Q: What big vendors do you see being the frontrunners of this data analytics revolution?

NIJHAWAN: Interestingly enough, almost every technology vendor claims to be a part of the data-analytics revolution. To some extent, that's true. For analytics to be pervasive and successful, they will have to be an integral component of most software applications, including core operational applications, data integrity applications, financial applications and consumer-focused applications. This is why all software vendors will have to provide some degree of analytics as part of their offerings. While they'll be the IBMs and Oracles of the world providing standalone analytics technology, smaller vendors like Infogix and Qlik could become more suitable for quicker and more cost-effective operationalization.