesses to make more accurate moves in how they deal with their customers via predictive analysis.

Given the popularity and necessity of Big Data, data mining is likely to become more visible in the workplace as well.  Simply put, it wouldn’t make much sense for companies to overlook a potential source of profit like data mining, especially considering that they’ve often already collected the info and only need to sign up for a new service to get going.  Likewise, when data mining is coupled with something like predictive analysis, it’s almost like being able to look into the future.

If someone told you that they could tell you specific details about how a particular market was going to react based on computer modeling, wouldn’t you be interested in hearing what they have to say?  Moreover, we’re also talking about a fairly new area of development here, which could likely become a growth industry.  Seriously, what could be better than an emerging growth sector which seeks to promote additional expansion for businesses?

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There are several factors which seem to be the major driving forces behind most decision-making in the IT world right now, chief among them of course has been (and continues to be) security.  Following closely behind is the notion of capability, or in other words, what one’s IT resources can actually achieve or provide at any given time.  Then of course there’s adaptability, which isn’t usually given priority over seemingly more important and immediate issues like security, for example.  Each of these three areas of concern directly apply to cloud computing of course, and it would seem that adoption (as well as fear) of this technology is largely being driven by them.

So just what is it that’s causing backlash against the cloud in the IT community?  Why is it that we constantly see pointed articles describing a multitude of “apocalyptic” phrases being used to describe what the IT sector will look like once cloud computing takes over?   In truth it would seem that most fears are still stemming from fears emanating out of perceived security risks.  Let’s get one thing straight right now; there haven’t been any large strings of successful attacks against cloud providers yet.  In reality, the security-related fears related to cloud adoption are based on “assumptions” and “possibilities”, nothing more.  Will there be attacks at some point in the future?  Well, yes, most likely; but how is this different from any other time in the past?  It’s time to face the facts, it doesn’t matter what your chosen model of infrastructure is, and someone out there (criminals) is always on the lookout for ways to compromise it.

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Having said that, there have been some major strides made on the cloud security front over the course of the last year of so.  Responding the massive security fears which broke out in late 2010 and 2011, many cloud providers have really stepped up their game, so to speak, and either created new methods of maintaining security or sought the help of 3rd party specialists.  It makes sense if you think about it, hiring a specialist team to handle security.  After all, we’re talking about companies which spend all their time, energy and resources on developing ways of thwarting would-be thieves and hackers.  The simple fact of the matter is that it’s simply not possible for most businesses to create a separate and massively funded area within their IT sphere which is devoted solely to security.  Likewise, the great thing about cloud computing (and the top-tier providers) is that you’re gaining direct access to world-class, up-to-date methodologies when you sign up for a package.  Simply put, there aren’t many companies which would even be able to hire the experts needed to create a solid security strategy.

Then there’s the notion of “capabilities” and how moving toward an entirely cloud-based approach might improve or degrade your assets.  If you’ve spent any amount of time really researching what cloud computing can do you should already be aware of the vast resources and near-infinite stream of applications which are out there.  In all reality a traditional approach to IT is more or less vastly inferior to that of the cloud.  Now, does this mean that your conventional IT program is useless? Absolutely not, the implication here is that you can do everything you were able to do before only with a thousand or more extra “perks” tacked on.  At the same time, it’s often much more economical to go with a cloud provider than to pony up all the capital and on-site labor needed to run a large IT operation.  When you really step back and look at the big picture, you’ll see that many businesses are looking at the economic benefits associated with moving to the cloud and deciding to take the plunge; this is especially true when you consider the current global economic climate.

Finally, there’s the idea of adaptability; specifically, how bringing cloud-based elements into the fold might affect the way things are currently being done or how the organization might be able to meet future challenges.  In all honesty, adopting cloud computing doesn’t necessarily mean that every aspect of your IT department will radically change.  In fact, many businesses elect to make small changes and forays into cloud computing before actually throwing everything into it.  In short, there are “hybrid” approaches to combining your conventional IT resources with additional cloud components which should be considered.  In other words, when it comes time to begin adding cloud services, you should feel like you’re gaining abilities as opposed to losing control.

Lastly, there’s the idea being circulated that “if my organization doesn’t adopt cloud computing we’ll be left behind”.  This is a genuine concern that most IT professionals should take into consideration; after all, the increased capabilities, speed, and economic benefits of cloud computing are very powerful and will mostly likely be adopted by your competitors at some point.  Moreover, every business (as well as IT worker) should explore cloud computing certification as it’s a very cost-effective way of making sure that you’re utilizing the technology correctly.  Additionally, IT pros will find that they are much more “employable” when they have some form of cloud certification.

