It seems everything’s getting smarter these days, from our television sets to our business practices.  And that means smarter opportunities for service providers like Hewlett-Packard, Google and beyond.

This week we broadcast live from HP Vertica’s first Big Data conference, hearing from HP and its partners and customers the finer details of implementing analytics-driven solutions.  One of the top segments was an interview with Yammer, where driving down the cost of analytics is a driving goal for the social enterprise platform.

The likes of Google, Apple and Netflix are also anxious to put smart solutions to work, in your home of all places.  And many of us are glad for the effort – otherwise, how could we so readily catch up on the last five seasons of Breaking Bad?

Security, however, is one of the most important frontiers for smarter solutions, as our increasingly connected world leaves us vulnerable to data leaks and password hacks.  As ubiquitous as Google’s services are becoming, it’s also paving the way for more sophisticated hack attacks in Google Chrome, for one.

So it’s no surprise many of the companies mentioned above are pouring resources into top talent, flocking to Boston where MIT tends to pump out the best and brightest in the tech industry.  Boston is also where the recently concluded HP Vertica Big Data Conference was held, reiterating the booming influence of intelligence in our sector.

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photo credit: Pedro Glez. via photopin cc