Computing has tracked the emergence of Big Data analytics from its arrival as a buzzword through to the business-critical reality being deployed today. Our Big Data & Analytics Summit has become one of the biggest events in the calendar, with senior IT decision-makers attending to discover how to translate value from vast amounts of data. We also launched the Internet of Things Business Summit in 2016 to direct organisations on how to stay ahead of the curve and harness benefits of IoT phenomenon today. In 2017, Computing will be bringing these conferences together for a deep-dive into Big Data analytics and the Internet of Things.

The term ‘Big Data' is characterised by volume, variety, velocity, veracity and value, which basically means large amounts of high value trustworthy information of different types coming in at high speed. The term has been around for a while, however the number of challenges and practical questions related to Big Data applications doesn't seem to diminish. Technologies related to collecting, cleansing, storing, processing and visualising Big data are evolving at a fast pace. Machine learning and predictive analytics open up new opportunities for enterprises, Internet of Things has moved from being a hype to becoming a reality. All these new solutions require new skillsets and qualities, which also force cultural change within organisations.