BIG DATA
QUARTERLY
Fall 2026 CONTENTS
editor’s note | Stephanie Simone
2 BDQ Presents the Leading Companies in Data and AI
departments
3 BIG DATA BRIEFING
Key news on big data product launches, partnerships, and acquisitions
6 INSIGHTS | Craig Gravina
Master Data Management Vendor Consolidation Puts More Than Deployment at Risk
30 TRENDING NOW | Zachary A. Collier
Discover the Latest Cybersecurity Risk That Exploits AI Vulnerabilities: ‘Slopsquatting’
features
4 THE VOICE OF BIG DATA
Facing the Rising Cost of Cloud Infrastructure and What Companies Can Do to Stem the Tide: Q&A With Sevalla’s Kevin Downs
8 FEATURE ARTICLE | Joe McKendrick
10 New Technologies in a Big Data World
SPECIAL SECTION > DATA & AI 75
19 Introduction
20 Data & AI 75: Companies at the Convergence of Data and AI in 2026
28 BIG DATA BY THE NUMBERS
The Data Context Gap Stalling AI Initiatives
columns
32 DATA DIRECTIONS | Michael Corey & Don Sullivan
‘Double Secret Probation’ Tax
35 THE IOT INSIDER | Bart Schouw
The Hidden Tax on Every IoT Project—And Why Business Leaders Should Care
37 GOVERNING GUIDELINES | Kimberly Nevala
AI Is a Product—Manage Accordingly.