Big data generated by drones is useful in every sector including monitoring data of animal cruelty on farms and surveillance data from military drones. The drones' usage needs a revolution in big data cloud services. However, flying a drone and taking pictures is the first step in data collection process. Since software to reason directly from video feeds is still in a research phase, drone data handling needs to be improved. The use of a cloud-based in-memory computing platform can enhance analytics, processes, and predictive capabilities. Amazon recently proposed to increase sales and revenue by providing the delivery of food using drones. By gathering data on a large scale, service providers will be able to process unique levels of details and turn it into usable information. To know more, go through Abhishek Sharma (author of InfoQ)'s article: http://www.infoq.com/news/2014/09/drone-data-big-data-analytics

There is no privacy in the era of big data. Personal data is collected and traded and there are few ways to control it. "We're being monetized in essence. We are being mobilized as products with inducement of the services of we use such as Facebook and Twitter" says Rob Livingstone, a fellow of the University of Technology and the Head of a Business Advisory Firm. However, major problem that regulators are facing is - how they can regulate the collection, storage and trading of personal data on the internet, when all of these activities, and corporations, operate across multiple continents and jurisdictions. Read more at: http://analytics.theiegroup.com/article/53a4371c3723a8398400014e/Little-Privacy-In-The-Age-Of-Big-Data

Information available about consumers on the web is enough to scare marketers. There are large rewards for those who confront and harness big data. Big data can create problem for brands. Information collected from large, complex data sets weblogs, social media, smartphone analytics and even medical records is difficult for brands to manage and process within traditional database systems. According to a report from the McKinsey Global Institute, Big Data is the next big thing for innovation, competitive advantage and productivity. But, some companies are missing this opportunity because of a lack of data management expertise. Retail is one industry that has a great potential for big data. Customer transactions (on & offline), conversations and intentions can all be brought together so that brands can get ideas how to reach potential consumers. Read more at: http://analytics.theiegroup.com/article/53a2f6693723a807f3000029/Big-Data-Embracing-The-Elephant-In-The-Room

According to Tor Constantino (Director, Global Public Relations and External Affairs at IMS Health) Nexxus Mobile Sales is the first complete cloud-based sales performance which aids companies to implement national brand strategies at local levels by linking updated industry and customer data with expert decision-support tools for sales representatives. IMS Health provides life sciences commercial organizations with a new app for driving actual, smart local customer engagement. For increased productivity in the field, Mobile Sales issues alerts to the sales representatives about specific territory and customer opportunities and incorporates advanced voice-command technology to provide easy access to all solution features. As a result, sales teams can deliver greater value and spend more time with customers. Read more at: http://www.imshealth.com/portal/site/imshealth/menuitem.c76283e8bf81e98f53c753c71ad8c22a/?vgnextoid=70f32cf8cb7a7410VgnVCM10000076192ca2RCRD&vgnextchannel=5ec1e590cb4dc310VgnVCM100000a48d2ca2RCRD&vgnextfmt=default

A B2B based Cloud network called AutoDX (Auto Data Exchange) was recently implemented by IBM for Indian Auto industry. This electronic data exchange platform reduces the auto industry's transaction costs by 80%. This is useful because until this deployment the whole auto industry was using manual processes which were very inefficient. AutoDX is an example of how organizations in the same domain can come together and share cloud to reap benefits. Such cloud platforms can be useful as cloud has potential to reduce costs. To know more, go through Vipin Chandran (Member of Integration Services team of IBM DemandTec)'s article link: http://www.indiaonward.com/how-beneficial-could-a-multi-tenant-private-cloud-be/

According to Ajay Kulkarni (the development leader of Social Business and Digital Experience portfolio at IBM India Software Labs) there are numerous challenges in reforming the Retail sector even though it is currently going through an incredible change technology-wise. The first one is FDI in Multi-Brand Retail. The main argument against Retail FDI is loss of jobs. The second is the co-existence of global supermarkets and small Kirana shops. Traders in Kirana stores, vegetable shops and even consumers use easy Social Media tools like Skype and WhatsApp. However, they need to be more equipped to face competition. The e-retail business in India is still nascent but is growing at a fast pace with the help social media platforms. Read more at: http://www.indiaonward.com/social-business-will-transform-the-indian-retail-industry/

