Should "Big Data" be capitalised?

In paragraphs should the term "Big Data" be capitalised? I seam to be finding contradicting information as it is a name for something but also a common term.

Which is correct?

When the volume and complexity of this cannot be supported by off-the-shelf IT solutions, custom IT frameworks are needed; this results in the data being classed as Big Data.

or

When the volume and complexity of this cannot be supported by off-the-shelf IT solutions, custom IT frameworks are needed; this results in the data being classed as big data.

Please also explain why - not just which is right!

Solution 1:

Big data being an IT concept, I would use the same rules as for terms like OOP (object oriented programming), which usually isn’t capitalized either.

IBM does not capitalize big data, and neither does Wikipedia.

Interestingly, on the site of one of the big players in big data, Hadoop, I can find hardly any mention of big data. They do mention large datasets :)

Solution 2:

In the case you describe above, you're referring to the size of the data set, not the collective of companies that service it. It is not a proper noun.

Do not capitalize.

By comparison: when you are creating a collective like Big Oil, Big Data, (describing AT&T, Verizon, Cisco, etc.) you are creating an entity. Most entities are then named. And most names are then proper nouns. Most proper nouns are then capitalized in English.

So, capitalize in that case: Big Data.

Here is an example from Engadget the respected tech blog:

Monsanto pushes Big Data-driven planting but farmers are skeptical

Engadget is an especially reliable source because they do not use title capitalization. In other words, they capitalized it on purpose instead of just because it's in a title.