10 Predictions for Data and Analytics in 2015

As analytics continues to play a larger role in the enterprise, the need to leverage and protect the data looms larger. According to the IDC, the big data and analytics market will reach $125 billion worldwide in 2015.  Here are 10 predictions from industry experts about the data and analytics in 2015. 

1. Hadoop – Hadoop will become a worldwide phenomenon, believes Concurrent CEO Gary Nakamura, who notes that Hadoop has shown tremendous growth throughout Europe and Asia, and that expansion will only continue. A key to Hadoop being able to become an enterprise backbone, is the ROI businesses can expect from using it, and products and tools  continue to evolve to keep pace with the technology’s trajectory. According to Actian, SQL will be a “must-have” to get the analytic value out of Hadoop data.  We’ll see some vendor shake-out as bolt-on, legacy or immature SQL on Hadoop offerings cave to those that offer the performance, maturity and stability organizations need.  
2. Enterprise Security – With the seemingly never-ending stream of news reports of hacks and data leaks, one of the major data issues of 2014 that we can expect to continue in 2015 is big data breaches. “There is nothing you can do to stop a zero-day vulnerability, but the question is what do we do about it,” stated Walker White, president of data as a service provider BDNA. At this point it isn’t about keeping the hackers out, but how companies react to protect their data once the hackers have penetrated their systems. “Security ultimately is an arms race, there are very few mechanisms that simply can’t be broken, it tends to just be how far ahead can you stay of the people that are trying to break in,” agreed Seth Proctor, CTO of NuoDB.
3. Business Intelligence – The growth of BI tools that are more user friendly for the average business employee will help to take some of the burden of IT teams. To do this, more BI providers will incorporate search into their interfaces to make the tools more accessible to average business users, according to Thoughtspot CEO Ajeet Singh.
4. Cloud – The cloud will increasingly become the deployment model for BI and predictive analytics, particularly with the private cloud powered by the cost advantages, according to Actian.
5. Hybrid Architecture – Hybrid architectures will become the norm for many organizations, according to Steven Riley of Riverbed Technology. Even though cloud computing and third-party hosting will continue their rapid expansion, on-premise IT will remain a reality for 2015 and beyond.  “In the coming year, analytics will have the power to become the next killer app to legitimize the need for hybrid cloud solutions,” adds Revolution Analytics CEO Dave Rich. Analytics has the ability to mine vast amounts of data from diverse sources, deliver value and build predictions without huge data landfills. In addition, the ability to apply predictions to the myriad decisions made daily – and do so within applications and systems running on-premises – is unprecedented.”
6. Medical Data – When the average person thinks of their most important personal data security, most think about credit card information. Bitglass, which provides security for cloud apps and mobile devices, believes that medical records are 50 times more valuable on the black market than credit cards. Bitglass predicts that medical records will become a bigger target for data attacks than traditional methods such as credit cards. This will result in scrutiny pertaining to HIPAA regulations. Regulations stipulate that health organizations must report data breaches that affect more than 500 people. 
7. Data Science – As organizations gain a greater appreciation of the role that that data is playing data scientists are in greater demand, yet there are not enough qualified data scientists, according to EXASOL, an in-memory database company. Joe Caserta of Caserta Concepts believes that chief analytics officers (CAO) will now play role in the enterprise. As data-rich organizations continue to adopt a more strategic approach to big data, it makes sense that the responsibility for all that information needs to sit with someone who can apply the analytics big picture to all parts of the organization - the CAO. The coming year will be time for data-driven organizations to dedicate resources and executive commitment to the function.
8. Internet of Things - OpenText predicts consumers will begin to become more aware of the IoT all around them - from smart watches to cars with built-in sensors, and Vormetric, a provider of security solutions, believes that the IoT will trigger a greater enterprise emphasis on securing big data using encryption. More personalized private data will be stored and analyzed by data analysis tools in the future.
9. Location Data – Technologies will emerge in 2015 – full stack virtualization, pervasive visibility, and hybrid deployments – that will create a form of infrastructure mobility that allows organizations to optimize for location of data, applications, and people, says Riley of Riverbed. He predicts that organizations that begin to disperse their data to multiple locations will begin to gain significant competitive advantages.
10. NewSQL – NewSQL will start taking the place of some RDBMSs, according to Morris of NuoDB, who believes that NewSQL will begin to support enterprise-scale applications that traditionally were only held by RDBMSs.

Data and analytics will only become more important and valuable to the enterprise. As the technologies for putting data to greater use continue to multiply, it is clear that those opportunities also carry risk, and there is the need to better protect the data that is being amassed.