Does your organization's infrastructure support Big Data?

In my last post, I argued that many organizations suffered from antiquated tech infrastructures that enhanced startups' inherent advantage. The results are often disastrous: The recent Yahoo! deal proves that no company—no matter how iconic—is guaranteed a permanent seat at the table.

I'll be the first to admit that organizations cannot significantly alter their tech infrastructures overnight, much less willy-nilly. Contrast this with the widespread software development orthodoxy. Agile methods and lean principles allow proper developers and DevOps folks to add features in an iterative way. If something breaks, then they fix it. It's hard to think of complex "back ends" in a similar manner.