Why Big Data is a Big Deal for Business Analysts

Big data is changing the way businesses operate on a major scale. Since big data gives companies incredible insights into what consumers want, it allows them to devise strategies to better meet customers’ needs and boosting sales. Business analysts skilled in business data analytics can help companies leverage big data to reach their goals.

To Remain Competitive, Business Analysts Must Understand Big Data

Big data is growing rapidly. “According to IDC, data is growing at a rate of 50% per year,” stated Business Analyst Learnings.¹ “Companies who can capture this data, process it as quickly as possible and make meaning of it will certainly gain unique insights that will ultimately become a source of competitive advantage for them.”

 

For business analysts, understanding big data is critical. Knowledge of data analytics helps business analysts assist companies in capturing data, processing it in a timely manner, and apply it in a manner relevant to the business’s goals. When a BA can help clients with this, they become an indispensable human resource, increasing their competitiveness as a job candidate.

How Big Data is Impacting Today’s Business Analyst

Big data isn’t just changing the way organizations do business; it’s also altering the way business analysts do their job. For example, due to the growth of big data, business analysts are now required to:

• Meet the reporting needs of businesses
• Ensure data is verifiable
• Make sense of data and communicate its meaning to clients
• Filter out irrelevant data to help customers avoid information overload

Many business analysts are already highly skilled in data analytics. BAs who consider themselves experts in data analytics should consider pursing a business data analytics certification to prove their skills to employers and increase their credibility (and employability).

The upside of the rise of big data is that it is opening up new opportunities for business analysts. For example, BAs who can help companies make sense of big data, or explain “the story behind the numbers,” as stated by Big Data & the Business Analyst, will likely experience an increase in compensation.² As Robert Half put it, “The advent of big data promises to breathe new life into the business analyst job description, opening new avenues of responsibilities and corresponding increases in salaries.”³

One of the key reasons businesses prize BAs who can support data analytics initiatives is because they increase the rate at which companies reach their goals. With the right business analyst, an organization can work much faster, stay agile, and maintain a competitive edge. Not just that, but businesses also want clarification about how to harness their data and use it most effectively, and a business analyst with knowledge of data analytics can help.

A Business Data Analytics Certification Proves Your Skills to Employers

As big data grows, so must business analysts’ knowledge of data analytics. A business data analytics certification can confirm your data analytics skills to employers and increasing your professional worth. Earning this certification makes it clear that you are passionate about business data analytics and have the competency to successfully support data analytics initiatives.

Learn more about the IIBA business data analytics certification and exam here.

 

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References:

1, 2. Business Analyst Learnings. Big data & the business analyst.

3. Robert Half. How big data is changing the business analyst job description.