Big Data creates equally big questions

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Is 2013 really the year when we move away from all the Big Data hype and start to see some action? Industry watchers certainly think so and I have to agree. As we highlighted in our last Big Data report, 2012 was filled with fear, uuncertainty and doubt (FUD) around Big Data in terms of both what it means and how to best take advantage of it to derive business value. Thankfully, things have changed.

Who exactly is going to help us make sense of all this data and do we need to recruit new people or re-train existing staff?

We're now generally speaking clear about what Big Data is and why we need to pay attention. And the time for standing still and thinking is over. It's now time to take advantage of the Big Data opportunity for your organisation regardless of your business' size or sector.

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Countless new devices have been announced in recent years and the launches keep coming. These evermore-sophisticated devices will only add to the data deluge by connecting to the web and consuming and creating rich content and multimedia, 24/7.

The aim of this report is to move the Big Data story on and arm you with the practical insight and guidance you need to take things to the next level in your organisation. We look at what market watchers are predicting for the ecosystem surrounding Big Data, as well as explaining the role the Internet of Things will play in proceedings.

Stephen Pritchard goes into detail about the business value of Big Data and provides real-world case studies and expert advice to help organisations on their journey. We've also got fantastic information about management, security and storage when it comes to Big Data, in addition to interviews with Clive Longbottom from Quocirca and Pankaj Fichadia from the Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA).

Finally, we explore what new skills will be required in the Big Data World. Who exactly is going to help us make sense of all this data and do we need to recruit new people or re-train existing staff? Our feature warns that while technology is obviously key when it comes to Big Data, we shouldn't underestimate the human factor.

It's not just about trying to anticipate how big an opportunity Big Data will be for you in 2013 and beyond. It's about knowing what data structured and unstructured you already have and asking the right questions, at the right time, to turn that information into insight to better inform your business decisions and add value to the bottom line.

As with all of our special quarterly reports, you can view this one on Big Data on your PC, read it at your leisure on a Kindle, or simply print it out.

Click here to download the latest special report.

Maggie Holland

Maggie has been a journalist since 1999, starting her career as an editorial assistant on then-weekly magazine Computing, before working her way up to senior reporter level. In 2006, just weeks before ITPro was launched, Maggie joined Dennis Publishing as a reporter. Having worked her way up to editor of ITPro, she was appointed group editor of CloudPro and ITPro in April 2012. She became the editorial director and took responsibility for ChannelPro, in 2016.

Her areas of particular interest, aside from cloud, include management and C-level issues, the business value of technology, green and environmental issues and careers to name but a few.