At first he thought big data analytics was a fad. But then Thomas H. Davenport, the Harvard Business School professor and author of Competing on Analytics, said his skepticism evaporated after he did some research.

While traditional analytics mostly supported internal decisions, Davenport said big data analytics is much more likely to involve data from outside a company and be focused on creating benefits for customers. That ongoing use cases range from LinkedIn’s recommendations engine to customer loyalty programs at Caesar’s Entertainment and data-collecting engine sensors at GE—the evidence suggests that the work of analyzing large and varied datasets is informing decisions at both established corporations and innovative start-ups, Davenport said.