Big data will grow past its hype towards 2016 to become “just data” once the technologies mature, and organisations learn how to deal with it.

That is according to Gartner research, which says while data is regularly defined by the dimensions of volume, velocity and variety, information management concerns must be much broader.

“The bottom line is that not all information requires a big data approach,” says Frank Buytendijk, research vice president, Gartner.

“The new “big data way’ is not going to replace all other forms of information management.

"There is more room - and need - for experimentation in the area of ‘information of innovation,’ for instance with social media data, or by making processes more information-centric.”

Buytendijk says that it’s important that companies understand that big data isn't the only stream of innovation in information management.

In what Gartner calls "The Nexus of Forces”, the industry is in the middle of a combination of mobile, social, cloud and information innovation where new opportunities arise.

“Information management has gone ‘cross-platform content delivery’, and this line of innovation hasn't ended yet," Buytendijk says.

"For example, mobile devices offer location-based context to select the right data, and augmented reality and mashups.

"However, mobile content delivery is only a part of the impact on information management.

"Mobile devices will develop to become a prime source of data collection.”

Information as an asset

“The underlying message is that information is an asset in its own right," argues Buytendijk. "It has value.

"It is not something of the far future, in fact, this is happening today in various industries, in commerce and public sector, in large and small enterprises.”

Buytendijk underlined the fact however that as exciting as all new business opportunities are, there are also reasons for concern.

Concerning the ethics of big data, a recent Gartner Circle study showed that "governance and privacy" was the most important concern around big data – clearly there is a fine line between superior customer insight and being "creepy" concludes Buytendijk.