The pioneer in providing globally renowned IT and Business higher education in Sri Lanka, the I n fo rmat i c s I n s t i t u t e o f Technology (IIT) in collaboration Robert Gordon University, UK recently held the Big Data Forum 2017 at BMICH. The event themed “Make Sense of Big Data to Drive Organizations” included the participation of many distinguished figures in the IT and corporate sectors Professor Nirmalie Wiratunga - School of computing science & digital media, Robert Gordon University and Professor John McCall - School of computing science & digital media, Robert Gordon University provided a comprehensive overview of the evolution of Big Data and its importance in driving organizations towards success.

Professor Nirmalie Wiratunga spoke on the topic of “Reasoning with stream data for health applications”, while Professor McCall spoke on the topic of “Optimization and model learning in oil and gas applications.” Dr Dilshan Silva from Pearson Lanka also shared his views addressing the gathering of professionals. The forum was followed by a panel discussion which included Professor John McCall, Professor Nirmalie Wiratunga, Dr Dilshan Silva and Mr. Mohamed Cassim Farook (Senior Lecturer/ Course Leader of IIT) and moderated by Dr. Ruvan Weerasinghe. Big Data is one of the emerging technologies in the fields of Information Communication Technology and Business because of the generation of vast amounts of data that is created on a global level.

Leaders in each and every sector can benefit from a better understanding about big data as research reveals data analysis being the way forward to improve competition and aid the processes of productivity growth, innovation and consumer surplus. Recognizing the big data trends in the world today, IIT partnered with Robert Gordon University located in Aberdeen, Scotland to introduce MSc Big Data Analytics postgraduate degree program for all those who wish specialize in big data. MSc Business Analytics postgraduate degree from Robert Gordon University will cater to individuals on a managerial level. The MSc Business Analytics and MSc Big Data Analytics from Robert Gordon University was launched in order to cater to industry demands for the study of data and is offered exclusively at IIT. Robert Gordon University was adjudicated as the best modern university in the UK according to the 2013 Times Good University Guide.

MSc Big Data Analytics will provide training in industry relevant data acquisition, storage, warehousing, analytics and visualization tools and techniques. Specialized job roles available for those following the MSc Big Data Analytics include, Data Analyst, Data Visualization Specialist, Data Manager, Database Designer/Manager, Data Mining Expert and Big Data Scientist. MSc Business Analytics offers extensive training in Business Analytics technology and methods, providing the opportunity to upgrade existing skills to the state-of-theart in areas such as Web Mining, Business Intelligence, Big Data and Data Science, NoSQL databases, Business Modelling techniques. Professionals who successfully complete the MSc Business Analytics will have career opportunities in specialized areas such as Architect – Data Warehousing, Analytics – Business Analyst, Business Analytics Engineer, Business Analytics Systems Administrator, Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Report Architect, Report Designer, Senior Data Warehousing Engineer, Business Intelligence Manager, Technology Solutions Architect – Business Intelligence, Technical Leader – Business I n t e l l i gence Te ch n o l o g y, Dat a Warehousing Consultant, Data Miner, Business Intelligence Technical Specialist, Data Warehousing Business Analyst, Data Warehousing ETL Expert, Data Warehouse Architect and Data Warehousing Developer.

IIT is an award winning campus, which has bagged many accolades for innovation in local and international competitions such as Microsoft Imagine Cup, National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA), APICTA, British Council-HSBC Youth Enterprise Award and e-Swabhimani. With its strong international affiliations, outstanding resources and focus on quality higher education, IIT is without doubt an ideal place for students to follow world renowned IT and Business degrees.

For further information, e-mail “[email protected]” or call the hotline 0722 72 72 72 or visit IIT Main Campus at No. 57, Ramakrishna Rd, Colombo 6.