Can you provide the highlights of your background?

I am a frequent speaker at events and engage with hundreds of business executives about their overall data management strategies. In the high-velocity world of IT and data management, I remain focused on helping businesses harness the power of data and use it to fuel the economic engine of growing companies, communities, and people.

I believe IT can be transformed from a cost center into a revenue generator with the right data management, analytics, and execution. I bring more than 20 years of experience in the industry building and managing communications and operational teams in data and technology industries in both private and publicly traded organizations. Notably, I have twice helped companies earn a top 500 designation in the Inc. 5000 annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

What is the mission of Aunalytics and what unique products/services are provided by the company?

Digital Transformation is top-of-mind for organizations across various industries. But that doesn’t mean simply converting systems into digital formats — it is an organization-wide shift to enable the full utilization of data. Aunalytics turns company data into answers with a secure, reliable, and scalable data platform deployed and managed—as a service.

The Aunalytics® cloud-native data platform is built for universal data access, advanced analytics, and AI while unifying disparate data silos into a single golden record of accurate, actionable business information. Its Daybreak industry intelligent data mart combined with the power of the Aunalytics data platform provides industry-specific data models with built-in queries and AI to ensure access to timely, accurate data and answers to critical business and IT questions. Through its side-by-side digital transformation model, Aunalytics provides on-demand scalable access to technology, data science, and AI experts to seamlessly transform customers’ businesses.

Rich Carlton, President and Chief Revenue Officer of Aunalytics

Can you provide a walkthrough of the company’s offering and its benefit to customers?

Aunalytics provides a portfolio of services and software that includes the Aunalytics® Cloud Storage and Compute solution — providing a highly redundant and scalable platform for hosting servers, data, and applications at any performance level. Managed services enabled include enterprise security, cloud storage and compute, backup/disaster recovery, IT support, and analytics services.

The Daybreak Analytic Database provides daily insights powered by a robust data platform, industry intelligence, and smart features that enable analytics solutions across client organizations
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With this powerful solution, libraries of data are cleansed and enriched by third-party sources and insights gleaned by Daybreak’s AI and machine learning. The intelligent relational data marts organize data by customer, patient, product, service, facilities, account, marketing campaign, and more.

Daybreak is enabled by the Aunsight Data Platform, which provides cloud-native advanced analytics, computing, and data warehouse storage infrastructure and software. The data accuracy feature provides automated data management including data profiling, auto-mapping, ingestion, integration, ELT/ETL, cleansing, Golden Record and governance. The platform includes Smart Features, which are high-value data fields created by the organization’s data scientists to answer industry and functional questions. The service also includes access to a team of expert data engineers, ingestion engineers, business analysts, client success team, and data scientists for expert guidance.

Having a corporate analytics solution does not guarantee accurate insights. How does the company go beyond competitive options to improve business intelligence?

Aunalytics provides cloud-native advanced analytics, computing, and data warehouse storage infrastructure and software. The data accuracy feature provides automated data management including data profiling, auto-mapping, ingestion, integration, ELT/ETL, cleansing, Golden Record, and governance. The company orchestrates libraries of customer data that is cleansed and enriched by third-party sources and insights gleaned by Daybreak’s AI and machine learning. Our intelligent relational data marts organize data by customer, patient, product, service, facilities, account, marketing campaign, and more.

The post Delivering Insights-as-a-Service for Enterprise appeared first on Tech Trends.

Big Data becomes the future of sport and entertainment as IoT takes us closer to the action.

Firstly, congratulations to Welshman Geraint Thomas! 2018 winner of the worlds most famous cycle race, the Tour de France. Only the third British rider to win and the first Welshman, Da Iawn!

This year’s Tour de France has been a bit of a revelation to me. I love watching boring sport on TV, a long weekend of Cycling, Snooker or Golf are pretty much my idea of heaven. Yawn, I hear you say but I love the tedium and the laconic, quietly humorous but aged commentators and I love the fact it takes patience, knowledge and insight to enjoy the intricacies and strategies behind long-form competition.

However, I am of a certain age and the 21st century sees a different kind of audience that demands more information at a faster rate and on new platforms beyond broadcast TV. Innovators in their field, Dimension Data invited Tech Trends to the 13th stage of the Tour this year to see how they are changing the way the Tour is covered and how their groundbreaking data gathering and digital storytelling is engaging a new audience for this 115-year-old race.

The 21st century sees a different kind of audience that demands more information at a faster rate and on new platforms beyond broadcast TV
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There’s a limit to how many TV cameras can follow 176 riders as they fly through the French countryside at an average speed around 25mph. TV is not great at picking out your favorite rider or team for more than a few fleeting seconds per stage while the commentary jumps around, desperately trying to highlight moments of interest in the constantly shifting patterns and tactics of the many race teams. It wasn’t until after the day’s racing that some of the facts and figures came out and could be studied and discussed and any real insight into the sport enjoyed. Well no more. The owners of the Tour, A.S.O. saw the need to revitalise and modernise the race and after partnering with Dimension Data in 2015 have not looked back.

