A happy new year, one and all. As we settle into the first working week of 2012, refreshed and recuperated, sporting our new scarves, and certainly with no lingering hangovers from the NYE celebrations, there is a familiar sense of arrival that accompanies the first fresh page of the Filofax.

This ‘out with the old and in with the new’ milieu is particularly prevalent for us here at the Business Leadership Exchange this year. As 2011 drew towards a close, discussions around the increasing importance of big data and cloud computing (two of our key focus areas, along with business intelligence and performance management) intensified across the media and throughout business networking circles to epic proportions.

The end-of-year survey results and analyst comments all seemed to agree on one thing: the uptake of cloud and big data tools will be chief among the concerns for anyone involved in strategic business IT planning this year.  

Cloud and big data are the modern ‘people’s heroes’ where businesses are concerned. They can allow all organisations, large and small, to compete on an even footing, with access to the same tools, services and methodologies. Furthermore, in times of economic uncertainty, as we are faced with now, these new technology processes offer the opportunity for increased competitive advantage, despite the downturn in trading conditions. For some, the added efficiency they offer can be the difference between growth and just staying afloat – or worse.

Most companies will now be using cloud in at least one form, consciously or otherwise. Many are now looking to move more and more of their internal IT systems across. Only the most progressive companies are using big data tools to analyse extremely large or complex data sets but analysts expect the chasing pack to catch on fast.

But with both – especially the fledgling and still mysterious big data – widespread understanding of what can be achieved, and how, is low.

That’s where we come in. As throughout our seven year history, we will be relaying the very latest thought leadership and insight into cloud and big data, as well as the comparatively mature business intelligence, through the three respective communities we run: The Cloud Circle (cloud computing), the Big Data Insight Group (big data) and Obis Omni (business intelligence and performance management).

Our newest community, the Big Data Insight Group, launched in December, is fast approaching 500 members with senior business and IT personnel from companies such as British Airways, Tesco, O2, BBC, NHS, Transport for London, HSBC and John Lewis already signed up.

On the events side this year we will be running forums, conferences, masterclasses, breakfast briefings and ‘think tanks’ style discussion groups  in which we will bring together some of the foremost leading experts in the country in their respective fields, some of the most innovative solution suppliers, and ahead-of-the-curve business practitioners who will offer advice and insight to their peers.

Our editorial will feature our established range of Industry Trends Reports, eNewsletters, interviews with C level executives and entrepreneurs, best practice features, peer-driven case studies and videos, supplemented by a range of new initiatives including app of the week, movers and shakers and job vacancies.

Everything we cover is completely governed by the wants and needs of the members that we serve. If you’d like to attend any of our events or contribute to our editorial, or if there’s anything that you’d like to see us cover, please email me, the editor, at mark.young@thecloudcircle.com.

The following is a list of just some of our upcoming activities:

•          The Annual Member Networking event – 22 February, London
•          The 1^st Big Data Think Tank – 23 February, London
•          The 1^st Big Data Industry Trends Report, to be released in March
•          The 9^th Cloud Circle Forum, 20 March
•          The 1^st Big Data Insight Group Forum – 17 April, London
•          The 3^rd Cloud Circle Annual Supplier Handbook, to be released in March
•          The Business Leadership Exchange Journal (covering all three subject areas we focus on), to commence in the spring.

From all of us here at the Business Leadership Exchange we wish you a prosperous 2012 and we hope to see you soon at one of our events.

Thanks,

Mark Young

Editor