Big Data is coming. But many organizations are not ready for it. And a surprising number of key decision makers are not at all clear on what Big Data is. (Most of all it is big. According to IBM, 90 percent of all the raw data we have today has been created in the last two years.)
For all the challenges it poses, Big Data could – at least in principle – help make us more secure. As one industry observer notes, "on the security front it can help you protect your organization from advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks and malware by providing visibility into what's happening in your network."
Unfortunately that is not what is happening. Instead, organizations are losing control of Big Data, and getting buried under it. Companies are using haphazard systems – even spreadsheets – simply to keep track of their data.
Amid the keeping-up struggle, along with the rush into the cloud that Big Data encourages, compliance is falling by the wayside. This is a doubly unfortunate failure, because – as with overall security – Big Data has the potential to help ensure compliance. Companies are putting themselves at needless risk of both data breaches and regulatory fines by allowing their data management and compliance procedures fall into such disarray.
