Business and technology leaders have never been more keen to exploit new sources of information, but most organizations are not yet backing that up with action, according to a recent survey of nearly 400 decision-makers published by Dell. The report sheds new light on the adoption of analytics highlighting that the trend is still very in its early stages.

Only half of mid-market companies and large enterprises have invested in a modern data processing solutions such as predictive modeling software or statistical applications, with fewer still making active use of the technology today. The study found that just a fifth of organizations with advanced analytics commitments are tapping into new information streams, a percentage that shrinks even further compared to the entire respondent pool.

Lack of awareness and general inertia stand among the the biggest obstacles to the adoption of data services. Barely more than half of the participants in the survey said that analytics is not a fad, while a meager 41 percent disagreed with the statement that the technology doesn’t generate enough return on investment to merit attention, a sentiment that Wikibon has discovered is not entirely unjustified.

But although organizations are cautious in jumping on the analytics bandwagon, decision-makers have grown much more aware of the benefits in recent years. Dell highlights in its report that practically all of the respondents said they believe the trend is of strategic importance to their organizations, while 23 percent went as far as calling it the “essence” of their long-term vision.

Slightly more, 28 percent, said their organizations have made substantial investments in analytics relative to company size while the majority of participants indicated at least some level of commitment. Specifically, the survey found that two-thirds of mid-market firms have set aside over $100,000 for data crunching initiatives and a similar proportion of enterprises are spending more than $500,000 on theirs. But despite the large sums committed to analytics, most projects have not yet taken off.

Only five percent of respondents believe that their companies are already making the most out of their data, although that figure varies greatly by segment. Banks topped the chart, with 46 percent of the respondents from the industry rating the maturity of their initiatives high or highest, while financial departments were found to play a similarity leading role in driving analytics adoption. Nearly half of all the organizations surveyed in the study are applying the technology to gain a better understanding of the bottom line.

For all the buzz surrounding Big Data, it’s apparent that the industry has only reached the tip of the information iceberg, which leaves an opening for Dell to secure a seat in the game of musical chairs shaping tomorrow’s vendor landscape. The best is clearly yet to come in enterprise analytics.