As we count down the date until Analytics 2012, we wanted to get some insight on trends, obstacles and even travel tips from our speakers.
Zubin Dowlaty has more than 18 years of direct experience in applying quantitative methods to extract value from corporate data assets. He’s currently focusing his efforts at Mu Sigma on managing an agenda of rapidly implementing innovative analytics technology and statistical techniques into the Mu Sigma ecosystem, as well as Fortune 500 organizations.
What do you see as the hottest trends in analytics?
We presently track about 19 emerging analytics trends that contribute to the consumption of analytics. Of these 19, they can be clustered into 3 dimensions that we think are very hot - not only hot, but required.
-Computational Enablement
-Usability and Visualization
-Intelligent Systems
What are some challenges that analytics professionals are facing today?
One large challenge is in the consumption of analytics. We see many analytics professionals creating output from their analytics exercises, however consumption lags behind. The impact of analytics can be far greater to the enterprise than we are seeing in the typical analytics shop because of this.
In your industry, what is your biggest obstacle and how do you overcome it?
We are in the services industry - the largest challenge is keeping up with the changing face of technology as it’s rapidly expanding and disrupting the analytics landscape, especially within the enterprise. Further, the skillsets required are changing as well; for example, parallel computation is becoming a prerequisite.
At Mu Sigma, we’ve overcome these challenges primarily through our Mu Sigma University program, an intensive training program that’s like a mini-MBA for the quantitatively inclined. All new recruits go through MSU, and longtime employees can also attend to learn about the latest tools and techniques. We’re all about continuous innovation and constant learning. After all, analytics pros are by nature very curious. It’s essential that all our employees stay up-to-date on the latest technology.
How will high-performance analytics (big data) affect your world?
We call big data technology and the corresponding wave of technology disruption the great enabler. The question of computational horsepower is being democratized and will open up the mindset of applications for analytics that have been previously unattainable due to cost or complexity.
What career advice would you give to an analytics professional to grow in their field?
Stay current, learn how to code well, study multiple disciplines as the field is a mix of art and science, and be loyal to analytical techniques and patterns, not vendors.
What kind of role do you think analytics will play in the 2012 US Presidential campaign, compared to previous years?
Most likely it’s kept protected from the public view, but the role of analytics is going to grow within politics - it’s growing in every industry and every company. If you don’t think you’re in the information processing business, you will soon be out of business. For the campaign, I am sure they have simulation and key driver models, and are utilizing a gaming metaphor for polling, optimizing their direct and media marketing, determining how to optimize their spend to win the electoral college. All are classic applications of analytics. If they aren’t using these techniques, they’re missing a huge opportunity to affect the outcome of the election!
What are you most looking forward to at the Analytics Conference?
Interaction with the attendees, and talking with some old friends that are presenting like Larry Seligman from IHG.
Have you been to Las Vegas before? Any restaurant or show recommendations?
Given I am from the East Coast, a trip to In-N-Out Burger is always recommended - be sure to hold the special sauce. My favorite activity is people watching. Walking down the strip and ‘old town’ near the Golden Nugget is always fun. If you’re bold enough, the roller coaster rides at the Stratosphere are fun.
What are the top 3 takeaways we will learn from attending your session at the conference?
-The importance of consumption of analytics vs creation
-Trends in the industry you MUST be aware of now to improve your bets to enable consumption
-How disruptive the period we are in now is, in a positive way: it’s like an analytics “renaissance” if you can see it
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To hear more from Dowlaty, you can attend his session on Big Data Analytics Trends, Methods and Opportunities Linked to SAS on October 8. There are even more roundtables and other special events going on at this year’s conference. Mark your calendar -- Oct. 8-9 in Las Vegas.
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Would you argue that the consumption of analytics is more important than its creation for most companies? If a company has a group of analysts, what percentage of their time should they spend consuming analytics for the betterment of the company's bottom line, as compared to creating customized analytics. I can see advantages in both approaches.
I think of consumption and creation as maintaining a comfortable balance, fluctuating. At different periods of an analytics department's evolution the proportion shifts, but you should always have both going on, however neither in the extremes. I would eventually evolve to a steady state where the higher proportion of effort is targeted towards an agenda of getting your analytics pipeline consumed, as this drives impact to your organization, as well as a feeling of influence and satisfaction.