ThoughtWorks' Technology Radar Identifies Dangerous Trend of Big Data Storage

CHICAGO, Jan. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ThoughtWorks, a global technology company, today issued the latest Technology Radar that, among other trends, focuses on the contrast between the exciting new insights made possible by exhaustive data collection with the disturbing trend of businesses storing vast amounts of personal data unnecessarily. The Technology Radar, now in its 4^th year, is created by the Technology Advisory Board, which consists of 20 senior technologists that serve as regular advisors to Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Rebecca Parsons.

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"These days there's a lot of hype around the idea of Big Data - and with it the notion that we should capture and store every bit of data we can get our hands on.  The "capture-it-all" approach raises serious questions of privacy," states Chief Scientist, Martin Fowler. "We advocate that businesses adopt an attitude of "datensparsamkeit" and store only the absolute minimum personal information from their customers."

Other notable themes in the radar include:

• Marriage of physical and digital - Low-cost device, open hardware platforms and new communication protocols are pushing computing away from the screen and into the world around us with the proliferation of wearable devices, as one example.
• Early warning and recovery in production - We're seeing a plethora of new tools and techniques for logging, monitoring, storing and querying operational data.
• The JavaScript juggernaut rolls on - The ecosystem around JavaScript continues to evolve, resulting in many interesting new tools.

"ThoughtWorks technologists from all corners of the globe, representing every continent except Antarctica, come together in a collaborative environment to create the Technology Radar. It is the diversity of perspectives combined with the deep breadth of knowledge about current technology challenges that shapes the Radar," states Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Rebecca Parsons. "The report represents a snapshot in time and is intentionally opinionated to reflect our teams' experiences on the ground helping clients solve their most pressing problems."

At ThoughtWorks we are focused on helping our industry improve and believe in sharing what we learn. To download the latest edition of Technology Radar please visit ThoughtWorks.com/radar

Continue the conversation on Twitter and let us know if there are any surprises from this edition of Technology Radar (@thoughtworks #AskTechRadar).

About ThoughtWorks
We are a software company and community of passionate, purpose-led individuals. We think disruptively to deliver technology that addresses our clients' toughest challenges, all while seeking to revolutionize the IT industry and create positive social change.

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