IDG Research: Younger workers have stronger belief in big data

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• Posted by IDG Connect

• on July 06 2017

Recent research from IDG Enterprise – based on feedback from 724 IT-decision-makers – shows that younger workers (those aged 18 – 34) are far more likely to “strongly agree” about the transformative potential of big data than their older colleagues. They are also far more likely to believe that their organisation is ready to take advantage of it this change. This trend is steeply reversed in those of 55 or over.

“These age-linked differences may be attributable to younger employees being more comfortable with the latest technologies and more inured to the inevitability of technology-driven disruption,” suggests the report. “On the other hand, older respondents have seen many supposedly transformational technologies come and go throughout their careers.

“It's possible that they're simply less willing to predict that any particular trend —even one as far-reaching and multifaceted as big data analysis — will be a source of fundamental change.”

Implementation is well under way

The full six-page report provides information on most key aspects of big data and analytics and shows that many big data and analytics projects have already been put into action. In fact, 53% of respondents stating their companies are currently implementing or planning to implement data-driven projects within the next 12 months.

Out of the projects that are underway or in the planning stages, 26% are already implemented, 14% are in the process of implementation or pilot testing and 13% are planning implementation in the next 12 months. A further 8% are considering a data-driven project, and 8% say they're likely to pursue one, although they're currently struggling to find the right strategy or solutions.

Data-driven projects are for still mostly for the enterprise

Perhaps not surprisingly (at first glance at least) enterprises are more likely than SMBs to have already launched or to be in the process of launching a data-driven project. While findings suggest that many smaller organisations are more likely to be struggling to identify the right strategy or solution for a data-driven project, or to have no plans to pursue one.

The reasons are not entirely clear, however, with different contradictory answers being given. On the one hand, many SMBs report that they don't need any further information from the data they have. On the other, they're five times more likely than enterprises to say they lack sufficient data.