Enterprise cloud computing provides a clear path to CRM success. Today, however there are at least two major problems in operating with highly data-driven intelligence. Firstly, CRM databases start empty and secondly it isn't very intelligent. It is therefore time to re-imagine how businesses operate. In a world where we have lot of data points, outcomes should be accurately predicted. The next generation of CRM should monitor website updates, news, public filings, social networks, technology vendors, job openings and new hires. To know more, go through Jamie Grenney (Vice President of Marketing at Infer)'s article link: http://gigaom.com/2013/09/02/what-will-crm-look-like-in-2015/

A computer technology company wanted an automatic solution to classify customer problems and complaints that were posted on the company's Tech Forums as well as agent transcripts associated with customer calls that were stored in databases. It wanted a "text mining and codification engine" to which Natural Language Processing could be applied to categorize conversations automatically and thus aid Microsoft in analyzing text data objectively and quantitatively. The solution provided had four major milestones: Data Access, Data Loading, Classification Design, Development Accuracy, and Validation Accuracy. The text mining framework provided was able to categorize the texts automatically into five stages of classification. Thus with the assurance of accurate results, the company was able to take quick informed decisions based on customer feedback. Read more at: http://analyticsindiamag.com/advanced-text-mining-by-extracting-insights-from-various-forums-helps-in-addressing-and-analyzing-customer-feedback/

According to author Shreya Sharma, with Big Data becoming an essential part of an organization, it is getting harder to balance it with data privacy. Marketers should be clear about the data they are collecting and make sure that data storage and security infrastructure are safeguarded, otherwise it can have serious effects on the company as most consumers expect a company to protect their personal data, and their consuming behavior depends on this. It is therefore crucial to bear a high level of awareness with regards to the significance of data privacy and protection. The responsibility should be seen as norm and not just be restricted to people who are directly involved in mining big data. To know more, please follow: http://analyticsindiamag.com/in-action-how-companies-should-follow-a-data-centric-security-approach/

Big data enables understanding of complex customer sentiments and intent which improves service management. Today it is easier to process customer sentiments and intents through social media and develop social customer relationship management or social CRM. To make this effective it is important to capture the natural language knowledge and rapidly and securely making those insights available to tye best pay off channels. 

This podcasts bring together customer analytics services provider Attensity, with its natural language processing technology, and HP Vertica with Big data analytics capabilities to explain how effectively listen to social Web and rapidly gaining valuable insights and actionable intelligence.

Some participants are Howard Lau, chairman and CEO of Attensity, and Chris Selland, vice president of marketing and business development at HP Vertica. The discussion is moderated by Dana Gardener, principal analyst at Interarbor Solutions.

more at: http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/80826.html

Big Data is about making something out of enormous and high speed structured data as well as unstructured data, but most organizations do not have a business case for the use of Big Data and invariably, a not so conducive culture to leverage Big Data technologies. The main area of focus in India seems to be-Real Time Reporting on Transaction Systems. Through the partitioning/ clustering, distributed computing and in-memory processing methods, Big Data can run high quality real-time reports, with the ability to drive additional queries. But it will be not be the best use case for Big Data. If we focus on this use case, Information Technology will just end up being a cost center. Big Data investments should address either the fraud prevention story that helps the bottom-line, or the customer offer story that helps the top line of a company. The immediate need however is to get the data fixed to achieve the goal. Data quality continues to remain a huge challenge across more than 80 percent of the mid and large organizations. Read more at:

http://www.informationweek.in/informationweek/perspective/297428/companies-artists

Ever since the video gaming industry has entered the online space, this fast-paced industry is almost bursting. Bringing in about $20 billion of revenue a year in the U.S. market alone, this industry is now scaling new heights with vast data out-pours and advances in big data analytics. In the world of online and offline video games, joystick movements and every interactive step is a source of valuable data-points, which can deliver fascinating solutions for enhancing gamer experience and increasing revenue streams. The world of games is like any other form of entertainment-it requires addictive rewards to make the gamers come back again and again. According to reliable market reports, a large, video-game manufacturer has the potential to generate around 50 terabytes of data each day. In US, the gaming industry is certainly bigger than the movie industry in terms of revenue generation. Now that this prolific industry is rapidly embracing big data technologies, the industry is expected to make waves in novel methods of customer engagement, optimized and targeted advertising, and enhance the end-user experience.

