Evaluate

Evaluate

Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.

• R language finds its way into commercial analytics applications

  The scripting language was once relegated to academic stats labs but is now branching out into business analytics uses. Limitations remain, though. Continue Reading

• Changes on the horizon for big data analytics tools

  The market for big data analytics tools remains fragmented, but users are expecting consolidation in the near future. Continue Reading

• Social media analysis: Valuable tool or overhyped technology?

  Companies need to ask some basic questions to determine whether they'll gain business value from social media analytics, says expert Mark Whitehorn. Continue Reading

• Market trends tell the future of predictive analytics deployments

  Predictive analytics employs statistical or machine-learning models to discover patterns and relationships in data, thereby enabling the prediction of future behavior or activity. Long used by credit card companies, predictive analytics -- and now ... Continue Reading

• R language well-suited to analytical data sampling and manipulations

  Analytics expert Mark Whitehorn explains the strengths of R and how to determine if the open source programming language fits your analytics purposes. Continue Reading

• Ensure that big data initiatives are on the right path, right away

  Analyzing pools of big data can help organizations uncover valuable information about customers and other business insights -- but it can also turn into a wild-goose chase if the process isn't well managed. This three-part guide will benefit ...Continue Reading

• Laws leave gray area between big data and privacy

  Laws on data collection and use remain foggy, leaving businesses to feel their way through big data and privacy laws.Continue Reading

• Data collection practices spark debate on big data ethics, privacy

  The increasing emphasis on collecting and analyzing big data is driving a debate on whether tighter privacy rules are needed to protect customers.Continue Reading

• Software budget spending getting boost in 2014

  Software budget spending is increasing more than in other areas such as hardware and cloud, according to TechTarget's 2014 IT Priorities Survey.Continue Reading

• BI and analytics tools top list of planned 2014 software initiatives

  TechTarget's IT Priorities Survey shows that business intelligence, analytics and data warehousing projects are the top software priority this year.Continue Reading

• Self-serve analytics systems allow business users to wear analyst hat

  Data visualization and self-service analytics systems are allowing businesses to cut out the data scientist and put analysis on business users.Continue Reading

• New BI reporting, data analytics tools give users a business edge

  More affordable and easier-to-use software is enabling companies in various industries to embrace the power of business intelligence and analytics.Continue Reading

• Cognitive computing for all? Think about it

  Machines like IBM's Watson are becoming as smart as we are. And soon the technology may become elementary to many more than just Big Blue.Continue Reading

• Selecting the right SQL-on-Hadoop engine to access big data

  Rick van der Lans explains why it's important to evaluate the differences in the technologies that make it possible to access Hadoop data using SQL.Continue Reading

• Enterprises take a long view on big data programs and purchases

  Health system UPMC and financial services firm CIBC are taking big data projects from pilot mode to production in stages, buying tools as they go.Continue Reading