Fast Data > Big Data

What is the next step after Big Data? Creating a fast lane for generation and utilization of insights from business data, increasing customer relevance and reducing irrelevant noise. Some call it Fast Data. What are the ingredients?

• Ability to source data near-real-time from transactional/OLTP systems either by tailing logs or consuming events 
• Augmenting traditional ETL data pipes with stream processing 
• Enabling greater model development agility and optimization via machine learning 
• Ability to feed resulting insights (e.g. segmentation changes) back to OLTP systems supporting customer interactions

Rationality of Rules vs. Rationality of Ends

"The problem of bureaucracy is that it values the rationality of rules over the rationality of ends."

– Matthew Taylor (with echoes of Max Weber) 

This can serve as a nice litmus test for when technology governance is in danger of devolving into a bureaucracy. This is why it’s so important to focus on tangible value in areas such as governance and technology architecture.