We’re surrounded by data whether we like it or not. Companies are collecting data on everything we do from our shopping habits to our work and social lives. This data is used to build profiles of “ideal buyers” for companies, and the true forward-thinking companies are using this data to predict and influence future sales.

But really, how big is the world of big data? And how can you get value from your data if you’re collecting it in a million different places? Here are three facts about big data that show how important data integration software is to the process: Wal-Mart collects 2.5 petabytes of unstructured data from 1 million customers every hour. Without a data integration solution in place, Wal-Mart would have all this data sitting on separate systems. As news of data breaches, hacking attempts, and unethical use of data continue to fill the airwaves, more and more customers are more likely to opt out of any requests asking for more personal information.

Source: attunity.com
Author: Carole Gunst