Mobile devices creating increasing amounts of big data

Mobile devices have opened doors and created new opportunities in nearly every industry today. Nowadays, one would be hard pressed to find an enterprise, health care organization or educational institution that doesn’t leverage mobile devices is one form or another. And all this mobile device use comes alongside the sea of consumers armed with smartphones, tablets, wearables and laptops that they use for everyday activities.

While this increased use of mobile devices has changed processes in every sector across the globe, these handheld endpoints are also causing shifts in another area: big data.

Ever since organizations realized they could harness their big data for a range of valuable insights and capabilities, big data has become all the rage. Let’s take a look at how mobile devices are helping to further shape the world of big data.

Offering more information than ever
One reason mobile devices have become such a huge part of big data is because they provide more information than nearly any other system out there. Even their fixed-location cousins didn’t offer this level of data and insight.

“The big difference is that desktops are stationary and laptops do not in general have GPS sensors, so there is a location awareness in the data that can be captured and mined from a mobile device,” Andrew Purtell, Intel principal analyst, told the Digital Innovation Gazette. “Location awareness is a gateway into a new way of interacting with services.”

Besides enabling users to check-in and share their locations on social media and other platforms, location awareness also allows retailers to send specifically-tailored coupons and offers to individuals based on their location. Just imagine this scenario: You’re walking through a mall, when you receive a text offer on your smartphone for discounts at a store you happen to be walking by at that exact moment.

“Retailers can publish special offers to potential customers who are physically near their location, injecting suggestions into the stream of consciousness, facilitating impulse shopping in a way previously not possible,” Purtell said.

A growing presence
In addition to offering businesses a wealth of potential information, mobile device users are now utilizing their wireless endpoints more often than ever before. VentureBeat noted that by 2016, more than half of all Web traffic – 61 percent – will come from mobile devices instead of desktops.

While this treasure trove of data provides countless possibilities for businesses, it does not come without its share of challenges.

“It is becoming abundantly clear that data analysts are not capable of handling the influx of stats and figures, while machines fail to make real sense of it all, lacking the ability to create a logical picture,” VentureBeat noted.

For this reason, enterprises need a partner on their side to help them make the most of the vast sums of information they’re working to gather from mobile devices and other valuable sources. iT1 Source offers robust data management services, helping to ensure that businesses have everything they need to leverage their big data in the most effective means possible.

To find out more, please be sure to contact iT1 today.