This document discusses big data and provides advice for increasing chances of success working with big data. It defines big data as data that is input/output bound rather than CPU bound. It notes that big data presents another barrier to entry, especially for small and medium businesses, and recommends establishing a data-driven culture, focusing on data quality, and targeting consumer-facing rather than business-to-business applications to help overcome challenges. The document also outlines typical maturity steps from data to analytics to data mining to predictive analytics.