The 2014 edition of IT research company Gartner's hype cycle, published this week, shows an overwhelmingly positive outlook for custom database development, database management, data science and big data over the next decade. The cycle is a graphic representation of where emerging technologies stand in terms of industry perception and their permeation with their potential audience, and it also predicts when said technologies will have reached enough exposure to no longer be considered emerging.
Big data, which last year was classified as the most hyped technology, has now moved past the "Peak of Inflated Expectations". According to the cycle's progression, the next step will be supplier consolidation, followed by a second and third wave of venture capital influx, which will set big data well on the path to the so-called "Plateau of Productivity", the final stage, which it will reach, according to Gartner, within the next five to 10 years.
By that time, data science will already be a productive technology — in fact, it is projected to be the fastest mover in the coming months and years. Now only at the beginning of the mass media hype stage, Gartner nevertheless predicts that data science will quickly proceed on to the subsequent waves of investment that eventually lead to consolidation. Also plateauing in less than five years will in-memory database management systems.
Given this positive outlook, it's clear that data management, already an important part of any business, is only going to become more relevant with time. Business managers would be wise to engage the services of database consultants, who can provide custom database software which will not only assist in the running of the business's operations but also help them keep up with the current trend.