Big data, that "large volume of data - both structured and unstructured - that inundates a business on a day-to-day basis" is a hot topic these days.

Even though the "information explosion" actually started 70 years ago, an increasing volume of online content has created a sudden rush for businesses looking to big data as the next money maker. In fact, the big data industry is expected to grow from $10.2 billion (US dollars) in 2013 to $54.3 billion by 2017.