Big data thoughts
Only 27% of big data projects are profitable, a new study finds. Solution providers should be aware of big data challenges and avoid overpromising results.
More than half (55%) said that regular, ongoing big data projects are in progress today at either the enterprise or department level.
While only 27% of big data initiatives are profitable, 45% of respondents said they are breaking even. Another 12% indicated that big data initiatives are losing money, while 12% said it is too early to tell.
Among organizations with profitable projects, the top benefit is improved customer satisfaction and customer retention (51%). Three-fourths of profitable respondents reported they had made excellent or very good progress in improving data quality and data governance, compared to 50% overall.
Almost half (49%) who have high levels of executive buy-in report their big data initiatives are profitable, compared to just 6% who do not have executive support.
The CIO controls 39% of projects in the United States, compared with 64% in European companies. Overall, strategy execution is most often in the hands of data specialists (30%), IT management (28%) and database architects (21%).
Communications and energy/utilities/chemical topped the list at 60% each, followed by consumer and packaged goods at 55% and retail at 53%.
Better decision-making (37%), collaboration and information sharing (34%), and increased productivity (33%) top the list of big data benefits.
Budget constraints (44%) and integration (35%) are the top two challenges to becoming insight-driven organizations.
While 30% said they plan to accelerate their big data initiatives, 16% said they would continue at the current rate, 25% said they would remain in the planning or proof-of-concept phase, 15% said they would modify their strategy or start over, and 12% said they would put big data initiatives on hold.