Analytics is something new for most of us, and therefore scary. But as it moves from the realm of the data geeks and into the general enterprise where most of us live, it’s helpful to recognize that there is nothing new in the way this situation is unfolding.

We have all seen this movie before. A new technology cluster comes into view that promises to expand the production possibility frontier (that’s economic speak for “It is going to help us do more stuff”). Organizations that want to do more stuff (all of them, basically) and that also want to be perceived as being in front of the curve undertake a series of explorations in the form of task forces and pilot projects to tease out a risk-adjusted path forward. A vocal cohort of enthusiasts, evangelists, early adopters and analysts talk up startup companies that are advancing the new technology. Conferences, webinars and podcasts ensue. If the opportunity associated with the technology cluster is big enough and if the underlying technologies are complex enough, new roles are created.

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