Big data, CIO and Uber driver

I m writing this piece based on my recent chat with Bangalore based IT service company Mphasis' CIO MG Raghuraman fondly called as MG, is among the India's most respected and admired CIOs.

While, Uber is still considered as one of the role model for a taxi hailing business globally and has set an example in terms of offering comfort, convenience and cashless rides to customers via smartphone based app, MG with me shared a different but very critical perspective.

In MG's view, businesses and organisations are all talking and investing huge money in data, big data and analytics to derive value from all sort of data but how do individuals or layman deal with data is interesting though.

He told that we as individuals have been using data in our day to day lives for years now whether it be telephone diary, addresses of our friends, relatives and contacts and so forth; and its been of immense value to us as individuals.

To make his point clear, MG shared with me an interesting incident, where he had asked a local driver about how Uber has benefited him? 

According to the driver, Uber has helped him earned a regular work and income for his family, has convenience because of the mobile phone and importantly is security.

MG further probed the cab driver and asks him what he meant by security?

"Because of the smartphone and Uber app, now I know who is the person that is is traveling in my taxi, I know his name, mobile number, home address and where he works."

"Unlike in past, where any unknown person could come and ride in my taxi and even not pay my fare, now that's not possible. Now I know, who the person is before he actually sits in my taxi," this what the driver had replied to MG.

In MG's word this is the real power of information and the real benefit to common man and how data or information is bringing in change to lives of people.

(Image credits - Uber.com, LinkedIn.com, Thinkstock.com)