IT directors in the UK are overlooking the potential business
benefits of grid computing, which allows the spare processing power
of multiple computers on a distributed network to be applied to a
common goal, said analyst Bloor Research.
"It is not an area that has had enough attention paid to it in the
UK," said Bloor analyst Tony Lock. "Practical applications for
businesses are very real now," he said.
Grid computing is about making the best use of all available
resources and can allow IT directors on tight budgets to sweat
their assets, said Lock. They should be identifying areas of their
IT infrastructure that grid computing could help, he said.
The model can deliver significant savings and improve efficiency
levels. For example, Lock said it is not unusual for companies to
use only 20%-30% of their storage capacity.
IT experts have mooted grid computing as the next big thing in
business technology. Until recently business applications in this
field have been rare but the situation is slowly changing. Last
month Abbey National Treasury Services said it has used grid
computing to calculate complex risk assessments.
Lock said the biggest wins will occur when grid computing is
synchronised with the take-up of Web services.
"They can happen independently but the bigger benefits will happen
when they are put together," he said.
"It will give IT even more potential to be more flexible in support
of the business, which is what business is demanding. However, that
is not going to happen overnight," he added.
Grid computing pays dividends
Bloor suggests commercial uses for grid computing:
- Server/storage consolidation and aggregation
- Maximising CPU power at departmental and enterprise
level
- Distributed resource and workload management
- Batch processing
- Cutting time-to-market for products
- Collaborative/peer-to-peer computing
- Database decision support/data mining.