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Weekly News Digest: 15th - 19th Feb 2021

Talitha Boitel-Gill our consultant managing the role
Author: Talitha Boitel-Gill
Posting date: 2/19/2021 2:01 PM
This is Harnham’s weekly news digest, the place to come for a quick breakdown of the week’s top news stories from the world of Data & Analytics. 

KDnuggets: 10 resources for data science self-study


If you are interested in getting into data science, there are two basic pathways that you can opt for. There’s the traditional college degree route or the self-study option, the latter of which is growing in popularity among aspiring data scientists.

This informative article from KDnuggets provides some insightful tips for data science self-study, grouped into three main categories: Resources for building fundamental knowledge; resources for data science practice; and resources for networking and continuous studies.

  • Resources for building fundamental knowledge:
    1. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
    2. Learning from a Textbook
    3. YouTube
    4. Khan Academy
  • Resources for Data Science practice:
    1. Kaggle
    2. Internships
  • Resources for networking and continuous studies:
    1. Medium
    2. LinkedIn
    3. KDnuggets
    4. GitHub

Find out more here.

Analytics India Magazine: How machine learning streamlines risk management


Abhaya K Srivastava, SVP at Northern Trust Corporation, recently spoke at the Machine Learning Developers Summit 2021. Srivastava delved into how different sectors including financial, healthcare and retail are making use of emerging technologies like AI and Machine Learning.

One of the main takeaways from the speaker session was discussions around how Machine Learning can support how organisations streamline their Risk Management. Srivastava stated, “It is essential for us to establish the rigorous governance processes and policies that can quickly identify when the model begins to fail.”

He continued, “The terms of AI are not new, but businesses and organisations have started using these technologies in a different way. We have noticed the influence of machine learning in business applications, ML is playing an important role in Risk Management and there has been a constant focus on how risks are being detected, reported, managed.”

There are a range of different machine learning techniques that can be applied to support risk management. It is the role of organisations, and their partners to discover how these processes can be applied.

Read more on this here.

Information Week: 3 Ways to Empower Female Software Engineers on Your Team


We think this is a great article from Information Week that acknowledges the importance of establishing greater diversity and inclusion within software engineering, in particular to empower women in the industry. The article focuses on three areas:

  • Create an inclusive team:
    • Building an inclusive team is a strategic process and should include making sure everyone has a voice and that the workplace is a safe place to take risks.
  • Provide a support system:
    • Support establishes trust and shows a commitment to the well-being of your people. When leaders support their employees, it can significantly affect job satisfaction and performance.
  • Enable women to inspire others
    • The first thing to do is make sure the women in your organisation have a seat at the table; they should have a say in the decision-making process.

Even if you have a good understanding of these, it’s important to keep educating yourself and the wider team in order to implements processes and strategies that make for a truly inclusive team.

Read more on this here. 

TechRepublic: 8 must-read leadership books recommended by tech titans and innovators


Are you looking for your next read to help you elevate your visibility and skill as a leader in the tech industry? Look no further, as TechRepublic have put together a list of leadership books recommended by notable leaders from within the industry. Here are a few:

  • The Ride of a Lifetime (Robert Iger) - Recommended by Bill Gates
  • Drop the Ball (Tiffany Dufu) - Recommended by Sheryl Sandberg
  • Mindset (Dr Carol S. Dweck) - Recommended by Satya Nadells
  • Trailblazer (Marc Benioff) - Recommended by Susan Wojcicki

It’s valuable to have insight from leaders that are already leading the way for tech innovation in their field, inspiring and supporting future leaders to achieve great things too.

Click here to read the full list of recommended leadership books from Bill Gates, Satya Nadella, Sheryl Sandberg, Tim Cook, and other notable industry leaders.

We've loved seeing all the news from Data & Analytics in the past week, it’s a market full of exciting and dynamic opportunities. To learn more about our work in this space, get in touch with us at info@harnham.com.

Related blog & news

With over 10 years experience working solely in the Data & Analytics sector our consultants are able to offer detailed insights into the industry.

Visit our Blogs & News portal or check out the related posts below.

