Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Virtualization and abstraction of the physical location of resources, support for
services and their flexible bundling as well as higher scalability and flexibility through
inclusion of external resources based on Grid and emerging Cloud Computing have
the potential to provide an IT infrastructure that addresses the demands of business
while utilizing the IT resources most efficiently and cost-effectively.
1.3 Technological Drivers for Grid Computing in Companies
IT in companies has been constantly changing its shape in the last decades (see
also fig. 1.2). This is driven by the changes in the way how companies conduct
business described in section 1.2 and by technological developments and innova-
tion. At the beginning, there were centralised data centres with mainframes. More
than a decade ago, a shift from large centralized mainframe computers towards
more distributed systems started to transform corporate IT. First, PCs were added to
support each single user in addition to mainframes that increasingly became distrib-
uted. Recently, mobile end devices have been added to support and enable greater
mobility of employees. Initially, computing power and storage of mobile devices
were limited and mobile devices were mainly used for voice communication. Today,
they have caught up and increasingly compete with PCs. A new trend is ubiqui-
tous computing and the enhancement of the environment as well as products with
sensors.
Fig. 1.2:
The Evolution of IT in companies
Overall, there is a trend towards distribution and decentralization of IT resources
that at the same time is confronted with the need for consolidated and efficient use
of IT resources. This results in several problems:
• Ever increasing demand for storage and computing power at each data centre
• Many and scattered data centres with underutilization of their resources
• Increasing maintenance costs of data centres
