News

Survey: Big Data Implementations Lag Behind Interest

• By David Ramel
• August 26, 2013

Despite much interest and enthusiasm for Big Data projects, actual implementations are lagging at many organizations, according to a new survey from Talend.

The Big Data software integration vendor said survey results "reveal a disconnect" between the popularity of the technology and its actual use, primarily caused by a lack of in-house expertise and financing.

Contrasting the new survey with a similar study (PDF) conducted less than a year ago, Talend outlined how interest in Big Data has increased. While the 2012 survey indicated a whopping 61 percent of respondents reported having no interest in Big Data, that number dropped to 24 percent in 2013. Organizations that reported being in preliminary discussions about using Big Data increased from 24 percent last year to 36 percent this year.

The actual number of respondents reporting that pilot projects were underway remained the same at 4 percent, however, while those at the planning and appraisal stage rose from 8 percent last year to 19 percent this year.

"It is encouraging that the number of businesses rolling out big data strategies has increased, but overall adoption of Big Data strategies remains slow," said Yves de Montcheuil, Talend's vice president of marketing. "There is still a significant gap between those businesses expressing an interest and those taking the plunge and actually implementing the approach. It is a gap that the industry needs to address and close if the promise of big data is to be fulfilled."

The much-publicized Big Data skills shortage, along with budgetary constraints, were among the top inhibitors to adopting Big Data, Talend said, while the factors driving adoption include: the increasing volume of data, 24 percent; a business requirement to increase revenue, 19 percent; pressure of compliance, 11 percent; product and service development, 11 percent; and a requirement to find new customers, keep up with competitors or collaborate more closely with business partners, 6 percent.