Do You Know How Big Data Is Transforming the Business of Government?

There’s no question that big data is changing the way the government organizations do business. Although there are pockets of innovation, many agencies have yet to capitalize on the power of big data. The 3rd Annual Cloudera Federal Forum will be held February 6th, 2014. This event will bring together leaders from government and industry to share best practices and lessons learned. It is a great opportunity to connect with your peers and learn how to unlock the power of big data within your agency. Additionally, panelists will discuss:

• Key trends in government today and the role Big Data plays in driving transformation.
• How leading agencies are putting data to good use to uncover new insight, streamline costs, and manage threats.
• The role of an Enterprise Data Hub, and how it is a game changing data management platform central to any Big Data strategy today.
• Register here to attend the event

On GovLoop, we’ve written and researched extensively on the topic of big data. We believe it holds great opportunity for government innovators. Over the course of the last year, the number of agencies exploring big data and looking to capitalize on the volume, variety and velocity of data has continued to grow. This comes as no surprise, as we’ve become hyper connected through the internet of things, big data will continue to play an imperative role for government agencies.

The applications for big data are fascinating to consider and explore. At the local level, there are case studies of public safety officers leveraging data to fight crime before it happens, and at the federal level, agencies are able to synthesize volumes of information to administer grants, analyze healthcare and combat cyber threats. What’s interesting about big data is that everyone defines it differently, but the key is that regardless of agency or size, big data initiatives revolve around the idea of using data in new, transformative ways.

Yet, in order to transform how data is used, agencies must understand what kind of IT infrastructure is needed. And for many agencies, this is one of the major challenges facing their agency. Across government, there is a dire need to invest and upgrade IT infrastructure. To fully leverage big data, agencies must have the right infrastructure to support these initiatives. This means the ability to quickly process volumes of data and run reports customized to fit an agency’s unique needs.

As many systems today in government are legacy systems, agencies are looking at ways to modernize. Many of these legacy systems were not designed for big data analysis. This is because when investments were made for legacy systems, big data wasn’t even on people’s radar. And today, these systems present challenges to extract data, share data, combine data and analyze data to fully understand the various kinds of data agencies collect. By adopting new infrastructure designed to support big data initiatives, organizations can unlock new insights and find new value from their data.

When these IT investments are made, it is essential that organizations build infrastructures that can be easily scaled and shared, preparing agencies for the future. New infrastructures provide the opportunity to force organizations to rethink the way they share data between departments. By working to develop common standards and use a common data platform, decision makers are able to make improved operational decisions. Agencies have also used the cloud to scale services to meet demand, but the key is to create a shareable infrastructure to connect agencies and data, driving deeper insights and mission value.

Although challenges persist for big data analysis, government agencies are well aware of the need to capitalize on the volume, variety and velocity of data they collect. By sharing best practices and lessons learned, government agencies can improve their big data efforts and transform the business of government.

These themes and more will be on discussed at the upcoming Cloudera event in February. You can learn more about the event and register here.

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Cloudera is revolutionizing enterprise data management with the first unified Platform for Big Data: The Enterprise Data Hub. Cloudera offers enterprises one place to store, process and analyze all their data, empowering them to extend the value of existing investments while enabling fundamental new ways to derive value from their data. Learn more here: