Four Key Enterprise Takeaways from the White House Report on Big Data

The White House has just released its highly anticipated report on big data.

“Big Data: Seizing Opportunities, Preserving Values,” is the culmination of a 90-day study that examines how big data will transform how we live and work, and identifies opportunities to leverage big data in healthcare, education, energy efficiency and cybersecurity.

While there are important public policy issues related to data privacy and other legal protections that remain unresolved, significant opportunities exist today enterprises can leverage to prepare for a future defined by data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Following are some initial key takeaways from the report that are worthy of consideration.

• Healthcare: The potential for big data techniques in healthcare is significant. The integration of mobile and cloud technologies to monitor patients will result in more efficient care delivery and enable the ability to analyze data across patient populations to identify effective clinical treatments. In addition, predictive modeling and analytics are already being used to detect waste, fraud and abuse.
• Education: The use of technology in the classroom is fundamentally changing teacher instruction and student access to information. By capturing and analyzing data on how students learn and what is most effective, new ways of teaching and learning can be developed to improve graduation rates, especially in the important science-technology-engineering-math, or STEM fields.
• Cybersecurity: The issue of data breaches continues to increase and the bad guys keep getting smarter and more sophisticated. The recently released Verizon 2014 Data Breach Investigations Report also confirmed this. Information sharing and big data analytics will go a long way in helping to identify and thwart potential cyberthreats before they result in the loss of personal data and sensitive corporate or government information.
• Energy Management: Big data, through the Internet of Things, is already being leveraged in the area of energy management. Fleets of jets and trucks, not to mention machines and home appliances, are outfitted with sensors that provide invaluable information to analyze and improve future designs, as well as performance and maintenance programs. As adoption grows, new data will be generated to drive further efficiency and reliability gains.

Just yesterday, the following Q&A with Ashok Srivastava, Verizon’s chief data scientist, was posted to our news center. Ashok discusses the big data analytics and its impact on future innovation.

Verizon recognizes the important role that big data will play in shaping the economy of the future. Below are links to get more information about just some of the things we are doing to help our clients leverage big data to drive their businesses.

• Transforming Health Care Fraud Prevention and Detection Programs
• Converged Health Management
• Verizon Foundation Education Programs
• New Verizon Cyber Intelligence Center Helps Speed Detection, Mitigation of Cyberthreats
• Verizon Powerful Answers – Envision Charlotte
• National Grid “Dream Team’’ for Northeast’s Largest, Most Comprehensive Smart Grid Pilot