We know Big Data is big, but just how big? Facebook revealed that it processes over 2.5 billion pieces of content and 500 terabytes of data each day (and possibly has the single largest Hadoop system in the world). Read more at TechCrunch. (LINK)
Of course Facebook isn’t the only company taking advantage of Big Data. Lisa Arthur writes in Forbes this week about how eBay saved millions of dollars after turning its data analytics prowess to its internal IT operations. (LINK)
Nor is Big Data limited to the tech sector. An article in CIO reviews several recent surveys which show how C-level executives are increasingly leveraging data and data analytics to set their firm’s business strategy and make day-to-day decisions. (LINK)
And what is needed for more companies to take data analytics to the next level? Patrick Gray, a business consultant, argues in an article in CIO Report that the benefits from Big Data will require organizational changes, such as new hybrid team structures that bring together business, analytical and technical talent. (LINK)
Finally, what does Big Data have to do with food and wine? GigaOm describes how companies like Snooth and Yummly are using data analytics to produce Pandora-like wine recommendations and nutrition information for recipes (LINK).
Not surprisingly, Snooth isn’t the only company trying to bring Big Data to the wine industry. An article in the HBR Blog Network describes how the company VinoEco is creating a wine-recommendation engine based on wine attributes and consumer preference data. (LINK)
See an interesting “Big Data” story? Email Daniel Castro (dcastro@itif.org).
Photo credit: Flickr user Glen Scott
