If you think big data has exploded, you haven’t seen anything yet. When 5G and Wi-Fi 6 is rolled out, these will generate as much data in one year as older technologies did in one decade. This presents a business opportunity, but it also poses big challenges, with security being the biggest of all.
How can we secure big data? Now that’s the question. Another question, is how we can ensure ongoing customer trust in the processes we use?
Customer data platforms
One of the ways we can do it is with a customer data platform (CDP). A CDP is a platform that collects data about customers and aggregates it into a single database. They are most often used to collect marketing data from interactions.
CDPs will form the foundation of data pipelines in the future because they aggregate the data growth stack. They literally ingest data across devices and store it within the platform until such a time that the data is no longer needed.
Aggregating data sets
The great thing about a Customer Data platform is they can aggregate data from your complete stack. This includes apps, networks, systems, APIs, SDKs and the cloud. The data is crunched by the CDP into usable data sets, such as audience segments.
The value of aggregating and streamlining big data is immeasurable for businesses that depend on providing connected experiences to customers.
However, the value of a CDP goes beyond this.
Another valuable aspect of a CDP when it comes to securing big data is that it provides accessibility and visibility to data sets. In a world where users can choose which types of data they want you to track, you need to have the ability to identify where these data points live, so you can take action and maintain user trust.
Not just for marketers
One of the commonest misconceptions about CDPs is they are only for marketers. It isn’t true because customers connect with your business beyond a marketing level. CDPs bring all data points, from warehouse data to CRM data, under one roof.
When you consider that the average customer sends data to around eight destinations, this fractured approach doesn’t play well with the data growth stack.
It’s more logical to have a customer data platforms to transform disjointed data into a single, unified profile. This allows you to secure big data and use it more effectively.
