Abstract
Apache Hadoop is an open-source software project for reliable, scalable, distributed computing. Hadoop enables big-data storage and processing by dividing the work across computer clusters. Large data sets can be broken into pieces for cheaper storage on readily available commodity hardware, allowing also for faster parallel processing. By giving colleges and universities an affordable, scalable, flexible, and reliable place to hold their data, Hadoop can begin finding connections and identifying relationships to help inform business decisions.
This bulletin is one of a series of papers from ECAR working groups designed to help institutional leaders learn about and understand the implications of emerging technologies in higher education. These technologies have been identified as the “Top 10 Confusing Technologies” in the ECAR report Higher Education’s Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2015. Other papers and related resources are available at the research hub for Higher Education’s Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2015.
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