In the same week, IBM put out two press releases on cloud analytics. Who would have thought that possible a few years ago? Did the big, rigid, and smart IBM of mainframe, Deep Blue, and Watson fame really migrate to the cloud?

Excel isn't going away, but it is no longer the default front-end UI, nor the only way to communicate data.

Today, through the use of instrumentation, such as RFID technology, companies and individuals can monitor in real-time everything from the status of a bullet train racing across the countryside to hourly energy usage in their homes and even individual appliances.

The benefits of mobilization in the enterprise are well documented - increased revenue, employee retention and happier customers are just a few. However, when mobile strategies fail it costs businesses precious time and a lot of money.

The smartphone has become the center of our digital universe. It's how we engage with family and friends, the way we buy products and the way we stay informed, generating billions of transactions a day, millions of times a second. What has not been as apparent, however, is just how valuable all that data can be to help small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) grow their businesses and attract new customers.

Imagine yourself at the helm of a global winery. You make a bet on promoting a lesser-known Chardonnay in a new market and the locals love it. Good news, right? Not if your plans didn't factor in the risk of selling too much wine in one region.

Why wait until something is broken to fix it? That's what a growing number of companies are asking themselves these days.

One of the many things I've learned from more than 19 years of using analytics to solve challenging business problems is that the word analytics means different things to different people.

My husband and I like to go to our local library and will occasionally borrow movies. But without a way to search beyond general categories in alphabetical lists, it's hard to find something we want to watch.

Ever wonder why so few people visit your website? It might be your fault.

These days, the big box chains aren't the only ones using social media to drive sales.

It's a staggering amount to think about: Health care fraud costs the economy about $250 billion every year, according to the FBI.

It's no secret that government agencies store some of the world's most valuable data. In terms of applying technology to unlock the power of what big data has to offer, government data has the potential to solve some of society's biggest challenges.