Saturday, October 18, 2014

Data Mining and Your Magic Bands

Magic Bands and FastPass+ There has been lot of grumbling over the FastPass+/Magic Band system and their roll-out, utilization and usefulness.  I personally like the Magic Band experience and so do many of my friends and family, but here are a few points to consider when weighing the merits of system.

A great majority of guests were comfortable with the old system and hated to see it go.  We understood the system, and even knew how to efficiently use it to achieve what rides and attractions we wanted to see when we wanted to see them.  The new system has its benefits, and I feel skeptics are strictly looking at the Magic Bands from their personal perspective, and not the business side;  making the assumption that Disney is out to take our money and time away from us instead of making our experience better.  

What Disney is doing is not unique, they are just keeping up with the technology flow of industry.    It is imperative to be on the edge and not left behind in the business world today; and the edge of  technology lies in the field of Data Mining.

 Data mining is a technique that analyzes stored data and is a powerful tool used by businesses to:
  • Detect fraud
  • Minimize risk
  • Anticipate demands
  • Target marketing
  • Serve the customer
Those points sound like everything we expect Disney to do for us!  Data mining isn't an attack on the guests or their privacy, it is an essential tool to determine where Disney's time and money should be spent in order to rearrange their priorities and to provide better services.  

Data collection has been going on for years with Disney's Keys to the World card. The difference is  the new system pulls everything together from dining and ride reservations, to shopping and photo pass opportunities.  The data becomes not only their live view into your experience, but they are now able to look into the future via your reservations.   The Magic Bands themselves make a convenient, seamless, novel way to collect the data while on your vacation. 

Disney is not the only company collecting your data.  You are taking part in data collection every day, as you read this blog, when you engage a search engine,  when you use your saving card at the grocery store or pharmacy, and when you request tracking on a package.  Every electronic transaction is stored in a database and can be used to study the market.  Businesses make modifications daily based on the analysis of your habits.  

I challenge you to look beyond the frustrations of the new system.  Change can be difficult, and often misunderstood, but most of the time, a necessary part of life.  I realize that most people really liked the previous fast pass and card system, but the intent behind the new technology it is to eventually make your experience better at the parks.

Bottom line, Disney has sunk a lot of money into this technology:  it's not going anywhere.  The more Disney understands me, the better my experience should be.  My hope is that it will lead to Disney having my Dole Whip ready when I walk through the gate, my personalized Mickey ears handed to me, Gaston escorting me to Space Mountain, and all my photos waiting for me in my inbox at the end of the day!

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I am a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and currently serve as an Information Assurance Officer (IAO) for a major corporation.  If you have any other technology questions about Disney, please let me know!  You may contact me at kesselrunner77@gmail.com

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