Microsoft

Be careful what you wish for. Weve all heard that cautionary tale at one time or another. Sometimes it was merited; sometimes not. With big data initiatives, truer words were never spoken.

Past recipients have included the chairman and CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates and the chairman and CEO of IBM Corporation Samuel J. Palmisano.

More than any other time in history, consumer goods sales and marketing teams are leaning on intelligent systems to navigate change. CGT's Publisher, Albert Guffanti, asks Michael Shoemaker, director, Industry Market Development -- Distribution & Consumer Goods for Microsoft, to explain why yesterday's technologies don't match up to modern day business and consumer needs.

Two years ago, K'NEX started the construction of an internal intranet that would control the majority of product-related data across all departments. Find out what the K.I.I.D. system looks like today.

Based on glowing reader nominations, CGT presents 14 small to mid-sized companies, including KEEN, Popcorn, Indiana and Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt, with the title of 2013 Standout SMB. Find out what they've been up to over the last year and what plans they have for the future.

CGT's readers rank the top five technology companies that provide a complete suite of enterprise-wide ERP software, including finance, HR, CRM, supply chain, PLM, asset management, etc.

Humankind created more data in a single day in 2012 than it produced between 4000 BC and the year 2000! It is no wonder that Big Data is a common buzz component in today's information age dialogue. Recently, Big Data advocates from Reily Foods, Revlon and Microsoft convened to answer the question on most consumer goods executives minds: How are consumer goods companies capitalizing on all this data, and better yet, how are they using and communicating it?