E-Business
Five Ways to Insulate Your Organization from the Pressures of Big Data

In just a few years, big data has evolved from an emerging trend into a full-blown IT phenomenon. Organizations of all sizes are dealing with larger volumes of data, spread across a broader range of types and locations, compounded by the need to process and manage it all faster than before.
While one might argue that the hype surrounding big data is growing faster than data itself, the time has nonetheless come for organizations to develop a proactive strategy to address the challenges caused by exponential growth in data volume, velocity and variety.
Here are five steps businesses can take to get past the hype and insulate themselves from the pressures big data creates.
1 – Convert Data into Information
There’s a big difference between data and information. Data, in a vacuum, is not incredibly value. The value comes from your ability to convert data into information that can be used to drive informed business decisions.
But most organizations are so overwhelmed by their volume of data that they don’t know where to begin the process of converting it into information.
The answer, as my colleague Darin Bartik pointed out in a recent interview, is to start with a business question.
What could your business benefit from knowing that it doesn’t already know? Articulating a simple, business-driven question will help focus your efforts and make the task of converting data into information more manageable and attainable.
2 – Embrace Data Agnostically
We now operate in a world where the proliferation of multiple data types in multiple locations is the norm.
Despite this new reality, too many organizations still try to confine data into a single platform, source or location, and many still make blanket decisions about which data is or isn’t useful based on nothing more than its perceived value.
Instead, organizations should embrace data agnostically and seek solutions that connect to all data types, in all locations. Only by embracing data agnostically can you truly discover the valuable insights hidden within non-traditional data types such as social media.
3 – Put People in Control
In many organizations I’ve talked to, people really aren’t in control. Tools are. In other words, the tools an organization uses have come to define what is and isn’t possible. People make decisions based on what their tools can and cannot track.
Saying “this is what the tool tracks” has become a perfectly justifiable explanation for the outcome of a given analysis. Employees, not tools, should shape your organization.
That’s why it’s time to embrace the concept of self-service data access and visualization. This will put the power back in the hands of your people, empowering them to use their domain expertise to make key decisions.
4 – Augment, Augment, Augment
Too often, organizations become resigned to the solutions they have in place. They know their current system is flawed, but they’d rather continue with the flawed approach than have to pay for and learn an entirely new one.
And for some reason, they’ve come to believe that status quo or rip-and-replace are their only options. Fortunately, that’s not the case.
Many great solutions exist now that are complementary in nature as well as designed to help get more out of the investments you’ve already made and the systems with which you’re already comfortable.
5 – Evenly Deploy Governance
Though generally seen as a function of technology, governance should be a key consideration for both IT and line of business.
Respect for governance should be embraced across all functional areas, and by all users in a given big data initiative. In no uncertain terms, governance is everyone’s responsibility and should be evenly deployed throughout an organization.
They key to making this happen is collaboration. When IT and line-of-business collaborate, you create an organizational culture where priorities are clear, objectives are uniform and most importantly, nothing falls through the cracks.
Want to hear more about big data? Join us at Dell World and attend the session “Big Data is dead: Forget the hype and focus on the value of all data.” Or drop me a line at Joanna.Schloss@software.dell.com.
E-Business
MRA Flags AI Concerns ahead of Press Freedom Day Today

Media Rights Agenda (MRA), has unveiled a visual brief emphasizing the critical need for responsible and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in journalism, particularly within Nigeria’s evolving media environment.
This is coming ahead of World Press Freedom Day today.
The visual brief, developed under this year’s global theme, “Reporting in the Brave New World – The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Press Freedom and the Media,” explores the opportunities and dangers AI poses to media freedom in Nigeria and across the world.
In a statement released in Lagos by John Gbadamosi, its programme officer,MRA noted that AI is quickly changing the way news is produced and consumed, adding that it offers powerful tools that can assist journalists in analysing data, translating stories into local languages, and extend the reach of vital information, especially to underserved areas with limited media infrastructure.
Gbadamosi added that AI can help to ensure that essential news and information are also disseminated to local communities.
However, Gbadamosi warned that the same technology is being weaponised to undermine truth and press freedom, saying: “While AI can be used to advance journalism, it can just as easily be exploited to spread disinformation, create deepfakes, and drown out independent voices with algorithmically generated propaganda.”
According to him, “In Nigeria, journalists face threats that go beyond just physical dangers; such threats now also encompass digital, algorithmic, and systemic harms and challenges, which requires media professionals to ensure that AI enhances, rather than undermines, media freedom and that technology is used to promote the truth, not distort it.”
“The visual brief breaks down key concepts like misinformation, disinformation, mal-information, and information overload, which are increasingly shaping Nigeria’s digital media ecosystem. It also raises concerns about AI-enabled surveillance, political manipulation, and the marginalisation of community-based journalists.”
Gbadamosi stated that the visual brief also advocates support for independent media, transparent AI regulations aligned with Nigeria’s context, increased digital literacy, and stronger accountability from tech companies regarding platform content and influence.
He therefore urged all stakeholders to advocate for responsible AI usage and a free, independent, professional and vibrant media environment in Nigeria, stressing that “when media freedom thrives, democracy lives.”
E-Business
Nigerians to Pay More for IDs as NIMC Raises Service Fees

