Kathy Bratcher, Founder and CEO of LogikSavvy Solutions LLC is the epitome of strength and perseverance. Kathy’s background consists of 20+ years of experience in enterprise technology, primarily within large global firms. Her specialized expertise in the areas of data science, software engineering and process automation has laid the foundation for her as a founder in enterprise IT. Kathy’s wide range of expertise from computer programming to leading global technology teams in enterprise organizations has shaped her passion for innovation.

At the start of her career, Kathy knew that it was not going to be enough to be good, but she would have to be the best. In a white male dominated industry and being one of few women, it was unheard of to be a black woman in North Carolina specializing in enterprise technology.

“I never saw anyone that looked like me. For a long time, I did not understand why there were not more women and especially more black women in enterprise IT. Only after a brief time of working in this industry, I realized why there were not more women in this space. At times I felt as if I were invisible when my white male counterparts would talk over me or make disparaging comments. I quickly learned to play the 4F’s in my mind: Be Firm, Be Forward, Be Factual and the fourth F would play only if the first three did not work (LOL)”.

The unlevel playing field would not discourage Kathy from voicing new ideas or making certain that when she spoke, her voice was heard. As a single mother of two boys and challenges that came with that; it was important that Kathy showed her sons that they could be anything that they wanted to be. Kathy had both of her sons before graduating high school and had lived on her own since the age of seventeen. She would often tell them that it doesn’t matter how you start but how you finish and that they can do anything they set their minds to. She knew that the only thing that truly differentiates us, are our minds.

Kathy's heritage derived from a long line of strong black women, so she didn’t view these factors as challenges but as opportunities. Kathy had the unique privilege of spending time with her great, great grandmother: Lula Watson (shown above) who was a child slave. Kathy always attentively listened to the stories of slavery that her great grandmother had endured.

“Grandma Lula (as we would call her) would always tell us that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. At that time, she was the oldest woman in Siler City and passed away at the ripe old age of 104. She traveled on the road with Charles Kuralt during Black History Month to various HBCU’s and nursing homes to tell her story of being a child slave and playing the accordion to entertain the old folk (as she would say). Although short in stature and as spry as they come, she did not play any games and demanded respect. This is the fabric of which I am bred. I know that the strength that exist in me stem directly from her, my great grandmother: Mamie Davis and my grandmother: Lula Lowery. These women taught me how to be strong, face adversity head on and never give up even when the odds are stacked against me. I have carried this with me throughout my years in this industry. As a black woman founder in innovative technology, I stand on those same values and strive for excellence. Therefore, what makes me truly unique is MY VISION, MY WALK and MY STORY!”

Kathy continues to inspire women with a passion for technology to be disruptive, intentional and groundbreakers in this industry. She has recently founded LogikSavvy Innovations LLC, a research and development (R&D) firm headquartered in Atlanta, GA. LogikSavvy Innovations will work with technology partners, universities and government agencies in the advancement of new and innovative technology that will impact the world and empower our community.  

In just a couple of month, Blockchain Technology has created all sorts of buzz around the world. If you are questioning, “What is Blockchain?”, you are not alone. Blockchain is a digital ledger or collection in which transactions made in cryptocurrencies are recorded chronologically and publicly. In other words, it is a secure system that houses the exchange of cryptocurrencies in chronological order. This is important to state because it factors into how blockchain is used.

Blockchain is currently used by various people around the world. It works by separating each transaction into a block. Once a new transaction occurs, the new block is attached to the previous block. If you haven’t caught it already, it’s a blockchain! Each blockchain has a private key, which is basically a password for exclusively to you. With this private key, you can access your currency to spend. For every account as well, there is a public key in which the public can send cryptocurrency your way.

Additionally, the blockchain is transparent as stated earlier. This means that the blockchain remains within the network, therefore it is public. Due to the nature of the blockchain, with each block linking to one another, it is near impossible for it to become corrupted. For someone to try to take over the blockchain network means that they must decrypt one block after another. In actuality the blocks are incredibly long and tough to crack.

With the incredible structure of blockchain, the future seems promising. As individuals have spent their investments into blockchain and cryptocurrency, businesses have not turned a blind eye. Many business are now allowing for customers to pay with a cryptocurrency called, “Bitcoin”! Some businesses to note that have allowed for this to happen are Subway, KFC Canada, Microsoft and so much more! The future for blockchain is unpredictable to be exact, however everyone is anticipating for integration of this great technology! Be aware as the Blockchain Technology continues to emerge!

The world we live in today contrasts how life was a few decades ago. Inventions, innovations and new processes are introduced to us daily. The world that is before us did not come to us overnight. What drives the growth of our world? Is it the brilliant architects who have the greatest imaginations? Is it the mechanics who have grasped what their forefathers were seeking? Is it the masterminds who have the next great invention? Is it the computer geeks who have mastered technology to excel our future? The driver of our world is none of the above, at least not entirely. Whether you are an architect, mechanic, mastermind, or computer geek you all have one thing in common…the use of Data!  

Let’s take a moment to think about data in today’s world. Everything is all a buzz in Big Data and the world of Cyber Security. I know that some of you are wondering why do we need data and what is the importance of it? Some think that data is only important in web applications or client databases. Not so, data is everywhere and exist in all we do. Whether Big or Small Data, its necessary to move our world and everything in it.    

Do you understand how data plays an important role in our daily activities? For example, as Catherine prepares to leave the house she thinks of how she is in desperate need of her morning cup of java at her favorite coffee shop, 'Piedmont Coffee House.' She rushes for the door and remembers that she forgot to activate the alarm system. The transmission of data is initiated when Catherine sets the alarm to away mode. Data is transmitted through her security system panel to a monitoring agent.

