How is Spark benefiting enterprises?

MUMBAI, INDIA: As IBM announced several initiatives involving Spark—its open source cluster computing environment similar to Hadoop, we present some use cases of its benefits to organizations.

Findability Sciences: a consulting and contextual data technology solutions company is using IBM Analytics and Spark to help clients tap big data.

“Apache Spark with IBM BigInsights has given us capacity for our implementations for small and medium businesses, where MapReduce was not efficient. With Spark, the performance has improved multi fold. We are now able to process streaming data from IoT devices and offer analytics for data in motion for things like traffic, commuters and parking,” said Anand Mahurkar, CEO, Findability.

Independence Blue Cross (IBC) : a health insurer in Philadelphia, is using Spark to drive product innovation and develop new services.

“Apache Spark is maturing into a power tool for development of machine-learning analytic applications. It allows our researchers and academic partners to work together seamlessly, which means we can get new claims and benefits apps up and out to customers much faster,” said Darwin Leung, Director, Informatics, IBC.

Bluemix : IBM, NASA, and the SETI Institute are collaborating to analyze terabytes of space radio signals using Spark’s machine learning capabilities in a hunt for patterns that might betray the presence of intelligent extraterrestrial life.

“With Spark-as-a-Service on Bluemix, we will be able to work with IBM to develop promising new ways to analyze signal data as we hunt for evidence of intelligence elsewhere in the cosmos. This is an exciting example of synergy in the service of science,” said Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer and Director, Center for SETI Research.

IBM Watson Health Cloud: will leverage Spark as a key underpinning for its insight platform. IBM will educate more than 1 million data scientists and data engineers on Spark.

Beth Smith, General Manager, Analytics Platform, IBM Analytics, said: “Our clients will benefit as we help them embrace Spark to advance their own data strategies to drive business transformation and competitive differentiation.”

Also Read: What are Big Blue's plans for Spark?