Ask Clay Richardson, a Forrester analyst, about how to make the most of big data and you will hear his favorite mantra: Big data demands big process.  The implication of that statement is that big data can’t just be allowed to “happen,” Richardson says. Planning and technology need to be brought to bear if you are going to wring the benefits out of all of that data. In particular, big and powerful tools are going to be mandatory.

One element of that response, according to Richardson and others, should be business process management (BPM), which can be used to streamline the data handling process and add intelligence to the management of big data. Richardson says BPM can help turn data into visualizations rapidly enough to give data immediate value to business end users. And, he notes, BPM is a business-friendly approach to handling the big data challenge that requires less hands-on help from IT.