Now that the house has been armed and is secure Catherine then steps outside to start her vehicle, let’s be clear, we all know that today’s vehicles are basically computers on wheels! All technology that goes into making vehicles today are completely driven by data. Years ago, we would identify the internal components of our vehicle as an electrical system. Today, it’s known as a CAN – Controller Area Network. The vehicles sensor data has been initiated and allows the vehicle to start, control the windows and seat adjustments.  Yes! It’s all data!  

Now in the car driving to get her morning cup of java, Catherine finally arrives at the coffee shop. As the half awaken Catherine pulls into the parking lot, she knows that the parking spot will be located right next to Piedmont Coffee House's building. Why isn't the parking lot a hundred yards away? More specifically, parking spaces within a parking lot are a certain width and length. It's data collection and analytics that accounts for all the reasons you could think of! The parking spot to her favorite coffee shop is probably meant for thirty mid-sized cars rather than thirty tractor trailers. Data would represent that at this coffee shop, its customers mainly have mid-sized cars. Yes! It’s all based on data driven geographical facts.

The small, minute details of a parking generally will not cross Catherine's mind. What will cross her mind is the coffee as she rushes inside. This is her must have coffee! What makes this coffee shop so great? What kind of data did Piedmont Coffee House have to gather to ensure their shop would appeal to people like Catherine? Would artificially made coffee taste much better than naturally grown coffee? Piedmont Coffee House knows to serve a multitude of different types of coffee at its highest quality based on inventory and order fulfillment data. Through use of data analysis, products are identified that appeals to the customers taste which is why Catherine chooses Piedmont Coffee House!

In conclusion, Data is utterly important in our everyday life. Data is the driving force behind most of our daily activities. Therefore, reaffirming the case of ALL THINGS DATA!!

 In the world that we live in today, data is exponentially increasing. You might be wondering, how so? Let’s take for example, a large enterprise that sells shoes that is at the forefront of the shoe industry. You would expect that every year they sell millions of shoes! What was their most popular shoe sold? What was their most unsuccessful shoe sold? All this data must be stored somewhere and processed somehow!

 How could a large enterprise go about storing mass amounts of data? They can use SQL or NoSQL!

SQL, The Structured!

SQL stands for structured query language. It is a programming language used to define, manipulating, query and control a database. The databases often are called, “relational databases” because they interconnected internally. At the same time, they are structured and organized. These databases are capable of hosting millions of shoes, in data record form of course! Each shoe is assigned a unique code that follows certain criteria as permitted by the database administrator.

 For example, SQL databases use a schema to hold their tables and data records . In comparison, you might have a specific room(schema) that has a shoe rack(table) to store all of your shoes (data records). Would you ever hang a nice dress shirt on your shoe rack? Of course not! In the same sense, SQL databases keep their tables very organized and contain specific records. The millions of data records of shoes would be stored within a table. These tables that are labeled for shoe records, should never contain shirt records. Your closet would be the place to store your dress shirts. In SQL, another table might be created to store data records for dress shirts. It must be structured, hence the name ‘Structured Query Language’. Data is structured in an organized manner. Because data is stored as records in tables, SQL can process this data at quick speeds through queries(commands)! If standard convention is followed, it is logical and simple for people to understand where data is being stored. It is vital for many organizations to have a way to efficiently search and organize their data.

If you are not accustomed to specifically having your shoes on a shoe rack only, do not worry! NoSQL takes a somewhat different approach.

NoSQL, The Unstructured!

NoSQL stands for non-structured query language(NoSQL). So, what’s the difference? Data is not necessarily being stored in just a schema. In other words, your shoes(records) do not have to be stored in a room(schema). If you look closely at the name of NoSQL, it will hint to you that the data in the database are not necessarily stored in a universally structured manner. 

 Data is being stored in a “free formed fashion”. There four primary ways that data can be stored within NoSQL. They can be stored as:

1. Key-Valued oriented
2. Document oriented
3. Column oriented
4. Graph based

 Without getting too technical, this basically means that data can be stored in a variety of ways. This is helpful to certain organizations who require an unstructured database. Having a structured database has its limitations concerning the flexibility of data types. You might be wondering then, are NoSQL databases slower than SQL databases? Due to the nature of NoSQL databases, they are horizontally scalable. An example of this would be like adding another machine to the pool of machines that are running a server. In similarity, think of adding people to lift a certain amount of weight. For example, having 10 average adults lifting 500 lbs. together. On the contrary, SQL is vertically scalable. In other words, you can add as much RAM and better processing units to a computer to process data faster, however it is limited to what the machine can handle. A single weightlifter might be able to lift 500 lbs. by themselves, but they will not be able to lift 1,500 lbs. by themselves as efficiently. My point in saying this is that, on a larger scale, NoSQL is much faster in processing data. Since NoSQL can process data at faster rates, many huge corporations like Facebook, Google and Amazon use NoSQL databases in specific areas. NoSQL databases may suit their specific needs as opposed to SQL databases.

Which one should I choose?

SQL and NoSQL databases generally do the same thing. They hold data within databases and process them. However, the way at which they approach storing, manipulating and controlling data is drastically different. Each organization that contemplates utilizing SQL or NoSQL databases should familiarize themselves with the databases before making a selection. It is not necessary for you to be the world's most renowned database administrator, but it does require one to be a bit savvy ! There are some databases that come with a cost, but many are free and open source! Remember, these brilliant databases are made to help you!