The owners of the Tour, A.S.O. saw the need to revitalise and modernise the race and after partnering with Dimension Data in 2015
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Thanks to a small GPS transmitter under the saddle of every Tour competitor, getting involved in the race in real time, following individual riders and understanding the larger race as a whole, as it unfolds is now a reality – and boy has it made a difference! Pulling the Tour de France into the 21st century has been down to the incredible work of a dedicated team at Dimension Data who designed and manage the data gathering infrastructure and use machine learning and predictive analysis to share the intricacies and unique stories of the Tour with fans around the world.

CTO of Dimension Data Australia, Debra Bordignon explained the evolution of the partnership. Now in the forth year of the partnership, Dimension Data plays a major role in the technology behind the Tour de France experience. To put this into context, the first year of the relationship saw Dimension Data handle data analytics for the race. By the second year, it also took control of the sensors on each bike. This allowed each bike to seamlessly transmit data via the cloud to the race nerve centre – Dimension Data’s big data truck. From there it went live to an ecosystem of broadcasters and sports commentators as well as to a dedicated team of data experts responsible for producing data visualisations for the Tour’s social media channels. Last year Dimension Data brought some new technologies into the mix in the form of predictive analytics and machine learning which we used to predict likely stage results, adding deeper insight and colour to the race commentary with the ultimate goal of increasing the engagement of cycling fans.

A small GPS transmitter under the saddle of every Tour competitor lets spectators get involved in the race in real time, following individual riders and understanding the race as it unfolds
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In a nutshell the rider’s under saddle sensor gathers GPS data, transmits it via the existing broadcast TV network to a nearby helicopter which then passes it onto the Data Truck that is the beating heart of the system and from where Dimension Data communicate with their global teams, work their data magic and share the details and stories of the race with the fans via on-screen TV graphics, online platforms and most importantly, social media.

Photo Nicolas Dormont 2018

From the Big Data Truck, Dimension Data communicate with their global teams and share the details and stories of the race via on-screen TV graphics, online platforms and most importantly - social media
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Photo Nicolas Dormont 2018

Third party data, including 3D terrain maps and weather information, is mixed in to add context and better inform the fans about what is happening and what might happen in the near future. Predictive analysis has really taken off in 2018 as fans want to see what is happening right now and how it might affect the overall race.

We take historical data, such as past performances of individual riders and previous race outcomes, and combine that with live analysis of race stages. This allowes us to make predictions of race scenarios, such as whether the peloton is likely to catch the breakaway or not, Explained Data Scientist Rob Webster.

Third party data, including 3D terrain maps and weather information, is mixed in to add context and better inform the fans about what is happening and what might happen in the near future
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In 2017 the system proved to be more accurate than even Dimension Data’s experts anticipated. Over the 21 stages of the race, it knotched up over 70% accuracy for predicting the Top 5 riders
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In 2017 the system proved to be more accurate than even Dimension Data’s experts anticipated. Over the 21 stages of the race, it knotched up over 70% accuracy for predicting the Top 5 riders. However, the objective was not to create a perfect model for race predictions for a live sporting event (with crashes, injuries and good old mother Nature to contend with) that would be impossible and detract from the exciting and dynamic nature of the race. Concluded Bordignon

The speed at which they are able to transmit, analyse the data, interpret it and share the stories the data tell is a matter of seconds which is vital to fan engagement. These days, a younger audience expects the information they want in their hands now and Dimension Data has helped the A.S.O. engage a new generation of fans aged between 18 and 35 which now makes up 73% of the Tour de France’s 6.5 million-strong social media audience. Data is opening up the sport to a new demographic that will hopefully follow and support the race well into the future. This shift from TV dependent audiences to younger, digital-savvy fans is clear in the figures.

Traditional Broadcast TV

• Viewers per stage: 12M+

Digital Channels

• Online Video Views: 71M
• Unique Website Visits: 12.6M
• Online Race Centre Visits: 9.1M
• Social Followers: 6.5M
• App Downloads: 1.4M

During this year’s Tour, we’ll be crunching over 150 million data points, meaning fans will have access to an incredible amount of information about their favourite riders, teams, and stages. If the breakaway group during Stage 5 of the Tour is set to outpace the peloton, we’ll know about it, and so will Tour de France supporters across digital and broadcast, as data visuals flow seamlessly between all channels and platforms. Explained Peter Gray, Senior Director of the Sports Practice & Technology at Dimension Data

During this year’s Tour, we’ll be crunching over 150 million data points, meaning fans will have access to an incredible amount of information about their favourite riders, teams, and stages
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The success of the A.S.O.’s partnership with Dimension Data and the new ground they have broken in sporting data gathering has seen the launch of Team Dimension Data which now includes the UK’s most exciting rider, Mark Cavendish and with the advanced data solutions at their disposal guiding their training and strategy I wouldn’t bet against them doing very well in the next few years.

Photo Nicolas Dormont 2018

For sporting companies, sponsors and entertainment providers around the world, there is a lot to learn from the advances seen in the Tour over the last few years. Customers and fans want to consume content on their own terms, in their own time, and on their platform of choice. The days of drip-feeding your audience tantalising snippets of information in an attempt to keep them engaged for longer are long gone.

