Turning data into decisions

WE'VE arrived at the digital age where the difference between man and machine is often debated. While it's true that our brains can pull information together automatically, we are unable to process ever-increasing volumes of data fast enough. It's ridiculous that "gut instinct" is still the way some decision-makers make final calls. Key players face make or break decisions every day, and Gartner's statistics (also data) have revealed that one in four companies are experiencing a data crisis. It's clear that relying on knowledge and experience gained on the job is not enough in today's competitive, digitised world. Frankly, there's just too much going on for anyone to know everything anymore so there's no excuse for not being data-driven. But being data-driven can be challenging for some, and organisations are still learning how to manage and act on data. In a way, the data deluge crept up on us.

FROM DRIP TO DELUGE

Data used to be friendly, simply because there was so little of it available, relatively speaking.