Big Data and analytics are clearly essential components in today’s business value chain. Amidst the maelstrom of new technologies, end-user expectations, demands from business leaders and debates around the hype of Big Data, it is increasingly challenging to decide how to balance energy and effort between data, the cloud, security, privacy, skill gaps and organizational boundaries. However, if we look beyond the present — what’s next? Using examples from his work at Xerox, Craig Saunders offers a research-and-innovation lens to anticipate new challenges on the horizon and prepare to address them in the right way.