Author’s note: What happens when big data goes looking for a Valentine’s Day date? Join me as I personify big data, and let’s find out.
Hello, Enterprise IT. This is Big Data.
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and I’m wondering who my Valentine will be this year. Looking across the Enterprise IT landscape, I see several entities that have a vital role in sustaining my presence. Yet, I’m really confused about who is the one best suited for the special role of Valentine for Big Data.
Let me explain in detail the candidate Valentines and the reason for my confusion.
Application. Applications are the primary vehicle for my creation, consumption and retirement. They serve as the interface people use to enter me into the system, and they consume information in various forms – structured or unstructured. Is an application my Valentine?
Maybe, but …
Datastore. Thanks to the datastores, I’m not homeless. I have a logical reason to exist. Datastores take great pains to encrypt me and expose me only to trustworthy parties. Should the datastore be my Valentine?
Perhaps, but …
Storage. This physical media provides a rock-solid foundation for my home. It could be on-premise, or during my later years, off-premise out there in the cloud. Without storage, my stores can’t exist, and applications can’t function. Should storage be my Valentine?
Could be, but …
Network. I’m Big Data. I need big networks. Without networks, applications can’t send me over to the database or communicate with other applications. Neither can users. Basically, if the network goes down, it’s the equivalent of as a category five hurricane. I come to a standstill. Should network be my Valentine?
But what about …
Devices. A new generation of devices - whether it be your mobile phone, tablets or wearables - have given me renewed life through the Internet of Things. Devices can even spectacularly align the Business of Music with the Technology of Information. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors, and are the best-dressed Valentine I can imagine. Should the device by my Valentine – like in the movie Her, in which the main character falls in love with an operating system?
Well, now you see why I’m so confused! I wish all of them could be represented in a single, unified manner.
Hey! Wait a minute. They can be. That’s you – Enterprise IT. How about that!
Without you, I’m sure I’d exist, but my quality of life would be severely impacted. I’d be scattered in pockets of presence here, there and everywhere. You create a natural habitat for me that is most conducive to my existence.
Hello, Enterprise IT. Will you be my Valentine? At least for the Year of IT Relevance?
