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Category: Tech Buzz Page 4 of 10

What Is Smart Data?

Data that is being collected at an exponential rate is collectively known as big data. In its raw form, data is meaningless. So, to gain maximum benefit, it needs to be processed and turned into actionable information. As per an article by Forbes, keeping the rate of data growth in mind, approximately 1.7 megabytes of new information will be created every second for each human being on the planet by the year 2020.

Smart data is formatted digital information that can be acted upon before being sent for further data consolidation & analytics. It is a result of clear focus on purpose, insights, actions & resulting outcomes. Thus, it refers to the data that is decisive, valuable and actionable in real time. Smart data facilitates analysis and interpretation of data for better decision making and optimized data driven functions. The term smart data is often associated with IoT (Internet of Things).

Application Of Smart Data

  • Retail – Smart data can help in understanding customer requirements as well as help in localized promotions.
  • Telecom – It assists in bandwidth allocation.
  • Manufacturing – Can be used for proactive maintenance.
  • Healthcare – Monitor patient’s health reports to ensure complete safety & care.
  • Transportation– In driverless cars and also in detecting unsafe driving.
  • Financial Services – It can help in detecting & preventing financial frauds.

Difference Between Big Data & Smart Data?

The primary difference between big data & smart data is that the latter is actionable and adds more value to the data. Big data refers to the humungous amount of data that is collected whereas smart data is much more useful and applicable. So even though there is abundance of data in case of big data, it is usually unintelligent and needs to be churned up before it can be used for analysis. Smart data on the other hand is accurate & agile that can give better insights.

Collecting Smart Data

It is common for organizations to collect everything and store it in their data warehouse with an aim to use it for decision making. However, since the data is collected without any specific purpose in mind it often lacks quality. To curb this problem, an organization needs to be smart enough in its way to use the resources to collect data that is relevant to their business. Smart data is gaining popularity due to its relation with the coming algorithm economy. So, collecting only important and useful data does not

For more information about smart data, call Centex Technologies at (254) 213-4740.

Benefits of Hadoop

Hadoop is an open source distributed processing framework that is commonly used to process and store big data. Not only does it store but also helps in running applications on clusters of commodity hardware.

Software solutions like Hadoop have become a necessity for businesses that store & use big data due to its ability to store & process massive amounts of data. A classic feature of Hadoop is that it can handle both structured & unstructured data thus providing enhanced flexibility to users.

Reasons To Implement Hadoop

  • Massive Storage – With big data increasing rapidly, there was a need for a software solution that could handle large volumes of data. Hadoop has solved that problem with its ability to hold enormous amount of data. The data is often split into blocks and then stored in clusters.
  • Scalability – You wish to have the ability to handle more data? No problem, with Hadoop you can do that easily and that too without any hassle. With little administration Hadoop allows you to add more nodes easily.
  • Flexibility – Hadoop enables you to store as much data as you want whether it is structured or unstructured, formatted or encoded or in any other form. So apart from text you can store images, videos, etc. Also, with Hadoop you are not required to process data before storing it, thus making it relevant as well as simple to use.
  • Computing – Its computing model helps in processing large amounts of data easily. The arithmetic is simple; more the nodes, more the processing power that you have.
  • Fault Tolerance – Hadoop is fault tolerant i.e. it protects the data in case of any hardware failure. When a node gets lost or goes down, Hadoop framework redirects the task/work to another node to avoid any disruption. Also Hadoop keeps a duplicate copy of data which is then stored in different clusters.
  • More Real Time – It allows you to store information into a cluster and analyze it in real time. It provides a standard approach to numerous API’s for big data analytics.
  • Cost Effective – It uses commodity hardware to store data which leads to reduction in cost per terabyte of storage.

When Not To Use Hadoop?

  • When you wish to modify data
  • There are lots of small files
  • There is low latency data access

For more information about IT Security, call Centex Technologies at (254) 213-4740.

How Healthcare Industry Can Benefit From Cloud Computing

Most industries are progressing towards cloud technology, so why should healthcare industry lag behind. This technology has brought a revolution in the field of healthcare resulting in improved outcomes. As per a recent survey by HIMSS Analytics, over 83 % of healthcare organizations are using cloud technology.

The technology is being used to store and process patient’s information which has thereby resulted in a decreased capital expenditure for healthcare organizations. Here are some ways in which cloud computing benefits healthcare industry.

  • Better Collaboration – It has provided extreme benefit to healthcare industry by allowing experts and doctors to store as well as access patient’s data & apply necessary care without delay. Also, remote conferencing has allowed doctors in saving precious lives.
  • Greater Reach At The Time Of Disaster – Getting doctors and necessary information on board at the time of an unforeseen circumstance or disaster often gets very difficult and many people die due to the lack of medical care on time. Cloud computing on the other hand allow field doctors to access medical information and getting connected with an expert for providing treatment & medical aid as per need of the hour.
  • Lower Storage Costs – It allows hospitals to hold more patient information at a lower cost and that too in a more systematic way.
  • Better Use Of Big Data To Treat Patients – Cloud computing allows healthcare organizations to make better use of big data to treat patients. It allows doctors to collect complete information about the ailments which a patient suffers from along with their medical history to form better inferences about the treatment to be offered.
  • Improved Medical Research – The research process speeds up due to easy storing and sharing of data through cloud technology. Data is collected from multiple fields, data analysts then use cloud to pool the data and summarize it to form conclusions. The results of the research helps professionals in curing diseases and designing better healthcare technologies.
  • Improved Patient Care – Internet of Things (IoT) can help in saving lives too by reaching out to people residing in remote areas. Cloud makes it possible for such people to get access to quality healthcare services. Mobile devices can be used to monitor a patient’s condition and keep the doctors at far of places updated with a patient’s medical condition. Also, this way patients can get access to healthcare services round the clock.