A lot of successful businesses know the importance of making their customers’ experience as easy and enjoyable as possible but companies will be left behind if they don’t understand and cleverly utilise their own datasets to better drive, predict and augment consumer engagement. Tech Trends can see the day when sport and entertainment are dominated by data and the video feed comes second to the advanced, visual delivery of information and story-rich real-time data.

Tech Trends can see the day where sport and entertainment are dominated by data and the video feed comes second to the advanced, visual delivery of information and story-rich real-time data
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For companies looking to leverage Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR Tech Trends offers a comprehensive range of Virtual Reality Consultancy Services.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Transforming Sports and Entertainment with Data appeared first on Tech Trends.

Teradata’s Art of Analytics project is helping people make an emotional connection with the datasets that rule their world.

In her day-to-day work, Yasmeen Ahmad tackles immensely complex datasets, deploying an arsenal of approaches and methodologies that would sound intimidating to most lay people.

Not many people are able to make sense from complex datasets
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From predictive modelling to text analytics, time series analysis to development of attribution strategies, few people can easily wrap their heads around what such terms mean, and even fewer are capable of drawing actionable insights from them – which is why data scientists such as herself are always in such high demand.

Ahmad worked in the life sciences industry before pivoting to commercial work, where she is now Director of Think Big Analytics, the consulting branch of IT service management company Teradata.

Visualisation is a core component of any data science and analytical project
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The best way help people see the meaning of datasets is to paint them a picture
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Over many years helping clients across a variety of industries to make sense of their data, however, she realised that the best way help them see meaning in those datasets was to literally paint them a picture.

“Visualisation is a core component of any data science and analytical project,” she explains. “It is almost always used at the beginning to understand the datasets you are working with, and can help to quickly identify anomalies, outliers and strong correlations in the data.”

As far as data is concerned, she says, a picture really is worth a thousand words, as visualisation helps to add meaning on top of data that is much easier to assimilate for humans than descriptive words or single numbers and values alone.

Visualisation helps to add meaning on top of data that is much easier to assimilate
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The visualisations supported storytelling around a project
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Her team would therefore routinely include such visuals when they presented their key results to clients, and found that even people who might not be well versed in data science or technology could still connect with them. The visualisations supported storytelling around a project, engaging business stakeholders to understand connections, relationships and associations in the data.

“As more investment goes into data platforms and analytical technologies, the artwork helps to provide a face to this investment. We had business leaders commenting on how beautiful the visualisations were. Colour, shape and layout were all dimensions that were used to convey meaning. The choice of how a visualisation was formed is actually a creative process – like creating a piece of art.”

From there, she explains, it was a short leap to the idea behind the Art of Analytics project, which brings together a range of those visualisation pieces from their previous projects.

Art of Analytics brings together a range of visualisation from previous projects.
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Ahmad believes one of the main strengths of the project is its ability to bring data to life for lay audiences, creating a connection between data insights and observers and bridging the technical gap.

“The visualisations push the human to look beyond individual numbers and values, to thinking about data as a series of connections to be explored. They make it particularly easy to see associations, connections, pathways etc. The art is providing form to the complex fields of big data and data science – making them accessible to a wider audience.

Visualisations push the human to think about data as a series of connections to be explored
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Yet the usefulness of data visualisation is not limited to non-technical people. According to Ahmad, it is also a key component of a data scientist’s toolkit:

“During my life sciences research – I was working in a field where everything was abstracted. The data I analysed often came from human cell samples that could only be seen under microscopes. Hence, collecting data about these samples, analysing it to create insight and then relating the insight back to reality was somewhat difficult. Visualisation was key to help portray not only the insights, but also how they linked to human cells and biology in general.”

Art of Analytics was also an opportunity for Ahmad to bring together those creative and scientific sides. Data science, she says, is actually a highly creative discipline that combines technical know-how with lateral thinking and the ability to tease out stories from complex datasets.

Art and science need to come together to solve the world’s most complex problems
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Data science is actually a highly creative discipline
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“I believe that art and science need to come together to help to solve the world’s most complex problems, and the best data scientists are not only great at statistics, maths and analytical subjects, but are also creative problem solvers who can translate their work into meaningful messaging that connects with their business and commercial audiences.”

This is an on-going project, and there are plans to create new data representations as they work with new datasets they haven’t encountered before.

The emotional connection that people establish with the work highlights the power of data
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Ahmad is also keen to explore how other media such as animation, video and perhaps even VR could help add other dimensions to that work. By creating a video, she says, it would be possible to create another level of emotional connection with audiences, by representing how those relationships have evolved over time.

“We have had senior executives request copies of the Art of Analytics to hang in their office. The emotional connection that people can establish with the work highlights the power of data.”

This article was originally published on The Next Web

Art exhibit shows off the beauty of data https://t.co/Mq8uOvFCGH

— TNW Contributors (@TNWcontributors) November 20, 2017

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Big Data is Beautiful appeared first on Tech Trends.