Read more at: http://www.mapr.com/blog/big-data-revolutionizing-video-game-industry#.U-d_4vmSxvM

Malware and cyber-attacks have become increasing concerns among companies. Many of them struggle to predict and mitigate threats, which can spring and evolve quickly. Companies also have some concerns about the physical security of their infrastructure. The result is that they are in search of more comprehensive resources to address these challenges. Big data analytics, particularly when they are coupled with machine learning, represent a logical solution because it allows companies to consider multiple threat scenarios and determine the best response. 

In today’s complex network environments, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and other cyber threats eradication may be accomplished by getting intelligence from data providers. 

For these cyber threats, appliances should be monitoring threat feeds from trusted providers for indicators of compromise (IOCs), including big data feeds like domain name systems (DNS) feeds, command and control (C2) feeds, and black/white lists, in order to correlate and hunt threats in a data set and recommends six steps to combat the potential threats.

Read the article at: http://www.darkreading.com/analytics/6-tips-for-using-big-data-to-hunt-cyberthreats/a/d-id/1278970

Big data has been big news in the travel industry for a few years now. It offers the chance for travel companies to increase the number of sales and improve the travel experience of customers. While big data is a vast, complex challenge for many organizations, it is one of the key factors driving the evolution of the travel industry today and for the foreseeable future. Airlines, hotels, cruise companies, travel management, railways and travel agencies have an opportunity to improve their business and the customer experience by effectively handling the big data at their fingertips. That's not to say it is easy to collect, identify and analyze all of the bits of disparate data types that comprise big data. Travel companies can make better decisions based on the data aggregated from their customers to personalize services like travel booking to make them easier to navigate. For many years, CRM systems have allowed companies to create relevant, targeted marketing campaigns. Big data, however, uses customer information to create a truly personalized service. It allows travel websites to recommend a specific hotel to a specific user based on their previous holidays, requirements and preferences.

Read more at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/centurylink/2014/04/30/how-big-data-is-transforming-the-travel-industry/

Cloud CRM software is a serious business investment in today's competitive environment. Out of 5279 CRM buyers 68 percent were either use non-industry specific software or manual methods like spreadsheets and paper notes to manage customer relationships. Commercial CRM is preferred to a proprietary solution. It was discovered that 9 percent customers wanted a cloud based CRM and a majority wanted to evaluate best of breed solutions over an integrated suite. Sales force automation was the top best of breed buyers and integrated suite. Nine percent wanted an integrated suite or even multiple applications. 

CRM software should have a good long run sustaining contact management as having a 360 degree view helps increase cross sell and upsell opportunities. It should have a good note taking capability for tracking customer information. Integrating with third party systems is also important. The reporting and analytics feature is also useful for staying informed and is advantageous to both customer and the organization and dashboards help getting a single view of activities.

Sales force automation was the best requested CRM application among integrated suite and best of breed buyers representing 76 percent of companies evaluating best of breed solutions and nearly 75 percent of people interested into integrated suites. 

Read more at http://www.business-standard.com/article/management/top-trends-in-crm-software-purchases-114080300625_1.html 

The dependence of organizations on software have increased over the decade, so reducing bandwidth and maximizing data through software integration for optimal process has also become necessary. Thus CRM and telephony are the most widely used tools today. The phone/CRM scenarios are: 

No integration:  if one enters the name and phone number of the person in the CRM software and then call the person by phone then the conversation gets automatically recorded and can be used for future review purpose.

Partial integration: if the phone system is partially integrated with the CRM then one call within the CRM platform and the phone calls get automatically logged.

Full integration: it is applicable for both incoming and outgoing calls. When a call comes the number is searched in the CRM database and then for a new number a CRM lead is offered. And for old number the call gets diverted to the responsible staff who identifies the call records and details.

Options available for phone and CRM integrations are: 

Trough CRM software with integrated telephony such as Bitrix24 which is free and TalkDesk does not require any set up.

