In a physical sense, one piece of digital data isn’t “bigger” than another. But from a IT perspective, data is stored electronically in unit bytes, and can accumulate at such a pace that it is literally “big” within the context that contains it: a physical server or a virtual service cloud that server virtualization supports.
Because interpreting exponentially increasing data requires high-capacity software and hardware solutions, parsing big data to gain crucial business information is challenging for small businesses that have mid-range IT capacity. Searching big data for key business information — and properly culling the information after finding it — is something many small businesses can’t do without the help of cloud computing for small businesses.
Cloud Computing, Big Data, and Small Businesses
Because many small businesses lack the IT infrastructure to process big data and generate highly organized sets of business information (e.g., competition in the marketspace, demographics, psychographics, etc.), it makes sense to speak about the benefits of big data for small businesses from a perspective of cloud computing for small businesses.
The benefits of big data for small businesses naturally depend on some of the advantages of cloud computing for businesses; particularly, the ability to capture and organize data that supports marketing success. These benefits of big data for small outfits are underpinned by cloud computing small business benefits.
1. Helps Cut Business Costs
Big data analysis can reveal steps in businesses processes that could be eliminated to cut costs. For example, say a company is using a “batch-and-blast” technique to send direct mail to prospective customers. It’s also reaching out to the same prospects with an email campaign.
When data from both activities is analyzed, the business finds email is generating better results, motivating more leads to make purchases than direct mail. The company could cut costs by canceling the direct mail campaign, or keep the campaign alive, and use a more refined technique than batch-and-blast to disseminate mailers.
2. Cost-Free Digital Resource
Big data isn’t a product or service an IT company develops. It accumulates due to business activities that process and store data. Why should businesses pay to access data they generate or collect non-proprietary data available to the public? They shouldn’t — and cloud computing for small businesses helps them access the data free. For data access, this is one of the biggest cloud computing small business benefits.
Businesses pay a fee to the IT service provider that maintains the server cloud, in which the business’ data is kept, but an affordable, flat monthly fee is a small price to pay for increased sales and marketing leverage business-critical data can yield.
3. Expedites Access to Data
As Wikipedia aptly explains, “Big data doesn’t sample; it just observes and tracks what happens”. In other words, big data is a massive conglomerate of disparate information whose value is partly determined by how easily a business can organize and access the body of knowledge.
Here, we see another of the major cloud computing small business benefits for big data. Small businesses could comb through big data and find information on their own. However, the turnaround time is much slower than if an IT provider specializing in big data solutions parsed the information.
Possessing important information isn’t worth much if you don’t have it while the right opportunities are at hand. Not only do businesses need the right data to generate leads. They must translate the data into marketing messages that are sent to the right parties, at the right time, through the right communication channels. Cloud computing for small businesses helps expedite access to important data for marketing opportunities.
4. Access to Various Data Sets
The term “big data” sounds like it applies to data at large and not just a particular kind of data. This is true. Big data literally applies to all types of commonly categorized digital data, including text, images, audio, and video. In addition, if there are missing pieces of data in a chain, an application for culling big data can provide the missing pieces through the process of data fusion.
Businesses exist in a digital marketing world where synergy and synchronization between various types of data is key to success. Depending on the identity of a business’ target audience, mining only a few kinds of information can be like having a puzzle without all the pieces to complete it.
Cloud computing for small businesses that must tap big data can bring data sets together in a cohesive manner, making it easier and faster to employ the information for business strategies.
Need to Analyze Big Data?
Big data can be a treasure trove of information for businesses that have the IT infrastructure to properly analyze and organize the information. But some small businesses lack the digital resources to perform analysis and organization in a timely manner. The services of NIC — an experienced provider of business IT solutions in Los Angeles — can make the difference.
One of our specialties is providing cloud computing for small businesses. Mining big data to capture information that reveals strategic insights is one of our subspecialties, and one of the most valuable cloud computing small business benefits.
Small businesses can quickly get in over their head with all the data they must analyze to move forward in a fluid, profitable manner. We provide the infrastructure to help them capture crucial information in an affordable, timely manner. To receive our web-based service, all you need is an internet connection and proper bandwidth.
Contact NIC Today
To inquire about our cloud computing for small businesses and other services, please call us today at 1 (877) 721-3330, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to providing cloud computing small business benefits!
