Get your data questions answered by a leading expert. Executives who rely on data analytics face a squeeze from two directions. On one hand, analytics continues to be ever more important in making business decisions – if you're not getting the most from your analytics solution, you're likely falling behind. Yet on the other hand, data analytics continually grows more complex, as advances in software and methodology enables greater insight, but also greater operational challenge. To shed light on the rapidly growing data analytics sector, I'll speak with two leading experts: Andi Mann, Chief Technology Advocate at Splunk, and Bill Schmarzo, CTO, IoT and Analytics, Hitachi Vantara.

According to a recent Smart Building report from Aberdeen Group, modern Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS) – driven by IoT, analytics, and cognitive computing – are central to the rise of the smart building. Buildings and workplaces are massive generators (and consumers) of data. The capture and analysis of data enable organizations to gain deeper insights into operational effectiveness, accelerate their ability to react to change, and increase returns from real estate-related decisions. As cognitive computing services continue to gain momentum, many organizations are starting to explore different ways artificial intelligence can help to optimize occupancy experiences. Data captured by buildings can be augmented by cognitive capabilities for use in IWMS such as IBM TRIRIGA – to help make decisions, alert management on issues, in addition to providing buildings with virtual concierge services.

When it comes to digital transformation, businesses that are ahead of the curve are bullish about a particular set of technologies, according to a report from SAP and Oxford Economics based on a survey of more than 3,000 senior executives. First, these digital transformation leaders are a rarified breed, according to the SAP Digital Transformation Executive Study. Only 3 percent of respondents have completed digital transformation projects spanning their organizations. More than half (55 percent) are piloting programs, while 22 percent are in the planning stages. In total, only 100 out of the 3,000 enterprises polled for the study qualified as leaders.