Big Data on Cloud

The term ‘Big Data’ is a current furor in the world of technology and business. It is one of those spheres where business integrates with technological complexity as results of its own expansion. Big data refers to the exponential growth of data and their availability. Information is a necessity because; they are the basis wherein the future originates. Data can be regarded as imprints of past and present states that eventually determine the future. This aspect is particularly important to business, for it is this information that helps to improvise mechanisms that drive more profit, more cost effectively. Better information fosters better analysis. And, accuracy of analysis leads to effective decision-making, which in turn drives cost reduction, risk reduction and an increased operational efficiency.

Big Data is characterized by a number of features: Volume, Velocity, Variety, Variability and Complexity. The first four V’s was proposed as the very definition of Big Data by Doug Laney, an industry analyst, back in 2001. Data volume is increasing exponentially, while information and records are generated every moment across the globe every moment. Highly efficient technology to handle big data has become a compulsion as data streaming has become difficult to deal with. The next bulk of data is generated before an analysis of a day’s data and in the process, large random data are piled up, which has the potential to create an impact, if used. When data is generated randomly over time in bulk, data that consists of highly diversified formats, cannot be handled effectively. This has become a challenge in the information world.

‘Cloud’ is the host of big data. Cloud computing is emerging as the platform to handle Big Data. Although, it cannot be regarded as a panacea, it has introduced many avenues as well as induced untold possibilities to deal with the issue. In fact, cloud computing and big data had developed to be a unified concept. As almost all of Big Data is stored in the web domain, the growth of cloud sphere itself appears to be an aftereffect of burgeoning information. On the other hand, Cloud domain provides the fundamental engine to work out with Big Data.

Cloud Computing and big data are complementary. The former being a new model of technology and the later an obvious outcome of a developing information society has been reinforcing each other. While conventional technology has come out to be inadequate to handle the problem of Big Data, scalability, efficiency, affordability provided by Could Computing has been remarkable in solving the ingrained problems. It offers a platform that is highly elastic, on demand and can be utilized in pay per used model, and hence quite economical. Since Big Data needs a large storage, Cloud sphere has been providing the extensive platform. Technology such as Hadoop, which is successful to make an impact on the question of Big Data are Cloud based. Could technology is said to have democratized Big Data and converted it to an open source platform. It is noteworthy that Hadoop too is an open source technology. Anybody can work on big data as long as they have the right tools to access it.

Cloud technology simplifies Big Data. This is the prime reason why cloud computing is regarded as the best solution to Big Data. As complexity is a characteristic of Big Data, simplifying this with the help of techniques that are only possible on a cloud mechanism has made it a popular choice as the solution. Technology such as Hadoop simplifies the complexities of Big Data by providing techniques such as “Map Reduce”. This works solely on Cloud interface from where data is collected and worked on.

Big Data is characterized by a set of problems and Cloud Technology provides solutions to the same. Data Volume has been a concern that in fuels Big Data. In contrasts, Cloud Domain provides massive storage. Information collected in this domain can be traced by using several technologies, hence, providing a solution to the problem. Information, in whatever speed they accumulate, has the possibility to get collected in the Cloud domain. Therefore, this sphere provides the leeway to discover of any type of data within its realms itself, provided the right technology is being used. Since Cloud is highly scalable, various methods of computing can be employed to work on data processing. Cloud technology offers a number of techniques such as Data Queries, Statistics, Analysis, Mining and others. These techniques are effective to work with Big Data. Another advantage that Cloud Technology offers is real time computing. It is possible to employ various mechanisms to process large data transaction in real time scenario.

Information hidden under the pile of Big Data can be treasures for business as well as the society. Cloud Computing has provided an effective solution to extract them out of the heap. Big Data on Cloud is growing exponentially in aids of new trends such as Internet of Things. Information about anything is available in the web domain and they can be accessed by anybody. However, the increasing bulk has indicated requirement of better processing technology for more substantial results.

The article is authored by PC Kiran,
Impetus Infotech