Cloud services and software as a service are flourishing. IT departments are freed from having to support hardware and software infrastructure, and users get the latest software updates. But the backend of these types of services is the data that they are able to collect. By being able to view a spectrum of users across many different industries and uses, many companies are able to collect valuable marketing data that is not directly related to the services they are providing. The use of this data may be helpful for individuals as companies are able to leverage it to make a better match between want and need. The value of this information to marketers is clear. Will companies and individuals be willing to contribute to this type of data collection, especially when most are blissfully unaware? Time will tell.
The other reason is that the big part of big data really is important if you want to get a really clear picture of what’s happening in any given space. While no single end-user company can (or likely would) address search-engine optimization, for example, by building a massive store comprised of data from hundreds or thousands of companies as well as the entire web, a cloud service dedicated to that specific task can. — This is why big data is the sweet spot for SaaS by Derrick Harris