Data refers to all internal and external digital data available on the web.

As a source of valuable market insights, it is essential for managing a business and developing its offerings.

Role and responsibilities of a Big Data Consultant

The big data consultant, also known as a data value consultant, works within organisations to provide consultancy services. These may be organisations that have never taken any action regarding their data, or companies looking to refine their strategy.

The big data consultant begins by collecting and sorting all available data, then moves on to the analysis phase whilst supplementing the company’s data with external open data.

Through in-depth analysis, they select relevant information regarding market trends, customer behaviour, competitors or the company’s value chain. This enables them to make recommendations regarding: business direction; the development of a service, product or offering; the acquisition of new tools (internal and/or external) to improve existing systems and capture new market segments and target audiences; and the optimisation of the company’s operational management.

The data value consultant then organises the implementation of the data project by bringing together all the relevant stakeholders. Once everyone’s requirements and constraints have been identified and the existing IT system taken into account, they deliver their recommendations: objectives, organisation, planning, technical tools, methods, budget, coordination, etc.

Business implications

Whether in manufacturing or the service sector, data is an indispensable source of information for developing offerings, products and activities. For example, it enables companies to design new marketing campaigns, validate the launch of a product or service, and plan the company’s future development.

Banking, insurance, transport, e-commerce, energy, hospitality, healthcare, public sector, medical, chemicals
 A big data consultant’s expertise can be adapted to all sectors of activity. In every organisation, the use of data offers promising avenues for progress.

Ethical implications
Big data and its processing raise ethical and legal questions. The storage and use of data are now regulated. A big data consultant knows how to work within an ethical framework. However, they may need to consult legal experts in artificial intelligence and ethics officers when certain issues are too specialised.
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Key skills

The data value consultant’s core competence is expertise in business intelligence. Their rigour, focus and sharpness are their professional strengths.

They possess solid technical knowledge: systems architecture, networks, CRM, databases (No-SQL) and statistics.

Data-related technologies are their natural habitat: Hadoop, Pig, Hive, Spark, Yarn, Cloudera
 The big data consultant understands the sector in which they operate, the company’s activities, its challenges and its limitations. They quickly get to grips with the subject matter to formulate the best recommendations. They are skilled at chairing meetings and managing projects. They possess excellent interpersonal and organisational skills. Their commitment brings people together. Self-reliant and inquisitive, they work whilst keeping the company’s constraints and opportunities for development firmly in mind. Their approach is always geared towards market growth.

An equally effective communicator both verbally and in writing, they are able to draft regular reports and select appropriate methods. Keeping abreast of technological developments is second nature to them. English is essential for certain roles.

Trends and factors driving change

Data managers work as freelancers, for an IT services company or for a firm specialising in data. After a few years’ experience, they may aim for more ambitious projects or roles within larger organisations. The position of Director of Digital Systems (or IT Systems) is one of the potential career progression paths.

An economic asset, a competitive advantage and a driver of performance, data is becoming increasingly dense and its utilisation is now essential.

Big data consultants provide businesses with in-depth analysis of big data to extract concrete indicators for commercial use. Data is the goldmine of the digital world!