Otherwise the existing CRM can be used if it is of Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics and readymade integration with IP telephony providers such as RingCentral or RingDNA can be used. Read more at:  http://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/telephony-crm-match-made-heaven-0946844#!bwfcpF

Proficiency in Big Data provides a competitive advantage to banks. Banks too often depended on traditional technologies such as aggregation and normalization of data which resulted in several weaknesses like lack of flexibility in responding to upstream and downstream data changes. Data lineage may be lost after aggregation and summarization and data governance is likely weakened when several constituents retain responsibility for an extended, multi-stage data flow. These weaknesses are detrimental to the success of big data initiatives. So a new approach is required.  Big data represents a new way that banks can interact with and leverage their data. As a result, banks need to shift the paradigm for designing, developing, deploying, and maintaining big data solutions with new approaches to data storage (e.g., NoSQL databases)  and maturity of distributed-computation software frameworks (e.g., Hadoop). The approach to Big Data implementation also needs to change through rapid, iterative, and incremental deployment of solutions in a way that aligns well to the speed at which the underlying data are measured, understood, and parsed. This will take banks to an acceptable level of competency and capability. Read more at:

http://www.informationweek.in/informationweek/news-analysis/297426/mean-banks

Huge amounts of data are being created with every passing day.The UN has called for a 'data revolution' to come up with new development goals - so that sustainable development can be better practiced and can be integrated into making decisions and also provide transparency. But finding out trends hidden within data takes skill - and so the question is whether jury is out as to whether nations and development organizations have the capacity to interpret the so-called 'big data' by themselves. The question is how best to make up the ground. The problems faced in implementing Big Data involve lack of expertise to train staff to use big data, and also awareness of the technology needed for analysis. Lack of money is another concern, particularly in developing countries. If governments do wish to see big data used for development, their best bet could be to allow the private sector to do the groundwork. In many developing countries, problems of patchy internet connections, intermittent power supplies and poor reach of high capacity cables are being faced. But the digital divide challenges may be circumvent by other sources of data, for instance, call data records (CDRs).The barriers facing big data becoming a useful tool for development are numerous and great. But, they are not insurmountable. There is reason to believe that big data can fulfil its promise in the years to come. Read more at:

http://www.scidev.net/global/data/feature/obstacles-big-data-development.html

SAP is undergoing a huge transformation, it is now focusing on empowering the customer by developing applications. SAP Labs India has developed a range of applications applicable to a variety of sectors so as to empower the cosumer;transforming from a core B2B approach to a B2B2C approach by understanding the needs of their customer's customers. The B2B2C process involves the principles of Design Thinking in conjunction with a Co-Innovation Partner to develop deep insight into the final consumer's mindset and market realities. Design Thinking is a mindset backed by a suite of tools that gives SAP Labs a powerful new way to solve problems and unlock potential. The SAP Co-Innovation Lab (COIL) Network facilitates project-based co-innovation with its members which enhances the capabilities of SAP's partner and customer ecosystem through an integrated network of world-wide expertise, and best-in-class technologies and platforms. The Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C) strategy is a cultural, business and leadership imperative for SAP. With the growing importance of consumerization of technology, the focus is to understand the end-user of our systems and products where consumers ultimately determine the success of the organization. Read more at:

http://www.informationweek.in/informationweek/news-analysis/297364/sap-bets-consumerization-focuses-b2b2c-approach

Big data analytics is increasingly playing a role in the fight against crime. Publicly shared information combined with data from local authorities, social services and intelligence gathered by beat officers is helping police forces around the world spot trouble before it starts. It helps the police be much less reactive, and slowly starts to reveal the real trouble spots and troublemakers in a neighborhood, estate or street. When information like that becomes clear, the police can do something about it long before anyone dials 999. And that counts for people as much as it does for pubs or clubs. Law enforcement is finding new ways to use technology and big data against crime. CCTV cameras are no longer impotent. They are commonly used in police cars and carried by officers to create a permanent digital record of everything going on around them. 

 This will make it harder for criminals to commit crimes. In recent years we have witnessed criminality moving off the streets with a huge increase in the amount of credit card and online identity fraud. But even there new big data algorithms are being developed to detect fraudulent behaviors in real time.

Read more at: http://smartdatacollective.com/bernardmarr/199521/big-data-analytics-and-criminals