The volume of data being created and made accessible via the cloud by individuals and enterprises is rising exponentially. Whether by intent, or as an unintended consequence of our activities, our digital world is generating a data footprint unprecedented in magnitude. We call this emerging phenomenon big data. While big data presents a number of challenges related to such areas as data management and privacy, it clearly introduces a whole new set of opportunities for individuals and organizations. Massive stores of data, and here's the key: openly accessible, enables completely new innovation. Harvesting this data can result in formerly unanswerable questions to get answered; it may enable completely new questions to be asked; and re-purposing the data can create completely new value.
