Ryan Smit, MD of BMI-TechKnowlege and head of the measurement Council for the IAB SA, will be presenting at the upcoming ITWeb Digital Economy Summit at the Focus Rooms, Sunninghill, on 7 and 8 November.

In the past few years many technology companies have been talking about "Big Data", and the massive potential it has to help companies to transform their businesses in a digital world. However he asks how many real-world examples you have ever seen of big data in action, and of those how many are something that you can use today?

Smit will discuss how big data has completely revolutionised the way that digital media is bought and sold, and how your business is probably not capitalising on some of your greatest assets. What does this mean for the way you plan your products and services, and what impact could this have on your business model?  What could the digitally augmented world look like in the future?  How are companies already using big data technologies to improve their return on marketing investments?

You will gain insight into how you can leverage off your existing data assets immediately in a real and measurable way.

ITWeb Events chatted to Smit.

ITWeb Events: Your presentation is focused on big data and the role it plays in a digital/disruptive environment. Why is this of relevance and something that obviously is important in a changing world of work?

Smit: Well, it probably goes without saying, but data is the fundamental building block to digital transformation. However, most companies do not even understand what types of data assets they currently have, never mind what it could potentially be used. And as the world is changing so rapidly, with consumer preferences changing overnight, brands need to have their fingers on the pulse of what is happening around them at all times, and the tools to action on that data in near real-time.

ITWeb Events: Why are businesses ‘going digital' and what is the first thing that every business should do before they embark on the digitisation journey?

Smit: Businesses are going digital because their consumers have gone digital, and are impatiently waiting for their service providers to catch up. Meanwhile, small start-ups are embracing a digital-first mindset, and are more than happy to take customers away from the large corporates who have only recently woken up to what consumers expect from brands these days.

ITWeb Events: What has been your biggest learning curve/challenge in the digital/disruptive space?

Smit: When I first entered into the digital media industry and was exposed to the programmatic media buying environment and all of the technologies I was completely confused. It took some time, but I managed to wrap my mind around the way all of these technologies work in harmony with each other to create this incredible real-time digital media marketplace.

ITWeb Events: You mention how big data has completely revolutionised the way that digital media is bought and sold, and how businesses are probably not capitalising on some of their greatest assets. Why is this relevant in terms of digital disruption?

Smit: Many companies want to transform digitally, but very few have actually progressed very far in terms of simple digital marketing, and the way they can use their current data assets quite easily already. This may seem like the part of digital transformation that most organisations have already ticked off their check-list, but most companies are extremely immature in terms of their digital marketing development.

ITWeb Events: Why did you say yes to presenting at the upcoming Digital Economy Summit?  What is it that you bring to the table and what do you want attendees to take away with them after your presentation?

Smit: I think it will be a great summit, and I hope that my insights about the ins and outs of the data-driven digital marketing environment will be insightful to the guests over the two days.