Need for big data analysts may call for updated university curricula

With a focus on transforming business through IT, EMC's recent 'EMC Day 2012' in Dubai raised several issues regarding the development in expertise for emerging IT trends. District Manager Said Akar told AMEinfo how, as big data becomes key to business growth and development, further education facilities should begin to accommodate training programmes.

"Within a lot of enterprises we've seen many new divisions and roles created. We also started to see new jobs opening, mainly for data analytics; how can we really benefit from all the information we have and turn it into something positive for the business?"

Akar also explained that the technology giant is encouraging existing IT professionals to transition into the field by designing training programs and certification tracks, and to also cast a vision as to how the future might look.

"We encourage all our enterprise customers to dedicate people specifically to this subject. Within telcos, banking, governments, etc., the focus is usually on strategy. They are witnessing a huge transformation and it's very important to have innovative thinkers who understand how the future will look in two, three or four years, considering the pace of change."

EMC has already established its own 'Academic Program', visiting universities across the UAE, encouraging data science students to hit the ground running and comfortably segue into a big data role. The hardware solutions firm's partnerships don't end there.

"We've also started to see a lot of government involvement, particularly with telcos, when it comes to big data, which is a clear indication the willingness for adoption is there," says Akar. "We can see very good initiatives with the governments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where there are teams [comprised of] strategists, business and IT people in place pushing E-initiatives."

In what Akar referred to as a 'wake-up call' to businesses in the region, he stressed the importance of grasping big data and cloud computing. "This is mandatory," he said. "It's not a matter of choice for businesses who want to thrive."

People have viewed, and maybe some people still do, see IT as one element of a successful business, rather than something that has permeated business.

"In the GCC we're seeing a lot of initiatives that are steps on this journey. We're seeing very good progress in the UAE, followed by Qatar, Oman, Kuwait. In the coming years, we'll see some countries in the region as advanced as any other country in the world."