Enterprises are struggling to get a grip on big data, according to a new survey by CompTIA, a non-profit association in the IT market. The survey, of 500 IT decision-makers in the U.S., found that basic work needs to be done before many companies are ready for a big data initiative.

The CompTIA study reveals a number of data-related challenges:

• Nearly three in four companies report a high or moderately high degree of data silos within their organization, making it difficult to view data holistically.
• Many do not have a complete or accurate understanding of their data profile, especially as it relates to unstructured data, such as audio and video files and social streams of data.
• Only a minority (37%) of IT pros report a basic understanding of the concept of big data. Put another way, 6 in 10 are not yet in a position to have a meaningful discussion of big data strategies.
• Based on a self assessment, only 10% of companies consider their use of data analysis, mining and BI to be at the advanced level. In contrast, 39% put their firm at the basic level.
• Just one in three companies have a comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery plan in place.

Because of the complexities with many aspects of big data, many businesses will turn to outside experts for assistance in meeting their objectives. Over the next two years, 28% of respondents to the study said they plan to contract with an IT solution provider or vendor for services ranging from cloud storage integration, data center management or predictive analytics application deployment.

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