Guest post written by Astrid Sutton

In this digital era, technology is constantly evolving. Workplaces have gone from pen-and-paper case management processes to advanced computer-based systems. Today, the market for case management software continues to grow. Findings by Reportlinker show that it’s expected to grow to $7.6 billion by the end of 2025. And recent technological innovations have only enhanced it further. In particular, big data systems are expanding the ways case management software can expedite tasks and processes.

How Does Big Data Assist in Case Management?

As the name implies, big data refers to huge amounts of data — not just gigabytes and terabytes, but petabytes (1,024 terabytes) or even exabytes (1,024 petabytes). With advanced data collection and management systems, organizations can gather vast quantities of data and synthesize them into valuable insights. These insights can then be used to make better decisions for every stage of the case management process.

For instance, case management in the healthcare sector involves the collaborative process of assessing patients, planning and implementing treatments, then facilitating them afterward. Because healthcare is taking on a more patient-centered approach, it will require more data to inform its decisions. Big data systems, then, can assist in the case management of individual patients by storing and analyzing their unique medical background, their needs, and their preferences. Generalizing the gathered data into reports will grant medical professionals valuable knowledge on how to provide the best type of care to patients.

However, with a growing reliance on valuable data comes the need to secure it. The rapid promulgation of cybersecurity systems comes as no surprise. With about 4.1 million data records compromised in the first six months of 2019, organizations across the country scrambled to put up more robust data protection measures. Luckily, big data has a part to play in cybersecurity too.

How Does Big Data Assist in Data Security?

Security big data analytics is a tool that organizations can use to gather and analyze data about internal systems. It makes use of artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning and deep learning capabilities, to process the data and pinpoint patterns that could indicate a cyber threat. Because it’s able to pick up on patterns, it can guard against a myriad of cyber threats, such as data theft, ransomware, and attacks on the server. Security big data analytics also has a greater capacity compared to traditional cybersecurity software, making it a robust data security option.

The need for heightened security measures is also changing the way data analytics is being taught. This is why those who have a degree in data analytics will not only be trained in areas such as forecasting and predictive modeling, but also key data principles when it comes to security. Today data security is just as important as data collection, which is why security is a key part of any education and learning related to big data.

Data is the life blood of business. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the analytics technology and solutions market have a compound annual growth rate of 13.2% through 2022. And with more industries investing in big data solutions, the job outlook for data professionals is ideal. Among these industries are that of banking, manufacturing, and the governmental sector — all of which make use of meticulous case management processes.

Case management on its own already provides multiple benefits, from improved manageability to better insights. But paired with big data, this process is set to expand its reach, and produce even more data-driven insights.

Guest post written by Astrid Sutton