Demystifying the dark science of data analytics

Although few will publicly admit it, data analytics remains something of a dark science for many IT leaders, replete with mystical methods and seemingly inscrutable practices. Yet despite its somewhat enigmatic reputation, analytics has repeatedly demonstrated that it is a proven science, a powerful tool that generally leads to significant improvements in productivity, efficiency, sales, profits and other key business metrics and goals.

Today’s analytics revolution caught many senior IT leaders blindsided, observes Michel Ballings, an assistant professor of business analytics at the University of Tennessee. “Only recently has computing become powerful enough to perform advanced data analytics,” he says. “[Most] senior IT leaders graduated way before the data analytics revolution.”

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