The Big Data Industry in Detail: Biggest Players, Biggest Revenues and More [INFOGRAPHIC]

In the big data game, there are hundreds of players. From startups including Umbel and Hortonworks to legacy brands including IBM and Oracle, the race to reach the monetization of big data for clients first is on.

In the big data game, there are hundreds of players. From startups including Umbel and Hortonworks to legacy brands including IBM and Oracle, the race to reach the monetization of big data for clients first is on. Whether these companies build out platforms for retail, healthcare, sports, publishing, finance or all the above, all big data companies have one goal in common: help these industries realize big data’s big potential. 

Through the unification and visualization of first, second and third-party data, big data companies allow their clients to put action on previously unknown customer affinities, giving clients the ability to offer personalized ads, sponsorships and more, exactly where their target audience wants to see them (i.e. cross-platform). Revenues are shifting, and its no longer about speaking to you customer when and where they are, but figuring out how they want to be spoken to, as well. 

Data literacy, though, or the ability for employees within organizations to ask the right questions of big data, is still relatively low. In fact, for many, there is confusion concerning under whom’s direction a big data platform belongs: the CMO, the CIO, or the brand new CDO (chief data officer or chief digital officer). To make up for this, big data companies are having to bridge this gap themselves, offering not just the software that powers the platform, but also the services that teach clients how to use it for the most ROI. 

The below infographic details exactly how the big data industry itself is making money and who the biggest players are. As it turns out, the current age of big data disruption has a more than few surprises up its sleeve. 

Download hi-res version here.

Infographic design by Chelsea Carlson