Splunk, DataSift Team Up For Big Data AnalyticsSplunk, DataSift Team Up For Big Data Analytics

DataSift, a social data software startup, has announced a strategic partnership that integrates its real-time social media feeds with Splunk's log management and analytic systems. The alliance makes DataSift the first social data platform to stream data directly into Splunk Storm and Splunk Enterprise, the companies said.

Splunk's enterprise software captures, indexes, and analyzes machine-generated real-time data. It organizes the information in a searchable repository and provides a Web-based interface for generating reports, alerts, visualizations and graphs. The company's cloud-based Splunk Storm helps enterprises monitor applications running on public cloud platforms.

DataSift, on the other hand, delivers real-time social data, such as feeds from Twitter, MySpace and Klout, to data warehousing and BI platforms. Its big data tools, including Push and Query Builder, are designed to help business managers mine and filter feeds from social sites.

[ Prescriptive analytics tells you what will happen, along with when and why. Read more at Prescriptive Analytics And Big Data: Next Big Thing? ] The new partnership integrates DataSift's cloud-based service with Splunk Storm Cloud, Splunk Enterprise or a mixed environment in the enterprise. By correlating DataSift's social data with Spunk's operational data (Web logs, metrics, events and so on), organizations can examine what social media users are saying about their operations and then use this actionable intelligence to improve customer engagement or gain brand awareness. "The integration with DataSift is useful across industries and segments for any enterprise using Splunk, [particularly those with an online presence]," a DataSift spokesperson told information via email.

The retail and CPG (consumer packaged goods) industry could benefit from an integrated DataSift-Splunk solution, the companies said. "Retail and CPG are great use cases because a company can finally connect the dots between who is not just clicking on the website, but also purchasing [products] as well," wrote the DataSift spokesperson.

For instance, a company could match social behavior with information from a variety of sources, including point of sale (POS), loyalty and click data. This would enable a retailer that's promoting itself online, particularly in social media, to "connect the dots" by combining real-time social streams with internal data, according to DataSift.

"The DataSift platform's ability to feed Splunk Storm and Splunk Enterprise enables companies to collect and run analytics on terabytes of social data within minutes," said DataSift founder and CTO Nick Halstead in a statement. "This unique combination of powerful cloud solutions is a great example of the best in big data."

"Organizations that are able to assess the impact of social media are better positioned to capitalize on new business through social or viral promotions," added Bill Gaylord, Splunk senior vice president of business development, in a statement.

DataSift's competitors include Gnip, a Boulder, Colo.-based startup that also delivers social data feeds to enterprise customers. In December Gnip touted its big data partnership with a number of tech industry heavy-hitters, including Splunk, IBM and EMC Greenplum.

Splunk's competitors in the cloud-based log management market include the San Francisco-based Loggly, and Sumo Logic in Mountain View, California.

Reuters reported earlier this week that Splunk plans to add 2,000 customers, although no timetable was given. The smaller Sumo Logic currently has between 85 and 90 clients, including Netflix and Progress Software, and hopes to end the year with around 600 customers.

IT organizations will spend nearly $55 billion on big data products and services by 2016 -- more than double the $27 billion spent in 2011, according to research firm Gartner.

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