| Most industries today have become so dynamic | | | | pioneer in Grid Computing, provided his |
| that organisations have to consistently seek | | | | definition for the layman as being the |
| and adapt to change, in order to survive and | | | | "technology to enable the sharing of |
| prosper. Factors like more diversified | | | | computing resources across institutional |
| customer preferences, technological advances, | | | | boundaries". Research firm, Gartner, Inc., |
| increased competitive threats and an | | | | defines grid computing as a way to solve |
| intensified global economy are among the | | | | computing tasks using resources that are |
| forces inducing change. Organisations need to | | | | shared by more than one owner and coordinated |
| become more adaptable embracing Charles | | | | to solve more than one problem.The concept of |
| Darwin's view that "it is not the strongest | | | | Grid Computing was initially popular among |
| of the species that survives, nor the most | | | | academics, research and scientific |
| intelligent, but the one that is the most | | | | communities. It was used for functions that |
| adaptable to change".A survey conducted by | | | | required a substantial amount of computing |
| PricewaterhouseCoopers in March 2004 shows | | | | power. However in these last years, an |
| that 47% of the CEO's of the US's fastest | | | | increasing number of organisations are early |
| growing companies believe that their most | | | | adopting and trying to reap benefits from |
| critical success factor is having flexible | | | | this technology.There are numerous examples |
| strategies to respond to accelerating | | | | where Grid computing has been applied. Among |
| business changes. However, many recently | | | | the research communities, Oxford University |
| implemented Information Systems still tend to | | | | is using Grid technology to analyse 3.5 |
| ignore this need for flexibility and at times | | | | billion molecules to work out their cancer |
| are hard to scale and customise, thereby | | | | fighting potential. Same is being done by |
| limiting the ability of an enterprise to | | | | Stanford University in order to analyse the |
| react fast to its evolving business needs.In | | | | role protein plays in keeping people healthy. |
| the last two decades we constantly | | | | The search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence |
| experienced a dramatic change in the way we | | | | (SETI) project is another example. Here, |
| store and process digital information. Every | | | | volunteers download and install a free |
| few years there has been an industry | | | | program so as to process and analyse massive |
| breakpoint; an important new computing | | | | amounts of data in search of evidence of |
| concept that changed radically the way | | | | possible radio transmissions from |
| computers are used and Information Systems | | | | extraterrestrial life. When tallying up all |
| are implemented. Examples include graphical | | | | the processing power that these PC's provide, |
| and more user-friendly interfaces, the | | | | it's like having one big supercomputer. Grid |
| clientserver concept and the Internet. Such | | | | technologies also played a major role in |
| factors have somehow aided and contributed to | | | | identifying the world's largest known prime |
| position computers as a necessary commodity. | | | | number. This was part of the Marsenne project |
| Additionally, with the constant drop in the | | | | where scientists identified the 43rd Marsenne |
| cost of hardware, and better and cheaper | | | | Prime 230,402,457-1. - a figure that contains |
| network bandwidth, computers have become even | | | | 9,152,052 digits.Business ApplicabilityWithin |
| more ubiquitous. The Internet has evolved | | | | business communities, the Grid concept is far |
| tremendously and is today considered as | | | | more popular among large corporations. Baum, |
| probably the most effective communication | | | | the publishing editor for Oracle Corporation, |
| medium. Whilst technology tends to evolve in | | | | states that these corporations are initially |
| a non-linear fashion, Moore's Law has ensured | | | | attracted by the amount of savings that the |
| that processing power has been increasing | | | | technology can provide. Mainstay Partners |
| exponentially.Though this is contributing to | | | | conducted an ROI study to evaluate the |
| easier hoarding and dissemination of | | | | enterprise grid technology platforms |
| information, ICT professionals today still | | | | currently in use at seven participating |
| face tough challenges. ICT budgets grew | | | | companies. It was concluded that the |
| rapidly in the late 90's in anticipation of | | | | adaptation of grid technology yielded an |
| the Y2K problem. In these last years many ICT | | | | average of 43 percent savings in hardware |
| departments have been even asked to cut their | | | | cost. Much of the savings were credited to |
