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July: Best of the Web

Here is a roundup of interesting sites, resources and articles from around the web, curated by IIA. This month’s edition includes great articles on data-driven culture, Morgan Stanley, cloud computing and data visualization. Follow us on Twitter (@iianalytics) and LinkedIn to receive instant updates on IIA content and curated content as it becomes available.

Featured Article from Analytics Leadership Consortium Newsletter

Each month, IIA’s Analytics Leadership Consortium (ALC) publishes a newsletter featuring reviews of timely and relevant 3rd party articles. Here is one of the articles highlighted in a previous newsletter.

How Data & Analytics Can Recover Businesses After the Pandemic

IIA’s article summary:

It’s easy in times of chaos to forget the value of making things simple and even the value of restating some essential bits of knowledge in the field of analytics. For example, the statement “decision-making becomes more challenging during periods of stress” is not new, but it is worthwhile because it highlights that using data to drive more objective decision making is the best way forward in the current environment.

IIA Recommends:

  • The value of resilience in times of crisis is universally understood when it comes to humans, but the same principles apply to your data and it’s likely that the increase in volume, velocity, and variability have shown where you need to increase your focus.

  • The current crisis has put an extra spotlight on the need for speed. Speed of decision making has been a hallmark of leading companies for a while, use the current crisis to bring to light how slow or fast your decision making actually is.

  • Since it’s unlikely that the speed and volume of data will go backwards after the crisis, you should set aside some time to invest in ML/AI efforts that have speed as a key driver of their business value.

Featured Articles

How CEOs Can Lead a Data-Driven Culture (Havard Business Review)

Tom Davenport and Nitin Mittal highlight the importance of CEO leadership in creating a data driven culture.

The Future of Work Now: Morgan Stanley’s Financial Advisors And The Next Best Action System (Forbes)

Tom Davenport and Jeff McMillan, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s Chief Analytics and Data Officer, discuss the use of next best action systems by Morgan Stanley financial advisors.

Understanding Cloud's Significance (Thoughtworks)

This blog form Thoughtworks' Xu Hao provides a brief history about the evolution of Cloud computing and overviews of key Cloud concepts like virtualization, elasticity, DevOps, virtual image management, containers and PaaS.

5 Proven Ways Manufacturers Can Get Started with Analytics (Forbes)

This article provides some basic information on applying analytics to manufacturing and includes 5 specific use cases - manufacturing cycle time, supply inbound quality levels, production yields, order performance and RMA performance.

Automation in Logistics: Big Opportunity, Bigger Uncertainty (McKinsey)

A good overview on how automation and analytics are reshaping supply chain logistics.

The Data-Driven Operating Model (Toward Data Science)

This article outlines 5 key pillars for operationalizing data.

It’s Official: Data Visualization Has Gone Mainstream (Fast Company)

A good overview of the growing importance of visualization and the presentation of data.

Business Intelligence meets Data Engineering with Emerging Technologies (Toward Data Science)

Great article about how to make BI better with new rising technologies and twelve data engineering approaches.

A Fight for the Soul of Machine Learning (VentureBeat)

This opinion piece highlights and explores emerging and contentious machine learning issues including politicization, bias and diversity.

Researchers Propose Frameworks to Measure AI's Social and Environmental Impact (VentureBeat)

VentureBeat summary of new report from the Montreal AI Ethics Institute coauthored by Microsoft, McGill University and Carnegie Mellon University.

COVID19 Resources and Articles

AI Can Battle Coronavirus, but Privacy Shouldn’t be a Casualty (TechCrunch)

Good article from TechCrunch discussing use of technology for contact tracing, symptom tracking, immunity certificates and other applications and potential impact on privacy.

Featured News and Information Sites

TechCrunch

Provides reporting on the business of technology, startups, venture capital funding, and Silicon Valley. Good source of information on analytics, AI and autonomous vehicle developments.

Dataconomy

News and insights on how data science and connected devices are changing data-driven industries

Featured Resources

Google Machine Learning Crash Course

The ML crash course features a series of lessons with video lectures, real-world case studies and hands-on practical exercises. Includes 30+ exercises, 25 lessons and 15 hours of content.

Top 18 Free Training Resources on AI and Machine Learning Skills (PureAI)

This article covers 18 Free Training Resources for AI and Machine Learning Skills, plus 3 great paid resources. Great overview of no-cost resources like books, training courses, datasets and toolkits to help develop AI and ML skills.

Sports Analytics

The 3-Point Boom is Far from Over (The Ringer)

A look at how data and analytics continue to transform NBA's use of the 3-Point Shot.

The Increasing Presence of Data Analytics in Golf (Sports Performance Analysis)

An interesting article on the increasing presence of data analytics in golf including the technology used to collect data and some interesting insights from Sports Performance Analysis.

Wise guys: Data Golf is taking analytics to a whole new level (Golf)

Interesting article on DataGolf and its use of analytics to assist golf betting.

About IIA

IIA is the industry’s leading source of insights and advisory services for companies transitioning to data-driven decision-making and advanced analytics. IIA continuously seeks out insights, information and experts to elevate our client’s and our community’s analytics expertise through two service lines. IIA's Research and Advisory Network (RAN) provides clients with access to the world's largest analytics-focused expert network; a resource designed to accelerate analytics teams' progress against their projects and initiatives. IIA’s Analytics Leadership Consortium is a closed network of analytics executives from diverse industries who meet to share and discuss best practices, as well as discover and develop analytics innovation, all for the purpose of improving the business impact of analytics at their firms.