CEO Blog: Big Data in the Windy City

From time to time, I participate in panels or give presentations about Infobright specifically, or trends in technology on a more general basis. While I truly love talking about what we do here at Infobright, my favorite scenario is a legitimate panel discussion. Noting that use of the word "legitimate" has become more controversial, perhaps I should explain further. Some panel discussions are opportunities for three or four people to give interspersed infomercials thinly veiled as a topical discussion. They often come across like playground banter I recall from the fourth grade: "Oh, yeah, well I can do that, only better". When this happens, it's clearly disappointing. It diminishes the panelists and insults the audience. "Legitimate," in my view, means a focus on various elements of a topic without the bias of a vendor view taking precedence. I find the open-source companies and their executives particularly inclined to these discussions, which is, in part, why I am so optimistic about the upcoming event.

This Wednesday night in Chicago, I will have the pleasure of participating in a panel discussion alongside 10Gen, MapR, and Sears Holdings in a discussion moderated by Peter Goldmacher of Cowen and Company (who has been covering Big Data for some time now) about demystifying Big Data. I can hardly wait. I am expecting the discussion to explore the specific use cases of when and where certain architectures lend themselves well, and the interplay between various technologies that can range from conflicting to synergistic. I think the importance of architecture itself will be discussed. I also think we will explore examples of where pursuit of Big Data has not panned out as well as expected and why. The event is being hosted by The Illinois Technology Association and will be in downtown Chicago. If you happen to be nearby on Wednesday evening, come join the discussion.