2012 Progress DataDirect Predictions

Big Data – It’s Not the Size, It’s What It Means

In 2011 there was a lot of talk about Big Data and in 2012 we will see action. We expect a proliferation of more advanced tools for analyzing the data. For example, more companies like Oracle will plug into Hadoop and other databases to extract from the data.

In 2012 we will see more acquisitions and consolidations further validating this emerging space. The incumbents in the large data warehouse world will need to fight to stay relevant and as such we will see large companies like Microsoft publicly declare Big Data strategies in an attempt to dominate the space.

We also predict an economic downshift in the availability of large scale processing and a greater use of more utilitarian application frameworks based on open source like Hadoop.

Lastly, the need for standardization across Big Data platforms and demand for portability across platforms will drive innovation in these areas.

The Cloud Rises

The need to store Big Data combined with the elasticity of the cloud will accelerate the availability and acceptability to use it.  More companies will store data there and working this way will become part of everyday business.

Some of the concerns and general political drawbacks will lessen as companies come up with solutions to address privacy and security issues. In addition, we will see more Federal mandates and more government enforcement of these mandates.

In 2011, cost was the main driver of cloud adoption. In 2012, business will continue to control costs by focusing on system efficiencies and time to market. In addition, organizations will move away from development and deployment capabilities to management and monitoring activities. For CIO’s the two biggest concerns will be security and integration. To maximize operability, CIO’s will need to source solutions that migrate applications one step at a time to cloud.

For customers the biggest demand will be for the commoditization of cloud - the ability to plug and unplug as needed to gain access to data.

Freeware vs. ODBC

As more companies gain revenue across the Internet, they are moving away from freeware and open source - they just don’t cut it. Everything is free on the Internet until there’s a move to monetize. In 2012 we will see greater support for ODBC and investment in data connectivity as companies look for dependable ODBC drivers to handle secure financial transactions.

Financial Services

In capital markets where microseconds of latency is the difference between millions of dollars in profit or loss, more companies will take advantage of the ability to move Big Data faster. And as the ability to gather this data increases, the companies with the tools to analyze the information will gain a competitive advantage.

Data Security Starts with Secure Drivers

Authentication and authorization of data in the cloud will be a priority. The question will no longer be whether to access data across devices and platforms, but how to ensure security across disparate environments. Who will have access to the data? How will it be encrypted? Who is the core owner? Having a strong driver that runs on a stable and tested data interface like ODBC is good line of defense as application stacks continue to grow.

All Hail the Social Enterprise

Social collaboration applications will dominate in business as employees look for ways to more effectively share and innovate across regions and lines of business. The increasing need of collaboration capabilities will be so paramount that companies will expect that these offerings be embedded features in business applications.