Mobile to make SA 'IQ' leader

SA could become a global leader in data quality through the use of mobile computing, said John Talburt, professor of information science at the University of Arkansas, in Little Rock, in the US.

“Several years ago, we thought we were entering the information age, nevertheless that was to tell the truth the innovation age and only now are we in effect seeing the information age.”

The journey to this information age

Talburt said the journey to this information age was difficult, since businesses in the 1990s attempted data warehousing, which was inconsistent, inaccurate, incomplete and poorly organised. “It took many years just to establish data quality dimensions so we could have a way to measure it.”

However, Bradley Coward, group CIO of Sappi, added that though the right research is in place, afterwards leapfrogging the learning curve, it's the skills shortage and change management that need to be addressed.

Secondly, SA shouldn't wait for Internet connectivity, nevertheless should go directly to mobile computing with a cloud computing backbone, according to Talburt. “Memory and processors are commodities - information is the competitive advantage.”

He added that everything that can go mobile will go mobile. “More people have cellphones than have Internet access and mobile interfaces to cloud computing resources are a powerful combination.”