“The increasing velocity, volume, variety and complexity of Big Data doesn’t matter if there isn’t any value derived from it,” said Bill Franks at the Master of Science in Analytics seminar series on Thursday. Speaking to a large audience of faculty and students in the Ford Design Center about the hype surrounding big data, the Teradata executive and author continued, “Big Data does not change the fundamental analytic strategies for organizations but new tools and tactics may need to be employed to extract value.”
The talk capped a full day that Franks spent with the Master of Science in Analytics program. He had earlier sat down with the students in the program to discuss careers and professional development within the analytics industry, before having lunch with a small group of students at Northwestern University’s Allen Center.
“Bill Franks is a genuine thought leader in the field of analytics” said Diego Klabjan, Director of the Master of Science in Analytics, “and giving our students and the Northwestern community the opportunity to interact with people like him is a key objective of the program.”
The Master of Science in Analytics seminar series will continue on November 15 when former CIO at Continental Airlines and Northwestern alumna, Janet Wejman, visits. Her talk, entitled, ‘The Impact of Information Systems on corporate Change: The Evolving Role of the Chief Information Officer in the 21st Century’ will be held at 4:00pm in the ITW classroom of the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center.
