From sales and marketing to inventory management and supply chain optimization, real-time data has become a key ingredient in the success of more and more enterprises. While understanding the past can be useful, businesses today have grown increasingly hungry for information that can be acted on as events occur. In this world, the volume of data streaming in from sensors, devices, and websites is not the biggest challenge; it’s the shrinking shelf life of data coupled with a relentless demand for fast, easy access from employees, customers, and partners. For many organizations, data silos and data latency are still major issues.