Data - the new oil of the economy
COLUMN Dr. Christian Huldi*, owner of DataCrea AG, explains in his column why the intelligent use of data is not only relevant for large companies, but also for SMEs.The realization is becoming more and more widespread: Data is the new oil of the economy! Mostly, the term "Big Data" is mentioned in the same breath. No discipline, no corporate function that has not already been mentioned for exciting new insights and applications thanks to the targeted evaluation and conversion of data into knowledge. Especially in marketing and communication, the enthusiasm is overflowing. Ever more immense data inventories of the most diverse formats bring new knowledge - the transparent customer seems to have long since become reality. In Switzerland, too, we have recently been reading more and more about initial experiences. These are mostly (still) limited to large companies from a few (mainly B2C) industries.But what is the situation like in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? Experience and discussions show that here, too, there is a great need for more transparency and decision-making certainty. What is often lacking, however, is the willingness to consistently address the issue - either out of fear of large (IT) investments or out of a lack of insight ("This is only a topic for large companies!"). Often, however, the conditions would be simpler in SMEs and more could be achieved much more quickly with a pragmatic approach than in large companies with their complex IT structures and not always simple decision-making processes.In the near future, SMEs in particular should therefore increasingly address the issue of making better use of the "new oil of the economy". They should deal with the topic of (market and customer) data (quality) and analyses as they ideally always do: pragmatically, sustainably and with a view to quick wins. This will enable them to make faster and better decisions in the future and to respond more effectively and individually to the needs of their customers.