Weekly News Digest: 22nd - 26th Feb 2021

This is Harnham’s weekly news digest, the place to come for a quick breakdown of the week’s top news stories from the world of Data & Analytics.  Search Engine Journal: 4 ways call tracking is changing (and why it’s a good thing) Call tracking is no longer about a customer seeing an ad, calling up the company, telling them how much they loved the ad and then deciding to purchase goods. This is a positive thing really because it wasn’t the most effective way for businesses to track how well adverts were doing anyway - who really remembers where they saw a billboard that took their interest, or what time of day an advert popped up on the TV? As call tracking technology becomes more advanced, call analytics have become much more accessible for all. Not only have they been able to transform how businesses of all shape and size advertise and track their success, but also how they market to potential audiences and track their sentiment.  This article from Search Engine Journal looks at the evolution of call tracking and call analytics from its most basic form, how it works now and what the future of this crucial set of analytics will look like in the future.  Read more on this here.  Towards Data Science: Data Science Year Zero Skills or qualifications in Data Science are becoming incredibly sought after by many employers, but the knowledge of how to break into the sector is still a little unclear for potential candidates. In this article by Towards Data Science, they break down the crucial elements of how to successfully enter the industry in four easy steps.  What the author, Bala Vishal, lacked when he started and how you can set off on a better footing.The most important skills and tools to have under your belt.Which skills should you home in on first.How to thrive in the workplace. This incredibly insightful piece should be a ‘must-read’ for any budding Data Scientist looking to break into Data in 2021 and beyond.  Read more here.  KD Nuggets: 10 Statistical Concepts You Should Know for Data Science Interviews This article is perfect for anyone in the Data Science industry. Whether you’re new to the game or looking to take the next step on the career ladder, make sure you brush up on these crucial statistical concepts you should know inside out before entering interview.  A few, in no order, include: Z tests vs T tests An invaluable piece of knowledge that will be used daily if you are involved in any statistical work.Sampling techniques Make sure you’ve got the main five solidified in your knowledge bank - Simple Random, Systematic, Convenience, Cluster, and Stratified sampling.Bayes Theorem/Conditional Probability One of the most popular machine learning algorithms, a must-know in this new era of technology.  Want to know about the other seven? Read more here. Forbes: 48 per cent of Sales Leaders Say Their CRM System Doesn’t Meet Their Needs. The Good News Is That This Is Fixable. This article by Gene Marks explores why teams aren’t happy with their current CRM systems, and how this can be remedied. New research from SugarCRM found: 52 per cent of sales leaders reported that their CRM platform is costing potential revenue opportunities.50 per cent of the companies said they cannot access customer data across marketing, sales and service systems.Nearly one-third complained that their customer data is incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate. While damning statistics, Marks then goes into how this worrying situation can be fixed for good. He says: “Like just about all problems in business, this problem comes down to two factors: time and money. The blunt fact is that most companies are not willing to spend the necessary time or money needed to enable their CRM systems to truly do what they’re designed to do. CRM systems are not just for sales teams. And they're not just for service teams. For a CRM system to be effective, a company must adapt it as its main, collaborative platform.” Read more on this here. We've loved seeing all the news from Data and Analytics in the past week, it’s a market full of exciting and dynamic opportunities. To learn more about our work in this space, get in touch with us at info@harnham.com.

Ross Whatling

Ross Whatling

26. February 2021

How Are Data & Analytics Professionals Mapping COVID Trends With Data?

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted industries across the globe. There’s no ignoring that simple fact. This disruption (most notably) caused devastating effects in two strands: to our health and to business operations. As the virus spread, the health and wellbeing of people in society worsened, and businesses felt the strain of projects being placed on hold, and work slowing or completely grinding to a halt. As of the 24th February 2021, the disease has infected more than 112,237,188 people, with 2,487,349 reported deaths. For Data & Analytics professionals, it soon became evident that they could use their skills to help. Using the mass of data available, professionals and researchers turned to big data analytics tools to track and monitor the virus’s spread, along with a variety of trends. Here’s how: Genomics and sequencing Life science is a significant application within Data & Analytics and explores the study of all living things on earth. One particular section of this study looks at the concept of genomic sequencing.  Genomic sequencing is significant as it allows us looks at the entire genetic code of a virus – in this case, COVID-19. Most importantly, the technique means that researchers and analysts can identify dangerous mutations and track movements of specific variants. We know that the UK has the most advanced system for tracing covid variants too. Last year, Britain launched one of the world’s largest coronavirus sequencing projects, by investing £20 million in the Covid-19 Genomics UK consortium. In a group that included NHS researchers, public health agencies, academic partners and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, they set out to map the genetic code of as many strains of the coronavirus as possible. And the buy-in paid off. It took the US approximately 72 days to process and share each genetic sequence, compared with 23 days for UK researchers, according to figures compiled by the Broad Institute with data from Gisaid. Tech giants stepping in Ultimately, your organisation is more agile than you think it is. Regardless of the size of the business, or the industry in which it operates, the sector’s response in applying analysis and data to track the coronavirus was nothing short of miraculous. Google introduced a series of features such as popular times and live busyness, COVID-19 alerts in transit, and COVID checkpoints in driving navigation in order to keep their one billion (and growing) app users safe. They also introduced the COVID layer in Maps, a tool that shows critical information about COVID-19 cases in a given area, allowing their customers  to make informed decisions about where to go and what to do. Apple also released a mobility data trends tool from Apple Maps. This data was shared in order to provide insights to local governments and health authorities so that they could support mapping specific covid trends. These first-hand examples indicate the influence and power of using data to better our understanding of the virus. Before the coronavirus pandemic, professionals, businesses and industries alike worked in siloes. What we have witnessed since has been very much the opposite, as experts quickly came together to begin mapping out data requirements and supporting the world’s focus to improve the public’s health and get businesses back on their feet. Without Data & Analytics, none of this would be possible. If you're looking to take the next step in your career or build out a diverse Data & Analytics team, we may be able to help. Take a look at our latest opportunities or get in touch with one of our expert consultants to find out more. 

Amy Topcakan

Amy Topcakan

25. February 2021

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