Craig Stires is a Director for IDC's Asia/Pacific Big Data and Analytics research, based out of Singapore. With the Business Analytics Program, Craig and his team continuously gather, analyze, and provide insight into the expansive opportunities of Big Data and Analytics. With a focus on the real use cases and best practices, his team integrates with the thought leaders across the region.

Craig brings a proven track record in enabling businesses to choose and deliver key enterprise-wide strategic IT systems, focused on Business Intelligence, Risk Management, and Customer Relationships. With 15+ years in the IT industry, working across a spectrum of roles from negotiating partner engagements to managing project delivery, to developing software platforms, he has developed a hands-on understanding of bringing IT solutions from concepts to deliverables.

Prior to joining IDC, he founded and managed Asia Xero, a business which builds and delivers software specializing in predicting individual information needs across an organization. This solution was delivered across industries including media, advertising, legal services, and real estate.  Prior to Asia Xero, he worked for 10 years with SAS, starting at Global HQ, then into Asia Pacific as the Manager of Business Intelligence solutions for the region.  During that time, he worked with the executive management of clients to design the solution best fit for their needs.  Craig also provided the management of channel relationships and project teams for key strategic engagements.

Craig has been quoted in a number of publications, including CIO, ZDNet, Microsoft Business, IT Wire, and the Bangkok Post. He led and keynoted the eleven-city IDC Asia/Pacific Big Data event series in 2012. He has also been a featured speaker at numerous global and regional industry conferences such as the IDC Business Intelligence and Service Oriented Architectures event, and several SAS User Group conferences across Asia and Europe.

Craig holds a Bachelors of Science degree from the North Carolina State University school of Engineering, majoring in Networking and Architecture.