This document discusses big data and provides an agenda for a presentation. It defines big data, outlines its key characteristics of volume, velocity and variety. A brief history of big data is given starting from individual data generation on social networks and sensors to Google's distributed file systems. Common use cases are listed across various industries. The challenges of traditional systems to handle big data are presented. Research findings around talent shortage and increasing data volume are summarized. Action plans are proposed to implement distributed file systems, NoSQL databases, and machine learning to extract value from large, diverse, and fast-growing unstructured data.