Nov 20 (Reuters) - MapR, which sells software for analyzing big data, named Dan Alter as its first chief financial officer as it prepares for a possible initial public offering.<br /><br />Alter helped to take Ikanos Communications Inc and Silicon Image Inc public as CFO.<br /><br />John Schroeder, co-founder and chief executive of MapR, said the company - whose customers include Cisco Systems Inc and comScore Inc - would consider an IPO.<br /><br />"We are preparing the company for that," he told Reuters. "That's something we would entertain over the next couple of years."