CIO — As 2012 winds down, it's time to take a look at the year in Big Data. This year saw Big Data begin to emerge from the hype cycle, with more attention paid to how organizations can actually leverage their data assets to gain competitive advantage. Here are 12 of the most-read Big Data articles of 2012.

1. 9 Open Source Big Data Technologies to Watch

With more and more companies storing more and more data and hoping to leverage it for actionable insights, Big Data is making a big splash these days. Open source technology is at the core of most Big Data initiatives. Here are nine key open source Big Data technologies to keep an eye on.

2. 8 Real-World Big Data Deployments

The amount of data in the world doubles every 18 months. Here's a look at eight real-world Big Data deployments in a variety of industries.

3. 10 Trends Driving Big Data in Financial Services

When it comes to Big Data, the financial services sector has been somewhat slow on the uptake. Neil Palmer, partner of SunGard Consulting Services' Advanced Technology Business, explains it as a cautious approach to innovation driven by the heavily regulated nature of the industry. Here are 10 trends that SunGard's Palmer says will shape Big Data initiatives across all segments of the financial services industry in 2012.

4. How to Be Ready for Big Data

Big Data is coming, but for many organizations it's three-to-five years away. That doesn't mean you shouldn't prepare now. Analyzing Big Data will require reference information like that provided by a semantic data model. And once you mine the data, you need to secure it.

5. Big Data Causes Concern and Big Confusion

A new study suggests many organizations are concerned about managing Big Data, but most don't have a clear understanding of what Big Data means. Log management solutions can help organizations make sense of some of the data they're generating, but many resort to syslogs, spreadsheets or nothing at all.

6. Equifax Eyes Are Watching YouBig Data Means Big Brother

Equifax, the giant credit bureau, is using Big Data to create new analytics products from 800 billion business and consumer records worldwide. Its CIO says, 'We know more about you than you would care for us to know.'

7. How Big Data Brings BI, Predictive Analytics Together

Big data is breathing new life into business intelligence by putting the power of prediction into the hands of everyday decision-makers.

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