Free Hadoop Training – Did I Get Your Attention?

In the fall of last year, we launched the MapR Academy, the first free online training resource for Hadoop and MapReduce. Hadoop itself is so new that there is still a huge knowledge gap. Sure, there are a few experts out there, but most people still don’t know what Hadoop is, or why they should be interested in the first place.

Imagine trying to explain digital photography to someone 20 years ago. Film was more than adequate to the task at hand, very inexpensive, and easy to use. Sophisticated cameras took care of exposure and focus, abstracting away the “implementation details” and letting the photographer focus on snapping a picture. What motivation could the typical shutterbug possibly have for switching to digital photography? Pictures are pictures, after all.

Big Data is in the same state today. It’s difficult to imagine what benefits Hadoop can provide, in the same way that early adopters of digital photography could not have anticipated the impact of social media. Just as the digital revolution completely changed how we think about images, Hadoop is a complete paradigm shift in the way data is stored and analyzed. Hadoop is the key to a future we are only just beginning to imagine.

One of the first tasks of the MapR Academy is to get you started on the basics of this disruptive technology. As the MapR Academy grows, we’ll be adding more focused tutorials and advanced classes. I’d like to invite you to take a look around, watch a few videos, and let us know what you would like to see next in the curriculum.