How do you begin to prepare your organisation to work with big data? IT leaders are constantly told by the industry press that they need to start using the valuable predictive insights that can be gained from large, multi-structured datasets. The problem is, there usually isn’t any information on how to actually get started.

Let’s change that right now. There’s no doubt that you do need to get going with a big data strategy – a 2011 IDC study claims that the amount of information managed by enterprise data centres will increasing by 50 times. You need to be prepared to handle this data and benefit from it. If you’re not thinking about a big data strategy, you’re competitors probably are: a May 2012 study by CIO Magazine, conducted on behalf of EMC, found that 54% of organisation are already putting together a big data strategy.

How do you put your strategy together? The most important part is to take account of the factors that are specific to your organisation. Which teams might benefit the most from big data insights? A large part of setting a big data strategy in motion is getting key stakeholders within your organisation involved, sharing your successes with the skeptical to build support, and picking your battles carefully. The last thing you want to do is be seen as a threat to other departments, a sort of ‘data police’ for your organisation. That’s a surefire way to make sure that no one else in your organisation will support you. And with major benefits on the line, you can’t afford to lose support. Be prepared for organisational politics and show everyone how a big data strategy can help them all.

That’s just one facet of putting a big data strategy in place, but it’s an aspect that is often overlooked. For more on how to prepare your organisation for a big data strategy, both culturally and operationally, take a look at ‘Big Data is Talking. Are You Listening?’, an interactive white paper from EMC.