Wal-Mart, which practically invented Big Data analysis to unseemly good advantage, is reportedly consolidating its disparate data analytics systems into one global system and bringing in OpenStack and its mentor Rackspace Hosting to help develop the platform.

At least that's what investment house William Blair's analyst Jim Breen said Wednesday, tickling Rackspace's stock.

He thinks Rackpace will get more business from the retail giant as the WalmartLabs, Wal-Mart's Big Data division, builds out the new platform.

Maybe Rackspace will say something about when it reports its Q3 results next month.

Wal-Mart reportedly uses IBM and EMC technology now and Breen says its "online properties (including Walmart online, Sam's Club Online and Walmex) use different resource pools and analytics platforms."

It's expecting "the new central global platform will allow data scientists from its various web properties to analyze petabytes of real-time customer data and generate insights. Checks indicate that a portion of the infrastructure for this consolidated platform will use OpenStack in private and public cloud configurations. For the public cloud, Rackspace is being used. We believe that the opportunity with Wal-Mart has the potential to scale over time, and could lead to Big Data projects with other large retailers."

Separately, Rackspace the other day told the SEC that the guy who may have brought Wal-Mart into fold is leaving the company. Jim Lewandowski, who joined Rackspace in 2008 as the guy in charge of worldwide sales and lately general manager of the Enterprise business unit, making him responsible for big accounts, wants to "pursue other interests" and has been replaced for the time being by VP of strategy Chris Cochran.

Lewandowski will stick around until November 12 for the transition.