These days, you’re probably hearing a lot of hype about “big data.” Vendors are currently hawking a wealth of new tools, all of which promise to help your organization unlock previously inaccessible insights from your proprietary information. According to the authors, there is no doubt that big data, i.e., organization-wide data that’s being managed in a centralized repository, can yield valuable discoveries that will result in improved products and performance – if properly analyzed. Nonetheless, you must look before you leap. First, is your company culture ready for such a move? How will data managers be affected when scores of discrete data silos are gathered and reviewed as a whole? How will you involve leadership and others in ongoing decision-making processes? How will you choose your architecture and tools from the dizzying array of options that are currently available? How will you stay up-to-date in this rapidly evolving field? Finally, how will you train your company’s users so that they can actually leverage the new capabilities? This ExecBlueprint explores these and other key concerns. Addressing the “Big Data” Issue: What You Need to Know