The Skills and Development Gap Needs Closing Companies need new skill sets to benefit from big data analytics. New data management skills, including programming, mathematical, and statistical skills go beyond what is required for traditional analytics applications. For instance, ‘data scientists’ need to be not only well versed in understanding analytics and IT, they should also have the ability to communicate effectively with decision makers. However, this combination of skills is in short supply. Three-quarters of companies do not have the right resources to gain value from big data. Companies also face the challenge of training end-users of big data, who may not be data experts themselves but need to use data to enhance decision-making.