How big is the economic power of the Industrial Internet? Consider one analysis that places a

conservative estimate of worldwide spending at $500 billion by 2020, and which then points to more optimistic forecasts ranging as high as $15 trillion of global GDP by 2030.

The Industrial Internet—the combination of Big Data analytics with the Internet of Things (see sidebar)— is producing huge opportunities for companies in all industries, but especially in areas such as Aviation, Oil and Gas, Transportation, Power Generation and Distribution, Manufacturing, Healthcare and Mining. Why? Because, as one recent analysis has it, “Not all Big Data is created equal.” According to the authors, “data created by industrial equipment such as wind turbines, jet engines and MRI machines … holds more potential business value on a size-adjusted basis than other types of Big Data associated with the social Web, consumer Internet and other sources.”