Should you fear the cloud or embrace it?  The answer to that question is going to largely depend on your point-of-view and adaptability.   There have been some gigantic moves in the cloud computing world recently and all signs point toward it becoming more of a permanent fixture (or replacing the current model entirely).  The bottom line is that if you want to make an impact or take advantage of this emerging potential here you’re probably going to have to move past your fears and take a chance on cloud computing.  In this particular situation it wouldn’t be untruthful to say that the gains seem to far outweigh the potential losses.

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In the short time since cloud computing has become more widely adopted we’ve seen it adapted for use in a large variety of different situations.  Perhaps the most notable use of cloud computing right now however is media service delivery.  In fact, all of the top cloud providers are delivering services which seem to be mostly aimed at the average consumer.  Of course individuals aren’t the only ones tapping into these cloud services, businesses are also banking heavily on them, but tend to gravitate toward those delivering storage and/or communication.

The following 4 cloud providers were found to be the most frequently used according to statistical data gathered by Strategy Analytics’ Q3 ConsumerMetrix as part of a survey program conducted in October of 2012 (US survey).

iCloud / iTunes – Match

Does it really surprise anyone that Apple would be at the top of the list of cloud providers specializing in media service delivery?  Although their share prices have slipped a bit in recent months, Apple is still one of the hardest hitting companies. Likewise, they’ve certainly has built an enviable consumer base filled to the brim with devotees who are all very much addicted to their products.  What’s been surprising is the sheer level of success that Apple has been able to manage with their iCloud and iTunes services.  According to the strategy analytics survey, 27% of respondents said that they had used one of Apple’s cloud services.  Keep in mind here, we’re talking about a largely random sampling of people that were questioned as well; it’s entirely likely that there are certain segments of the population which are more heavily saturated with users than others.  Regardless, Apple’s cloud services are an obvious success story and no doubt millions of users will continue to rely on them for music / media storage and delivery for quite some time (after all, Apple recently celebrated selling 25 billion songs via iTunes).

Dropbox

At this point, you’ve probably already used Dropbox yourself, perhaps for transferring large files for a work, media, art or music project, right?  Arguably, what propelled the Dropbox service forward even further than expected was the addition of a number of novel features which other data storage and delivery services simply weren’t contemplating.  While the free service is really great, the upgrades (at $10 for 50GB and $20 for 100GB) are really extraordinary.  In fact, with all that extra space, some people are actually using their Dropbox accounts like surrogate hard drives where they can both access and store their data.  Moreover, it’s somewhat comforting to know that you’ve got a safe place to put your critical data in the event of a breakdown or disaster – Dropbox certainly fits the bill in this regard.  For a closer look at some of the amazing things you can do with Dropbox, check out this article.

Amazon Cloud Drive

When it comes to any list of important cloud computing service providers you can safely bet that Amazon is going to be on there somewhere.  Amazon has more or less led the charge in world of cloud computing, their EC2 and S3 services are widely known throughout the world and a great number of very prominent websites rely on them on a daily basis.  The cloud drive service offered by Amazon is pretty much a one-size-fits-all storage locker that is extremely easy to use and works with any device.  Additionally, cloud drive provides support for the Kindle Fire HD, which is good news for its users.  Starting off, you get a hefty 5GB of free storage space once you download the app and if you want to upgrade it’s only going to cost you $1 per GB per year.  In other words, this is unquestionably one of the most stable and affordable cloud storage solutions out there and it definitely deserves your attention.

Google Drive

While Google Drive can be used to store and share virtually any type of file you can imagine, it’s mostly being tapped by businesses and individuals for professional applications it seems.  This makes sense; after all, Google Drive has also been integrated into a wide variety of other applications and services which provide functionality for organizations.  For those that process a lot of documents on a regular basis, Google Drive is arguably the best storage and delivery solution out there.  This is due to the fact that you can automatically convert files from one format to the default Google docs format, making it much easier for users of different OS’s and reader programs to access your files.  Of course not everyone is using Google docs for work purposes, there are actually quite a number of people that like to use it as a music storage folder; in fact, you can even store your tunes in a folder and play them on your iPhone…killer.

If you’re in IT, get into the Cloud

In case you haven’t figured it out by now, businesses as well as average consumers are moving toward increased adoption of cloud services.  It’s pretty much inevitable that most internal corporate operations will continue to become more cloud-centric as more services and apps come online (also perhaps causing the prices of these already highly affordable services to drop).  What does this mean for you as an IT professional?  Simply put, we might see a slight shift away from traditional IT services toward their cloud counterparts.  If this happens, you’ll want to possess some type of cloud certification.  Luckily, cloud certification is not only highly affordable, it’s relatively easy to acquire; get yours today.

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