Big data pays dividends but adoption still slow

Leveraging big data analytics to help your data projects really does work, according to a recent Unisys survey.

Ninety-three percent of respondents confirmed that the use of advanced big data analytics has improved the quality and speed of decision-making. Of the respondents, 87 percent said that analytics improved their ability to predict trends and risks, Unisys said.

But the survey also highlighted concerns about storage. Seventy-three percent said their agencies’ storage, computer and networking infrastructures may not be able to support their big data needs, the survey reported, with 70 percent saying that they are concerned about their agencies’ abilities to analyze key data rather than just collect it.

There is also difficulty in hiring and keeping data scientists needed for successful big data initiatives, 35 percent of the respondents said.

Adoption rates are still slow, with only 16 percent of respondents saying their agencies have fully implemented big data initiatives. Forty percent said their agencies have no plans for big data.

In order to move toward big data adoption, respondents said their agencies are hiring more big data analysts (68 percent), and some are even looking to find a big data director (50 percent).

Agencies are heavily relying on contractors to support their workforce needs, as well. Of the respondents, 98 percent said their agencies will maintain or increase their use of contractors on big data projects over the next year.

A copy of the report can be found here.