Big data. It’s still the hottest topic going – and making it pay off continues to be a challenge. According to a recent IDG Research survey, organizations’ biggest big data headaches are: 1) lack of skills needed to run analysis and 2) difficulty in making data available to users for analysis.

In the latest issue of sascom magazine -- now available for iPad and Android -- we’ve got story after story of organizations overcoming those two obstacles with one vital tool: data visualization.

SAS' data visualization software, SAS Visual Analytics, was designed to make big data accessible to all, regardless of technical background. Not an analyst? Not a problem – simply drag and drop data categories onto a visualization pane. In seconds, billions of records are analyzed and intelligent auto-charting displays the best visual for your data.

In fact, at Cosmos Bank board members are running their own data analysis and discovery in real time. And XL Insurance is using data visualization to help bring underwriters into the analytics process.

For more on data visualization, see how five organizations in five different industries are making it work for them. You also don’t want to miss DSW VP Harris Mustafa on how the shoe mega-retailer ensures that no customer walks away empty-handed, or Family Dollar VP Scott Zucker on how big data and high-performance analytics are changing retail.