Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud

    Future of Grids May Be Outside the Enterprise

    By
    eWEEK Editorial Board
    -
    May 23, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Grid computing has been a hot topic for the past two years. but looking at things honestly, grid technology has not yet made much headway in the enterprise. It could be that a perception gap, which we wrote about in a February 2004 special report on grid adoption, still exists.

      There does appear to be a mismatch between the grid technologies that are available and enterprise needs. Without question, grid-style architectures have filled the bill in some instances. Where supercomputers once crunched numbers at universities and research facilities, grids are stepping in. And at certain enterprises such as eBay, where extraordinary fault tolerance is required to serve a global 24-hour marketplace, only a grid of interconnected servers across multiple data centers will do. Still, many enterprises dont yet have the needs that can be uniquely satisfied by the grid paradigm.

      Further, there are other needs to which IT must devote its attention. Security, for example, is a nearly universal priority. Here, grid has offered no advantage. Adopting grid computing on top of questionably secure platforms or as infrastructure for insecure applications can compound security problems as data and processes spread through more venues and along more connections. These issues also arise in the exploration of Web services; grids and Web services are thus evolving along the same lines in response to the same pressures and are incorporating shared standards as shown in the latest Globus Toolkit. Indeed, Globus Toolkit 4.0, available now, adds support for Web services standards, Security Markup Language and Extensible Access Control Markup Language.

      We think the maturity of grid technologies, as exemplified by Globus Toolkit 4.0, will lead to wider adoption of grids. However, it could be that grids within the enterprise will never be mainstream, that their future lies outside the enterprise as the platform for public IT utilities. Vendors are lending their weight to this view. Sun Microsystems this month announced an expansion of its Sun Grid program, in which customers can access computing resources hosted in global data centers for $1 per CPU hour. In addition, the Enterprise Grid Alliance, of which Sun is a member, unveiled its grid Reference Model that could enable standardized deployments of utility computing solutions.

      This view coincides with that of author Nicholas G. Carr, noted for his “Does IT Matter?” thesis, who writes in this weeks Free Spectrum that the in-house IT resource will be replaced by an external grid—following the same evolutionary pattern as electricity generation.

      But grid-based utilities are not anywhere near widespread adoption. So what do we do until IT becomes like electricity? Forward-looking IT organizations should monitor grid developments but spend resources today on solving problems of application vulnerability and data exposure that no enterprise platform can tolerate. Otherwise, grid computing is not even really an option, let alone a compelling opportunity.

      What do you think? Send your comments to eWEEK@ziffdavis.com.

      Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest utility computing news, reviews and analysis.

      eWEEK Editorial Board

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×