| budgets while they were expected to continue | | | | the shift from a large symmetric |
| providing an appropriate information | | | | multiprocessor server to a number of lower |
| infrastructure so as to enable the | | | | cost servers. With the use of Grid technology |
| organisations to augment their products and | | | | the latter setup delivered similar or at |
| possibly gain a competitive edge. Hardware | | | | times even more computational power than the |
| replacement cycles are perceived to have | | | | larger system, however with fewer costs. |
| increased. Generally speaking, ICT budgets | | | | Baum's report adds that the grids within |
| did not grow in these last years in line with | | | | these companies were being used for a variety |
| the computational needs of the organisations; | | | | of applications, including enterprise |
| whilst workloads are still increasing, the | | | | resource planning (ERP), decision support, |
| capacities to handle them are not.In some | | | | customer relationship management (CRM), and |
| cases increasing a firm's computational needs | | | | supply chain management (SCM).Still, |
| might end up in a lot of computational power | | | | companies that operate in the financial |
| which is not appropriately utilised. Why? | | | | services industry, drug discoveries and |
| Consider for example the utilization of a | | | | weather modeling are initially more prone to |
| server machine. Most of the time its real | | | | benefit from Grid technologies, as they are |
| processing capacity is not used at all. | | | | involved in complex scientific and |
| However maybe sometimes because a large and | | | | mathematical calculations and therefore |
| long process is executed or the number of | | | | require an added amount of computational |
| connected users temporarily increase, the | | | | power. So are companies that tend to process |
| server might endup experiencing a processing | | | | large amounts of data for their business |
| overload. It has been estimated that on | | | | intelligence activities. However, |
| average a desktop computer uses only about 5% | | | | organisations are increasingly being enticed |
| to 8% of its processing power (EuropeanCeo, | | | | to adopt Grid technologies even for their |
| 2005). Whilst, as Hendry (2004) reports, load | | | | transactional based systems, given that Grids |
| balancing can aid in the distribution of | | | | may further facilitate storage space |
| processing and communication activity, | | | | Issues.Challenges faced by Grid ComputingIDC, |
| similar servers that experience spikes in | | | | the market intelligence and advisory services |
| processor usage are barely used for the rest | | | | firm, are referring to Grid computing as the |
| of the day and eventually end up with a large | | | | fifth generation of computing, after |
| amount of unused computing capacity.So the | | | | client-server and multi-tier (Table 1).Yet, |
| inevitable questions are, is it really | | | | according to IDC, the technology still needs |
| feasible to increase and upgrade the firm's | | | | to be 'normalised' and has to overcome |
| single source of computational power if most | | | | various challenges. IDC believes that these |
| of the time the existing processing power is | | | | concerns, in some cases, are more perception |
| not being used? How can we ensure that a | | | | than reality, and as organisations gain more |
| firm's computational resources are well | | | | experience with this distributed approach, |
| balanced and allocated, so as to minimise | | | | their concerns will be laid to |
| wastage and eventually, justify any further | | | | rest.Additionally, a research conducted by |
| investment in the ICT infrastructure?The | | | | the 451 Group shows that software licensing, |
| basic concept that gives insight to the | | | | security and bandwidth matters are among the |
| answer to these questions extends back to the | | | | things that can disturb grid |
| 70's when the notion of distributed computing | | | | rollouts.ConclusionWhilst Grid computing |
| was born. Today, we are seeing increasing | | | | still needs to find broad acceptance in the |
| interest among business communities in what | | | | commercial space, yet, market analysts state |
| is termed as, Grid | | | | that the technology is here to stay. As Tom |
| Computing.DefinitionWorld-renowned | | | | Hawk, the general manager of Grid computing |
| organisations are promoting the Grid in a big | | | | for IBM says, "The Web is about sharing |
| way and several definitions can be found. It | | | | information. The grid is about sharing |
| has become a fashionable term. Dr. Ian | | | | resources".Sandro Azzopardi is a professional |
| Foster, a professor at the University of | | | | author who writes several articles on various |
| Chicago and director of the Distributed | | | | subjects on his web site and local newspapers |
| Systems Lab at Argonne National Laboratory, a | | | | and magazines. |