Due to the tremendous amount of data generated daily from fields such as business, research, and sciences, big data is everywhere and represents huge opportunities to those who can use it effectively. In the past, this information was simply ignored and opportunities were missed. Realizing the great importance of big data, organizations scramble to find hidden information buried in big data and try to make the best use of it. I have recently contributed to a reference book titledBig Data Management, Technologies, and Applicationspublished with IGI Global that provides the most up-to-date, crucial, and practical information for big data management, technologies, and applications. My chapter contribution titled "A Review of System Benchmark Standards and a Look Ahead Towards an Industry Standard for Benchmarking Big Data Workloads", looks into techniques to measure the effectiveness of hardware and software platforms dealing with big data.

For additional information on this chapter, including a full abstract, visit the chapter website: http://www.igi-global.com/chapter/a-review-of-system-benchmark-standards-and-a-look-ahead-towards-an-industry-standard-for-benchmarking-big-data-workloads/85466. Also see contribution from my colleague Kapil Bakshi, titledTechnologies for Big Data.