Big data analytics systems allow for the simulation and testing of scenarios and fact-based analysis. These systems are being applied to empower employees at all levels with information and prompts, making them more productive, says enterprise information management and big data analytics company Master Data Management MD Gary Allemann.

Such systems can process unstructured and structured data to provide new insights into operations. However, a critical element to enable all employees to use such systems is visualising the outputs and means to interact with these systems, he explains.

“Not all employees and managers are data scientists or statisticians and cannot, as part of their work day, spend hours writing specific codes or database queries. Therefore, a keystone aspect for the beneficial use of data analytics systems is to make their use intuitive and accessible,” says Allemann.

Analytics tools that can be altered according to user needs are part of the move towards self-service information technology (IT) systems. IT departments are increasingly expected to support IT tools and systems in business divisions and ensure that they operate within data regulations and laws.

“The self-service trend is partly a recognition that not all business intelligence tools and systems must be driven from the top and that significant value can be unlocked using analytical systems of limited scope. However, big data analytics systems can provide value at any scale, and management and employees will increasingly use such systems to augment their jobs.”

Big data analytics systems have technical elements that make them easier to apply to existing businesses without the need to clean all the data that will be fed into them.

They use a “schema on read” process, where unstructured data, deemed potentially relevant to the query based on the date of its creation, the department that created it or text information within a file, or other criteria, is used to augment the results of the query or simulation.

Cloud service platforms have also reduced the costs of big data analytics systems, with small businesses and individual business units being able to rent these services.

“Analytics systems are especially helpful for managers when confronted with a difficult business decision, as they can test their ‘gut feel’ assumptions against actual business data and model the results to confirm or disprove the assumptions.

“For general workers, these systems improve their efficiencies, as real-time information can be sent to them as part of their routine workflows. The intelligence enables them to perform better and capitalise on transient opportunities, making the business’s core functions more effective,” concludes Allemann.