The panel moderator looks out over the audience. It’s a large crowd. For the first time ever, Big Data, Hadoop, and the Internet of Things are appearing on stage together. The conversation has just begun, so let’s listen in for a minute.

Big Data: “…and people have been trying to define me for years. No one seems to agree on who or what I am, but folks, here I am. Look at me: I am not 3V’s. I am so much more!”

Moderator: “Indeed you are, Big Data, and we are very happy to have you here with us this morning. Hadoop, want to introduce yourself?”

Hadoop: “Hi, my name is Hadoop and I recently turned eight years old.”

Moderator: “Happy birthday!”

Big Data: “You just turned 8 and you’re still carrying around your stuffed yellow elephant?”

Hadoop: “Are you making fun of my elephant?”

Big Data: “No, I’m making fun of you. Why don’t you carry around cool stuff like the Internet of Things does?”

Internet of Things: “You can call me IoT. It’s like ‘coyote’ without the ‘c.’ Get it?”

Big Data: “Eye-OH-tee it is, Mr. Cool Dude.”

Hadoop: “Big Data, why do you keep cutting in? You’re not the moderator. Just because you’re the biggest dude on this panel doesn’t make you the baddest…if you get my drift…”

The audience starts laughing. They’re enjoying the banter.

Moderator: “If you don’t mind, Big Data, I’d like to cut in here.” Big Data smiles. “I’d like to shift the conversation and talk about the world of hype you guys live in. I just read…”

IoT: “Don’t even get me started on this hype stuff. I’m drowning in it. I shouldn’t be called the Internet of Things. I should be called the Hypernet of Things. It’s all hype, hype, hype!”

Big Data: “Would we then have to call you high-OH-tee, IoT?” Big Data flashes a big smile.

IoT: “I’d prefer HOT-tee, thank you.”

Moderator: Continuing with his previous remarks… “You’re exactly right, IoT. In Gartner’s recent hype cycle for emerging technologies, you were at the top of the cycle. And even though that was big news, the bigger news was that Big Data was sliding into the trough of disillusionment. Big Data was all the hype last year, but this year, it’s your turn, IoT.”

Hadoop: “What’s the big deal with these hype cycles, anyways? Who cares?”

Big Data: “You’re just sore because your name isn’t on it.”

Hadoop: “That’s right. Because I always get lumped in with you, Big Data. And I’m sick and tired of it. Everyone thinks I need you to survive, but that isn’t so.”

Big Data: “Not again, Hadoop. How many times do we need to have this discussion?”

And, on that fiery note, we’ll leave it to the moderator to carry on with these three livewires.

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Author’s Note: Yes, the panel discussion above is fictional—yet the “panelists” are very real. Organizations, large and small, in both the private and public sectors, are grappling with the issues of big data and Hadoop—and more recently, the Internet of Things—and are trying to figure out what it all means and how it can help improve their business.

This year, I will be at The Premier Business Leadership Series, and will be participating in discussions on these very topics:

• The Internet of Things is Here. Are You Ready? – Moderating a panel discussion with AT&T, Cisco, and Duke Energy
• Facts About Hadoop and Open Source You Need to Know – Moderating a panel discussion with Hortonworks, Deloitte, and JP Morgan Chase
• The Big Data Organizational Ecosystem: Getting the Right People on the Big Data Bus – Co-presenting with Barb Wixom of MIT
• The Three Divas Dish on Data: Privacy, Access, and Value in the Big Data Era – Participating in discussion with Barb Wixom of MIT and Anne Buff of SAS Best Practices

This leadership conference draws in more than 600 senior-level attendees, and is designed to address an executive-level audience and its specific challenges. If you’re at a director-level or above and would like to join us at this event, visit the event site and click on the “Register” link at the top. We’d love to see you there!