Unlocking the Secrets of Trillion Dollar Data Hives Data has become the lifeblood of modern businesses. But what does it really take to build an unstoppable data hive? In this insightful book, readers will go behind the scenes of the world's largest data-driven enterprises like Google, Amazon, and Facebook. They will discover how these companies transformed from startups into trillion-dollar giants by mastering the art of data collection and analytics. Through real-world case studies and interviews with industry leaders, learn: How to evolve your organization into a bustling "data ecosystem' that collaborates to gain valuable insights. • Effective strategies for collecting and storing vast amounts of customer and operational data securely at scale. • Powerful techniques for applying artificial intelligence to amplify human intelligence and supercharge decision-making. • Practical ways to harness data-driven insights across departments to revolutionize products, marketing, and overall business strategy. For any executive seeking to understand the dato-first principles that separate industry disruptors, this book delivers unprecedented access into the trillion-dollar data hives shaping the future of business. Its lessons will help you unlock new frontiers of growth in the digital age.

In this leadership memoir, take a step backstage at Cirque du Soleil. Vice Chairman Daniel Lamarre shares his experiences leading the awe-inspiring organization, and teaches readers what it takes for anyone, regardless of position or industry, to embrace the value of creative leadership. Without creativity, there is no business. At the core of Cirque du Soleil’s lavish, multi-million-dollar productions is Vice Chairman Daniel Lamarre, who has mastered the ability to bring business and creativity together across multiple languages and cultures in a way that has never been seen before. The secrets he shares in Balancing Acts are rooted in tremendous faith in your own creative skills, even if you are convinced you have none, and those of the sharpest minds within your organization. In this book, Daniel shares the untold stories behind Cirques biggest shows, including Beatles Love, Michael Jackson One, the aquatic marvel, O, and many more. Through these tales of triumph and trials, he will teach you: How to shatter the perceived limitations standing in the way of your ability to think creatively and innovatively; When to step up and when to step back so that your team can create a masterpiece that doesn’t break the bank; How in using the methods Daniel has uncovered, modern companies with entrenched bureaucracies can bring creativity and business together to foster innovation; and How to use creative thinking to lead your organization to new heights. Whether you work for one of the most creative organizations on the planet like Cirque du Soleil, in a stuffy corporate job, or somewhere in between—Balancing Acts is filled with principles that can strengthen and accelerate any business on the planet.

In the investigation Exploring the Boundaries of Big Data The Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) offers building blocks for developing a regulatory approach to Big Data.

“An incisive history of the venture-capital industry.” —New Yorker “An excellent and original economic history of venture capital.” —Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution “A detailed, fact-filled account of America’s most celebrated moneymen.” —New Republic “Extremely interesting, readable, and informative...Tom Nicholas tells you most everything you ever wanted to know about the history of venture capital, from the financing of the whaling industry to the present multibillion-dollar venture funds.” —Arthur Rock “In principle, venture capital is where the ordinarily conservative, cynical domain of big money touches dreamy, long-shot enterprise. In practice, it has become the distinguishing big-business engine of our time...[A] first-rate history.” —New Yorker VC tells the riveting story of how the venture capital industry arose from America’s longstanding identification with entrepreneurship and risk-taking. Whether the venture is a whaling voyage setting sail from New Bedford or the latest Silicon Valley startup, VC is a state of mind as much as a way of doing business, exemplified by an appetite for seeking extreme financial rewards, a tolerance for failure and experimentation, and a faith in the promise of innovation to generate new wealth. Tom Nicholas’s authoritative history takes us on a roller coaster of entrepreneurial successes and setbacks. It describes how iconic firms like Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia invested in Genentech and Apple even as it tells the larger story of VC’s birth and evolution, revealing along the way why venture capital is such a quintessentially American institution—one that has proven difficult to recreate elsewhere.

Transforming data into revenue generating strategies and actions Organizations are swamped with data—collected from web traffic, point of sale systems, enterprise resource planning systems, and more, but what to do with it? Monetizing your Data provides a framework and path for business managers to convert ever-increasing volumes of data into revenue generating actions through three disciplines: decision architecture, data science, and guided analytics. There are large gaps between understanding a business problem and knowing which data is relevant to the problem and how to leverage that data to drive significant financial performance. Using a proven methodology developed in the field through delivering meaningful solutions to Fortune 500 companies, this book gives you the analytical tools, methods, and techniques to transform data you already have into information into insights that drive winning decisions. Beginning with an explanation of the analytical cycle, this book guides you through the process of developing value generating strategies that can translate into big returns. The companion website, www.monetizingyourdata.com, provides templates, checklists, and examples to help you apply the methodology in your environment, and the expert author team provides authoritative guidance every step of the way. This book shows you how to use your data to: Monetize your data to drive revenue and cut costs Connect your data to decisions that drive action and deliver value Develop analytic tools to guide managers up and down the ladder to better decisions Turning data into action is key; data can be a valuable competitive advantage, but only if you understand how to organize it, structure it, and uncover the actionable information hidden within it through decision architecture and guided analytics. From multinational corporations to single-owner small businesses, companies of every size and structure stand to benefit from these tools, methods, and techniques; Monetizing your Data walks you through the translation and transformation to help you leverage your data into value creating strategies.

Develop, expand, and share your gifts as a leader to inspire others to use their own individual talents in extraordinary ways—from one of the country’s most sought-after motivational speakers with a 30+ year career in franchise development. In Unleashing Your Hero, renowned speaker Kevin Brown shares how the heroes who transformed his life are people just like you. People who stepped up and used their talents to make a positive difference within the hectic moments of everyday life. The same person your employees are looking to and trusting in for guidance and support. Through his real-life examples and stories, Kevin will: Provide you with a new definition of what it means to be a hero who inspires others to rise above and beyond in extraordinary ways. Unpack the four characteristics of a hero, based on the entertaining and enlightening true stories of heroes who entered and forever enriched his life. Help you recognize the extraordinary gifts within you and learn how to share those gifts to make life better for yourself and those you influence. The unconventional yet probable path to business and personal success outlined in Unleashing Your Hero will help you and those you lead build extraordinary, fulfilling, impactful lives—at a time when your employees and your organization need the hero within you more than ever.

By implementing a comprehensive data analytics program, utility companies can meet the continually evolving challenges of modern grids that are operationally efficient, while reconciling the demands of greenhouse gas legislation and establishing a meaningful return on investment from smart grid deployments. Readable and accessible, Big Data Analytics Strategies for the Smart Grid addresses the needs of applying big data technologies and approaches, including Big Data cybersecurity, to the critical infrastructure that makes up the electrical utility grid. It supplies industry stakeholders with an in-depth understanding of the engineering, business, and customer domains within the power delivery market. The book explores the unique needs of electrical utility grids, including operational technology, IT, storage, processing, and how to transform grid assets for the benefit of both the utility business and energy consumers. It not only provides specific examples that illustrate how analytics work and how they are best applied, but also describes how to avoid potential problems and pitfalls. Discussing security and data privacy, it explores the role of the utility in protecting their customers’ right to privacy while still engaging in forward-looking business practices. The book includes discussions of: SAS for asset management tools The AutoGrid approach to commercial analytics Space-Time Insight’s work at the California ISO (CAISO) This book is an ideal resource for mid- to upper-level utility executives who need to understand the business value of smart grid data analytics. It explains critical concepts in a manner that will better position executives to make the right decisions about building their analytics programs. At the same time, the book provides sufficient technical depth that it is useful for data analytics professionals who need to better understand the nuances of the engineering and business challenges unique to the utilities industry.