FICO adds Karmasphere query construction

Big data vendors are starting to come to terms with the big issue of the subject – not handling large amounts of data, or running analytics applications against such huge datasets. Instead it is the question of formulating questions that yield sensible, actionable results that add value to a business.

One solution, as always, is to head off down the acquisition trail, and that is what FICO, a US-based predictive analytics and decision management software company has headed, with the acquisition of big data analytics technology from Karmasphere, of Cupertino, California.

The acquisition includes Karmasphere’s Big Data analytics software for query construction and collaboration using Hadoop data stores, together with related intellectual property. As part of the This will now be part of the FICO Analytic Cloud, where it will help generate insights from Hadoop big data applications.

FICO sees the promise of big data analytics being increasingly impeded by the complexity of using Hadoop to discover and apply business insights from any type and size of data. However, with the integration of Karmasphere’s collaborative, intuitive and self-service application into the FICO Analytic Cloud, it predicts that growing teams of analysts and business users will find it markedly easier to transform their businesses using big data on Hadoop.

“As uses for Big Data analytics mushroom and move more swiftly from concept to business value, businesses are actively seeking easy-to-use applications for Hadoop,” said Martin Hall, chairman, founder and executive vice president of Karmasphere, who, along with other Karmasphere team members, has joined FICO to advance the Hadoop analytics capabilities of the FICO Analytic Cloud.

“Our goal is to simplify the complexity of Hadoop and put the power of Big Data analytics into the hands of all of the people who can really use it,” said Doug Clare, vice president of product management at FICO. “By embedding a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use interface for Hadoop data access into the FICO Analytic Cloud, we’re accelerating the democratisation and wide-scale adoption of Big Data analytics by organisations of all sizes and across all industries.”

Tagged by the company as a `one-stop shop for all things analytic’, The FICO Analytic Cloud first appeared last autumn, and is being rolled out over the course of 2014. In addition to the FICO Decision Management Platform and the company’s analytic applications, it includes all the building blocks needed to build, deploy, and manage predictive analytics for growth, profitability and competitive advantage.