Current state data is typically spread across different locations, several different tools, and often many curators. A couple of the many challenges with trying to work with current state data is that the data itself is not interactive or insightful. Collections of data do not really do anything helpful until comparisons are made. Comparing data is revealing and insightful. As an example, a lease can provide details regarding how much is being paid and the amount of time left on the lease. It would be much more helpful to compare the lease information to current market costs and other solution options. It may be beneficial to terminate the lease early and refresh technology through a more cost-effective current solution or better simply benefit from fast-moving markets and current market economics, as an example.

Visualizing data is the quickest path to insight. Many have stated that human perception is 75%-85% based on sight. If you ask a chef the same question, it would be 75%-85% through olfactory nerve (smell). If you ask someone practicing shiatsu massage, that same percentage would most likely come from touch. Humans are experts at making data match purpose. Science has proven that light travels much faster than sound; about 1 million times faster than sound. This supports the fact that sight is the fastest of the human senses. Our other senses in order from fastest to slowest are sound, touch, smell, and lastly, taste. In my rudimentary thinking, I know that I personally struggle with tasting and smelling current state data. The best way for me to process it and quickly identify insight is visual interaction. It has been well documented that data represented visually leads to accurate insight much quicker than any other method.

As mentioned previously, in this chapter, the lab will visualize data from an AWS bill. These different visualization steps will create many opportunities to make visual comparisons that will yield many insights that can be used to optimize or transform the current state. This lab section will focus on identifying insight that will help NeBu Systems optimize current state to better match up with the strategy, technology, economic impact, and risk profiles for the current project.