Analytics and Big Data: The Skeptics vs. the Enthusiasts (Information Management)

A quick quiz: What is a good nine- or 10-letter description of the emerging interest in business analytics and big data that ends in “-al”? A choice that may come to mind for many is “hysterical.” This choice reflects frenzied excitement about opportunities for business analytics to solve problems often resulting from big data. Advocates – actually enthusiasts – of analytics have become energized by the growing interest in the fields of business intelligence and data mining. But perhaps a less obvious choice of “skeptical” is an equally valid answer. Doubters and naysayers of business analytics believe the interest in these topics is overblown and misguided…