When we think of Big Data we tend to think IT departments. Cloud, storage, data management and visualization, business intelligence and advertising metrics. But Big Data reaches beyond the IT department, and for investors looking to make their bets on the hottest buzzword in the tech industry, the true winners won’t be the traditional tech stalwarts, said analyst Jeff Kelly.

During a presentation at this week’s Big Data NYC event, the Wikibon analyst encouraged the Wall Street crowd to consider the bigger picture, seeking out the most effective practitioners of Big Data technology in order to predict the likeliest of success stories. Looking beyond IBM, Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc., investors should be looking at disruptive companies like Uber Inc. and Netflix Inc. that have created new market opportunities based on their efficient use of data, explained Kelly, also calling attention to established enterprises like the United Parcel Service (UPS), General Electric Co. and Coca Cola Co. that are carving new market channels through Big Data applications.

However, the mere adoption of Big Data technology won’t guarantee big returns, Kelly warned.  Investors will want to beef up their own Big Data IQ in order to determine which practitioners are making the best effort towards effective Big Data applications. He outlined these questions for investors to ask of their potential investments when seeking out their Big Data bets:

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• How well are you leveraging the cloud?
• How well are you personalizing the experience?
• How secure, private and trusted are transactions?
• How effective are you at fostering information sharing?
• Do you have the Data Science skills to harness collective intelligence?
• How rapidly can you react to evolving consumer tastes and new value opportunities?

You can view Jeff Kelly’s presentation below, along with an industry panel discussion.

Be sure to catch SiliconANGLE’s archived coverage of Big Data NYC on our YouTube channel here.