Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
• How many of the existing tasks and processes with strategic importance would
profit from higher processing and storage capacity of the existing infrastructure?
• How many of the existing tasks and processes with strategic importance do need
more servers and storage capacity?
Checking the readiness for Grid and Cloud Computing:
The check of the readi-
ness for Grid and Cloud Computing concerns mainly the existing infrastructure. It
involves in particular the analysis of: grid suitability of existing applications, quality
of the existing infrastructure and of the existing network.
•
Analysis of the grid suitability of existing applications
. A Grid infrastructure can
only be successful if there are suitable applications running on it. This means
that an important analysis that needs to be done is, if the existing application that
might benefit from Grid and Cloud Computing can be grid-enabled, i.e. adjusted
to run in parallel or to be modularized in smaller subprograms. The less appli-
cations available that can be parallelised the lower the added value of Grid and
Cloud Computing.
•
Analysis of the quality of the existing infrastructure
. Old infrastructure with low
availability and old software might not be appropriate as a starting point for
Grids and Clouds. The higher the heterogeneity of the existing infrastructure
the higher the risk of failure. Given this, it is important to check, if and in which
scope an initial investment for standardizing the infrastructure might be neces-
sary.
•
Analysis of the quality of the existing network
- for example the available band-
width of the network. For Computing Grids, where only computing instructions
are transferred, a local network with lower bandwidth might be sufficient (see
the Novartis example in chapter 3). Data Grids might require high bandwidth
and higher security (for example the HP rendering centre described in chapter 3
was connected with the user company over a high security optical network).
The readiness of a company for Grid and Cloud Computing might also be affected
by the level of standardization and smoothness of business processes involved.
An important question is how well standardized and automated the involved busi-
ness processes are. The higher the degree of automation and the lower the number
of media breaks within the process, the higher the potential of Grid and Cloud
Computing is.
Identification and definition of the business case:
Based on the first two steps
of the initial analysis it should become
clear if Grid and Cloud Computing is sui-
table for the company. However, to achieve definitive certainty if Grid and Cloud
Computing is applicable, it is necessary to quantify the potential gains and to ana-
lyse if it would also result in financial gains. Thus, a concrete business case for Grid
and Cloud Computing needs to be identified and defined. First of all this means a
priorization of the identified opportunities for introduction of Grids and Clouds and
then quantification of a potential return on investment in a business case. The busi-
ness case comprises a quantification and comparison of required investments and
costs with potential gains from Grid and Cloud Computing. An important aspect
