Smart Data: Enterprise Performance Optimization Strategy

ORGANIZATION OF THIS BOOK

Chapter 1 present the big picture and introduce terminology and ideas that describe the relationship of data in the context of government and commercial enterprise. Data are of paramount importance in this chapter and a paradigm introduced is called the Service-Oriented Enterprise (SOE) that integrates topics as a basis from which we segregate and segue to focus on data in context with all the other moving parts. Service-Oriented Enterprise implies that enterprises are about the business of delivering services (including products) that satisfy customers' or constituents' needs. Service-Oriented Enterprise is enabled by smart technologies.

IBM recently launched campaigns called, “Change for Smart's Sake,” and “Smart Planet.” Throughout this book, these themes certainly complements our ideas about smart data, although our intense focus addresses more than the general theme that the world needs to imbed smartness in products and services. Smartness begins with how executives optimize enterprise performance with application of data, methods, and algorithms.

Case studies are used throughout the book to provide evidence and support for our ideas. This manner of presentation is challenging because some of the issues, such as the SOE paradigm, are long and complex. Incorporating cases makes it even more complex, though very rich in content and proof. The boundaries of the case stories are segregated from the main text so that you will not get lost, or if you do ...