Large, complex data sets to drive $28 bn in IT spending in 2012

Large and complex data sets, called big data, will drive $28-billion of worldwide IT spending in 2012. In 2013, big data is forecast to drive $34 billion of IT spending, according to research and advisory firm Gartner.

Most of the current spending is used in adapting traditional solutions to the big data demands - machine data, social data, widely varied data, unpredictable velocity, and so on - and only $4.3 billion in software sales will be driven directly by demands for new big data functionality in 2012.

Big data currently has the most significant impact in social network analysis and content analytics with 45 per cent of new spending each year. In traditional IT supplier markets, application infrastructure and middleware is most affected (10 per cent of new spending each year is influenced by big data in some way) when compared with storage software, database management system, data integration and quality, business intelligence or supply chain management (SCM).

"Despite the hype, big data is not a distinct, standalone market, it but represents an industry-wide market force which must be addressed in products, practices and solution delivery," said Mark Beyer, research vice president at Gartner.

"In 2011, big data formed a new driver in almost every category of IT spending. However, through 2018, big data requirements will gradually evolve from differentiation to 'table stakes' in information management practices and technology. By 2020, big data features and functionality will be non-differentiating and routinely expected from traditional enterprise vendors and part of their product offerings," Beyer added.

Starting near the end of 2015, Gartner expects leading organisations to begin to use their big data experience in an almost embedded form in their architectures and practices.