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SKA and big data

South Africa’s victory in being chosen to host the bulk of the world’s most powerful radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), holds major ramifications for the information technology sector. The SKA will allow scientists to study how galaxies have evolved as they peer back in time using 3000 antennas, concentrated in the Northern Cape with others in Namibia, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique and Zambia.

The project is also highlighting the need to develop big data skills locally. Big data is the term coined to describe huge volumes of information, measured in terabytes, petabytes and yottabytes, in structured or unstructured forms. Big data is not only an issue for stargazers, but for any large corporation facing an ever-increasing data deluge. All that information must be stored, processed and interrogated using analytics and business intelligence tools to gain greater insight into business processes.

To help companies achieve that, big data has been added to the agenda of IP Expo, a technology event launched in Johannesburg last year. The inaugural show focused on IP infrastructure, virtualisation and cloud computing. Now big data is joining that line-up as event organisers Montgomery Africa ensure that IP Expo covers the hottest technology issues facing businesses today.

Visitors to IP Expo will be able to explore the problems and solutions at workshops and seminars, while exhibitors will demonstrate the latest technologies to help companies not only cope with the data, but use it to improve their operations and gain a competitive edge.

Big data is a challenge for IT departments because making sense of massive volumes of information requires key skills such as analytics, which are already expensive and in short supply. Organisations will either have to employ those skills at a very significant cost, or outsource their big data processes to keep costs down and gain access to the right technology skills.

IP Expo manager Michelle Meldau believes outsourcing will prove very popular, as it will overcome the skills shortages and allow companies to rely on specialist providers with a deep understanding of their software solutions. Outsourcing will also help companies stay ahead by having access to the latest technologies, as well as saving them the headache of maintaining the tools themselves.

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