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Are Big Data Skills a Small Business Concern?

Tristan Anwyn

March 21, 2014

Big data is big news these days, whatever the size of your business.

Small businesses that harvest, analyze and implement big data gain significant insights into the market and their customers, giving them a competitive edge. Naturally, you don't want to miss out.

But starting to gather and use big data can be a steep learning curve for your team, so how do you help your employees to handle big data, making the most of it for your business?

Advantages of Big Data

Big data is the closest thing your small business is likely to get to a crystal ball.

Big data can take many forms - from social media statistics to information gathered from personalized URLs and many other places in between. Big data is the gathering of all kinds of information about how people behave, what they buy, where they go, and so much more. Properly used, big data brings your business a wealth of valuable insights. 

Analyzing big data gives you the means to predict peaks and troughs in your business year, anticipate your customers' needs, get an overview of the latest trends, or accurately predict your sales.

That's just the tip of the iceberg - there are myriad ways to use big data to better understand and further your business, allowing you to face the future with more confidence than ever.

Preparing Your Employees for Big Data

Big data comes with a learning curve as your team learns how to gather and use data without getting overwhelmed.

It can be easy to think you have to start recruiting a data specialist right away, but before you start running those job ads, stop and focus on your existing team. The chances are, you can find and use the skills you need from within your existing workforce, so try that first.

When it comes to combating big data skills concerns, two of your most useful tools are planning and teamwork.

Planning is so important when it comes to implementing big data.

The whole point about big data is that it is, well, big. Without a plan you may find yourself with a lot of data and precious little idea how to handle it.

So start early and figure out:

• What data do you need to gather?
• How are you going to gather it?
• Where are you going to focus first (choosing one area to work with and then building up is a less stressful way to transition into big data use)?
• How are you going to store the data?
• Who will analyze it and how?
• What are they looking for?

Involving your team in the planning and implementation of your big data strategy is important.

Teamwork is vital in turning big data from a million random facts into a usable stream of information. For those who are going to be involved with big data, whether harvesting, analyzing, or simply filing it, make sure they understand how their role relates to your big data strategy as a whole.

Keep your big data easily accessible to those who need it and standardize the way you deal with it so that the left hand always knows what the right hand is doing.

Finding the Skills You Need

Teamwork also matters when it comes to finding the skills you need to handle big data in your business.

The chances are you don't have an experienced big data analyst just waiting for their day in the sun. But you may well find that among your team you have all of the skills you need to gather and analyze your data. 

When it comes to big data, make sure you set up some engaging and enjoyable training for your team.

Learning new skills can be a rewarding part of any job, but do your part to make it as easy and worthwhile as possible. You may be able to link up with a local learning establishment to help your team brush up on some of the skills they'll need; if not, set up some good in-house training to help make the transition easier.

Big data is rapidly becoming a must-have for businesses of all sizes.

The insights it offers are well worth the investment of teaching your employees to use it, so start planning your big data transition today.

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