We all know data and analytics are important. Once something used only by a handful of large, data-intensive organizations, it has now evolved to be a factor critical to success in every organization today.

• But are you on top of your game when it comes to how data and analytics really work?
• Do you know the key challenges and solutions from the point of data creation all the way through to business insight and impact?
• And do you know best ways to accelerate a successful data and analytics strategy?

If you are seeking additional information to become smarter about data and analytics, I recommend a couple of different resources.

First, the new e-book,Big Data and Analytics for Dummiesoffers an overview of what's needed to get started in data and analytics. It provides common use cases, explains key steps within the end-to-end data management process, and clarifies technology options so you can determine the optimal infrastructure needed to deliver the capacity, performance, and scalability you require. My main contribution is chapter three where I highlight steps you need to take to collect and prepare your data for analytics. This, of course is only one piece of a large puzzle.

Other Helpful Resources:

• To learn more about how stream processing is executed using specialized, real-time techniques, check out Cisco Connected Streaming Analytics.
• Cisco ParStream is a fast