It’s one thing to talk about Big Data as a concept, but what does the whole thing mean to the people in the trenches who work with Big Data every day? To properly understand the changes brought about by the digital revolution, it’s necessary to listen to the stories of those who have seen the new territory firsthand.

To help shed some light on the real world changes Big Data has brought to business, Dave Vellante of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, hosted a panel of experts at BigDataNYC 2015. The panelists included Merv Adrian, VP of Gartner, Inc.; Ben Garrett, director of platform architecture and ops with Cox Automotive, Inc.; and Linda Apsley, VP of revenue and data engineering at Time, Inc.

Taking new developments to the mainstream

Starting the discussion, Adrian spoke about a recent survey regarding Big Data. A large percentage of responses came from C-level decision-makers, people who ordinarily wouldn’t concern themselves with the specific technology of their business. This, he said, illustrated that Big Data was entering the mainstream company consciousness.

Apsley followed this by pointing out how Big Data was transforming her company into a data-driven business. She used analytics to discover what her customers were looking for from the magazines Time, Inc. produced, and also how to deliver that content in a fun, engaging way.

Adrian explained that Apsley’s experience showed the power of Big Data in action. Given the speed of modern analytics, merely predictive data becomes proactive, allowing companies to reach out to the customer during their transactions.

Hitting the ground running

Adding to the point, Garrett mentioned how the speed behind analytic computing changed his business by bringing data to the community much faster than before. This enabled a quicker turnaround in product development.

As to where to start, the panelists were united in a common opinion: Start everywhere. Everyone in the company must be on board to make the most of Big Data. When it comes to data in motion, everyone is involved.

Watch the full panel discussion below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of BigDataNYC 2015.

Photo by SiliconANGLE