A talk specially prepared for McMaster University. There is more benefit to thinking about big data as a paradigm rather than as a technology, as it helps shape these projects in the context of resolving some of the enterprise's greatest challenges, including its competitive positioning. This approach integrates the operating model, the business model and the strategy in the solution, which improves the ability of the project to actually deliver its intended value. I support this position with a case study that created audited financial value for a major global bank.