Cloud services ensure complete flexibility. Healthcare providers only pay for what they use. Also cloud provides simple anytime & anywhere access to healthcare applications and resources. As per a report by MarketsandMarkets, healthcare cloud computing market is expected to increase to $9.48 billion by 2020.

It will provide a twin benefit by not only improving the quality levels of healthcare services but also by helping them cut their costs. The sooner healthcare industry embraces cloud technology, the better it will be for them.

For more information, call Centex Technologies at (254) 213-4740.

Pros And Cons Of BYOD Culture

Times have changed and this has brought a significant switch in business sector too. With BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) culture now ruling the picture, more and more employees are bringing in their own smartphones, laptops and tabs at the workplace to perform their tasks. There are certain things which go well with BYOD and have benefited the organizations whereas there are some limitations too which it has brought along. Let’s go through the pros & cons of BYOD culture.

Pros Of BYOD

  • Convenience – The greatest advantage is that they do not have to carry two devices along. Since, they can work from their own devices, they are easily reachable if a sudden or urgent business task arises. So next time if you ask your subordinate to send you an email they can easily send it from their own device.
  • Employee Satisfaction – When employees are allowed to work on the devices they are already comfortable working on, then it can significantly contribute towards employee satisfaction. Also, this way their productivity increases which gives them enough time to think innovatively.
  • Cost – If employees work on their own devices it means that the company need not invest on laptops and PC’s for them. So, it is a cost effective strategy that helps companies in saving thousands of bucks.
  • Take Advantage Of Newer Technologies – Updating company software and upgrading hardware on regular basis equates to shelling out dollars at the company’s end. Whereas, when employees are allowed to use their own devices, you don’t have to worry about this at all. Employees will themselves get their devices upgraded with latest technologies & software’s which shall indirectly help company reap huge returns.

Cons Of BYOD

  • Security – One of the major concerns surrounding BYOD is security. It is very difficult to overcome this challenge. Many employees have access to confidential information as well as logins & passwords details. If a virus creeps in their device it might also leave your official information susceptible to data breach.
  • IT Support – It is always easier for people from IT team to fix and deal with devices of similar kind. Things have become complex with the rise of BYOD culture, where each employee brings in their own device. Somebody’s device might not support a program/ format that runs on the other person’s device. In such a case, it becomes difficult for the IT department to fix these issues and ensure that all the systems on the network are compatible with each other.
  • Difficulty In Retrieving Data – Since all the official data is available on the employee’s device as well, it becomes difficult to retrieve it when once he/she leaves the organization.

The smartest move is to educate your employees and keep them informed about device safety. For more information on IT Security, call Centex Technologies at (254) 213-4740.

What Is Geofencing?

Technology indeed has crossed all the boundary barriers and left us much in awe. The technological haven towards which we are progressing is surely something to swoon over. The latest technological advancement to join the bandwagon is Geofencing.

This amazing marketing upgrade uses Global Positioning System (GPS) or Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) to create a virtual geographic fence. It allows you to send push notifications to a potential customer in a specified geographical area. Whenever the app user enters a defined geofenced area, the push notification regarding any special offers, discounts or announcements is sent to them.

Geofencing : The Application –
The scope is wide. Almost every business venture can use it to leverage maximum benefit. Using the right strategy at right time can help you trigger sales. From real estate, retail stores, car dealers to coffee & entertainment shops, all can creatively use the geofencing technique to notify people. This will enable them to turn their potential customers into final consumers.

What All Is Required –

Geofencing requires either one of these technological supports to function & operate –

  • Wi-Fi – Customers would need a strong Wi-Fi network or otherwise it won’t be possible to send notifications to them.
  • RFID – It is easy to track people on the radar and a great medium to send notifications.
  • GPS – It possess high precision and is being used significantly.

Benefits Of Geofencing –

  • Better Targeting – You can send promotional messages and ads to the target people through geofencing. It works on the principle, “Hit when the iron is hot.” So, providing right information at right time to the right people can help you build a favorable customer base and generate more leads. For e.g. If you are a wedding planner by profession, then the best way is to geofence with an aim to target people visiting a florist or bridal make-up salon.
  • Personalized Efforts – It allows you to personalize your message to the target customer. Also, they are sent a notification only when they enter the geofenced zone.
  • Increased ROI – Through geofencing you can send push notifications to people around your store. This increases the probability of them visiting your shop, thus helping you in maximizing your revenues.
  • More Data – You can have access to more data and valuable information about the customer preferences. This data if analyzed, can help businesses generate useful insights about needs and choices of people and serve them accordingly.

Things That Should Be Kept In Mind –

Make sure that you set a defined range and strategically use it to plan your marketing efforts. The idea is to tactfully use geofencing and not exploit it. So, ensure that you do not bombard people with messages wherever they go, else-wise they may end up uninstalling your app.

This technology has vast potential of growth in near future and will be widely used by businesses to market their product or services.

For more information, call Centex Technologies at (254) 213-4740.

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