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has raised the fees for all its products and services, including charges related to data modification on the National Identification Number (NIN) database.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Kayode Adegoke, NIMC’s Head of Corporate Communications, announced that the updated service fees are published on the commission’s official website.
Adegoke noted that the new pricing structure for NIMC’s services and products marks the first comprehensive review of its fees in over a decade.
The statement stated that the revised pricing is designed to align with prevailing operational costs and industry standards, while continuing to ensure that services remain accessible and affordable for all Nigerians.
The statement warned its Front-End Partners (FEPs) to comply with the newly approved rates, stating that any failure to do so could attract strict sanctions, including possible license revocation.
“The new structure ensures that the quality and integrity of our services remain uncompromised. We are committed to protecting the interests of Nigerians through fair and transparent pricing,” the statement read.
NIMC urged the public to report any Front-End Partners (FEPs) found charging beyond the approved rates. Reports can be directed to the Commission’s Inspectorate and Enforcement Unit via email at ieu@nimc.gov.ng
It further reaffirmed its commitment to delivering secure and dependable identity services. A complete list of the revised service fees can be accessed on its official website at www.nimc.gov.ng.
In a related development, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), expressed sincere appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering support in enhancing the National Identity Database (NIDB).
She also extended her gratitude to the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and other key partners for their pivotal roles in advancing a sustainable and effective identity management system.
E-Business
PwC says AI Adoption by African Businesses will Unlock Growth

Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption could boost Africa’s gross domestic product by an additional 4.9 percentage points by 2035, as the African economy is reshaped by the emerging technology.
This is according to PwC’s recently released report: Value in Motion. It is based on data-driven scenario analysis, which reveals that globally, AI has the potential to boost economic output by up to 15 percentage points over the next decade.
The global growth dividend from AI varies according to the region and depends on more than technical success – it also hinges on responsible deployment, clear governance, and public and organisational trust, notes the report.
This would effectively add one percentage point to annual growth rates − on par with the growth increment the world began enjoying with 19th century industrialisation.
In other scenarios analysed by PwC, characterised by lower trust and co-operation, the incremental boost to the economy from AI would be more muted at 8%, or in a pessimistic scenario just 1%.
The research finds that rapid reconfiguration of the economy is already under way. PwC analysis indicates the pressure for African businesses to reinvent themselves is at some of the highest levels seen in the last 25 years across six out of nine sectors in Africa.
The $150.54 billion in revenue in Africa is set to shift between companies in 2025 alone, a trend that begun prior to the recent global increase in tariffs.
PwC’s research suggests that over the next decade, industries will reconfigure to meet human needs in new ways, leading to the formation of new ‘domains’ that cross traditional sector lines.
Dion Shango, PwC Africa CEO, explains: “As the structure of the economy transforms, value will increasingly come from organisations that can connect the dots across traditional industry boundaries. By focusing on evolving customer needs and using technology to dramatically change the way business operates, business leaders can unlock a step change in growth.”
According to Google’s Digital Opportunity of Africa report, AI could contribute up to $30 billion to Sub-Saharan Africa’s economy by 2030. Africa stands to accelerate its growth through AI as more people gain connectivity and harness technology for good, it notes.
“Across the continent, a new generation of innovators are harnessing technology to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges,” says Google.
In terms of AI’s impact on the climate, PwC’s analysis shows that while AI is set to accelerate growth, the costs of physical climate threats will impose economic constraints.
PwC’s economic modelling suggests that physical climate impacts could result in the African economy being over 12%smaller (globally: 7%) by 2035 in all scenarios than it would have been otherwise.
“Increased AI adoption is expected to lead to increased energy use by data centres. However, modest use of AI to drive energy-efficiency could offset this increased use of energy. PwC estimates that the energy use and emissions impact of AI would be neutral if each additional percentage point of AI use led to innovations which cut energy intensity by just 0.1% globally,” says the report.
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