Pinterest is no National Security Agency, but the company, which identifies itself as a “visual discovery tool,” has grown into a collector of plenty information. Like Twitter, Facebook, Google, and other web giants, Pinterest has developed sophisticated systems for storing the data, but it’s also built a tool that lets lots of employees get at it.

Virtualized data centers that run lots of virtual machines for handling applications on every single server can save you a lot of money. But managing these virtual machines along with regular, non-virtualized servers might not be easy. StrataCloud, a startup that helps manage VMware-based data centers, has just picked up $2 million in seed money to better market its software to enterprises.

MapR Technologies, Inc., provider of the top-ranked distribution for Apache™ Hadoop®, today announced that it is one of the first to receive Big Data Competency status from Amazon Web Services (AWS). Now part of the new AWS Partner Network (APN) Competency Program, AWS has named MapR as a Big Data Competency Partner based on customer success, technical proficiency and software validation.

Real estate Brokers spend a lot of time looking for potential buyers and sellers, and now they’re putting some big data and analytics muscle into their work.

One of the difficulties with using virtual systems is that it's harder to measure performance. Now though data insights specialist CloudPhysics is launching a new Global Insights tool to allow VMware users to continuously benchmark their virtual infrastructure against global metrics.

Over the past year, Indiana’s governor, Republican Mike Pence, has spoken frequently about a persistent public health issue: a higher-than-average infant mortality rate.

Hilary Mason , a big-data rock star , aims to make her quarterly newsletter a must-read for executives looking to capitalize on big data. In a recent survey by Forrester Research Inc., more than 90 percent of respondents expressed significant interest but said they had no plans to implement a big-data project in the coming year.

Every day, thousands of Americans apply for new credit cards, loans, and mortgages.  In the decision-making process, banks use one number to review a person’s financial history and assess their likelihood to pay off debt: a credit score. Similarly, other industries are striving to mimic this approach by using algorithm-based data to predict future outcomes in various settings.