Big Data is the new oil! It has the power to transform economies, make businesses more efficient, and improve our daily interactions as consumers. However, like oil, data is not truly valuable until it has been refined—until it is analyzed and some valuable action is extracted from it. Although it has been the subject of much discussion, Big Data is really in its infancy—which begs the questions, “How will big data evolve? And what are the opportunities for service providers to create value in Big Data?”
Catching the Waves of Big Data Evolution
The term Big Data generally refers to the growing scope of data analytics in terms of the variety, velocity, or volume of data involved. Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) sees Big Data evolving along three waves and across the three dimensions of data, control, and consumer (see Figure 1). Today, most companies find themselves in the first evolution-ary wave, where data and analytics are siloed within specific business processes. In Wave 1, the result of data analytics is Read More »
It’s more difficult than ever for retailers to stand out from their competition. The reason: Internet-based transparency, next-day supply chains, rapid product replication, and low barriers to market entry are rapidly increasing commoditization and driving down per-unit revenues across the retail industry.
As a result, margins tighten, private-label products proliferate, brand loyalty withers, and, inevitably, industry sectors go through a process of brand consolidation. And while consumer electronics (CE) retailers are currently in the “commoditization crosshairs,” almost all retail segments have gone through the process of brand consolidation.
To help retailers overcome these challenges, the Cisco® Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) conducted research to study the strategic options available to CE retailers.
As a core team member of IBSG’s manufacturing senior staff, he provides strategic assistance to car manufacturers and to related organizations looking to capitalize on the transformative power of new technologies. Marc consults with senior executives from the auto industry and coordinates Cisco’s global efforts to accelerate innovation and industry transformation in automotive.
Throughout the globe, Marc and his team have worked for most Auto OEMs on topics such Innovation, Connected Car, Customer Experience, Next Generation Dealers, the Car of the future, Distributed Engineering, and Corporate Culture.
Millions consumers around the globe are buying smartphones, tablets, and other advanced mobile devices loaded with features and apps that can be used for business as well as for their own personal communication and entertainment needs. Many of these people have started taking these devices to work and integrating them into their daily workflow. This trend is often called “bring your own device,” or BYOD.
Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) wanted to know how prevalent BYOD is, and how corporate IT departments are handling these new devices in terms of support, network access, and security. In the spring of 2012, we surveyed 600 IT decision makers in U.S. enterprises, and then expanded our study in the summer of 2012 to include 4,900 IT decision makers in midsize companies and enterprises – in a total of nine countries.
By Gaetano Pellegrino, Senior Manager, IBSG Service Provider (Western Europe)
According to new research from the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), fixed broadband Internet access is the highest priority service in consumers’ entertainment and communication portfolio. Despite the advent of smartphones, they view mobile data as more expendable.
Cisco IBSG regularly tracks such issues in its Connected Life Market Watch research platform. In the fall 2011 edition, it surveyed some 3,900 broadband consumers in North America (including Canada) and France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
Consumers Love Their Smartphones—but Rely on Fixed Access
By Bill Gerhardt, Director, IBSG Service Provider
By Gaetano Pellegrino, Senior Manager, IBSG Service Provider (Western Europe)