Wanting to get the very best from your data and “extracting value” from it seems to be a constant conversation with technology and business leaders in pretty much any organisation, but what does getting value from it mean and how do we go about it?
A couple of weeks ago I read a very interesting article from this weeks guest where he introduced the concept of Data Amplification Ratio, the basic premise of this article was that one of the key ways to get more from your data is to ensure that the datasets you have can be presented to multiple different systems and services all of which can add their own particular value and extract their own unique information from the data presented to them (you can read the whole article here What is your data amplification ratio?). I thought this article presented a really good insight in to the practicalities of getting the most from our data and wanted to get the author to share that insight for the Tech Interviews listeners.
That’s exactly what we do this week, as I’m joined by Matt Watts, Director Technology and Strategy for Data Management company NetApp, to explore more this idea of Data Amplification, what it means and what it could mean for those can take advantage of their data to deliver new services, opportunities and value.
We explore the wide range of ideas that Matt covered in his article in a little more depth. We start by exploring what is a “Data Amplification Ratio” and why it’s important to focus on the right things if we want to make the most from our data.
We discuss the line between what are underlying storage “table stakes” versus what are things that can allow us to do more with our data assets. We look at how the secret to unlocking your data is having the flexibility to present it to numerous different systems, services or people who can gain insight and information from it.
We also examine the idea of how a technical chat still has a place in a world where increasingly our technology investments are about delivering business outcomes and not about the technology itself. Matt also discusses the concept of a “data fabric” and how data mobility is going to be a crucial for getting the very best from the data you have.
There is also a bit of Tech Interviews controversy as Matt shares his view on why one of the tech industries favourite phrases “data is the new oil” may not actually be true!
We wrap up by looking at what’s next for data amplification and how frequency and speed is the next challenge to overcome.
Matt as always shares some fantastic insights on the data industry and its direction.
To find out more from Matt you can read his latest article at watts-innovating.com and find him on twitter @mtjwatts
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Until next time, thanks for listening.
Techstringy 