Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Grid-enabled) one. In that case the system integrator organises the whole solution.
The end user pays the system integrator a one off payment for the settlement of the
solution, and the permanent payments for the possible value adding services (new
functionalities, tailoring the application, training, maintenance etc.). In the case that
end user rents the hardware resources, he/she also makes periodic payments for
the Grid hardware provider. Additionally the end user makes the periodic fixed
payments for licenses (in the case that in-house software is not used) and ongoing
maintenance of the software.
Other option, especially if the end user does not own the application, is to contact
directly the application provider who builds and/or gridifies the existing application.
In addition to application adaptation, the application provider may also supply Grid
middleware and other services (e.g. training and consulting), and even integrate the
whole solution. In that case the payments are similar as in the previous case.
The market regarding Grid middleware and Grid-based applications is relatively
clearly segmented. There are Open Source Grid middlewares (e.g. Globus Toolkit,
UNICORE, and gLite), Grid middleware providers that provide a platform to adapt
applications to a Grid environment (e.g. Platform, Grid Solutions, Univa UD, and
ProActive), software vendors that migrate their applications to a Grid platform, and
IT consulting companies that provide custom solutions. These are all good contact
points for end users interested in the internal Grid deployments.
Challenges
: Building an internal Grid solution can be a complex project, and
the end-user has to be prepared for time consuming migration process which
may involve changes in the technical infrastructure, IT governance, and culture.
Moreover, it changes the ways the resources are used and computing is performed
inside the organization, it may blur the departmental borders, and it also requires
changes in the existing applications. Thus, long term planning, effective change
management, and real business and technical commitments are essential in order to
reduce the risk that the process ends up joining the list of IT projects that went over
budget and/or over time
.
6.3.2 Utility Computing (External Deployment)
Utility computing is referred to the provision of Grid computing and applications as
service either as an open Grid utility, or as a hosting solution for an organization or
a virtual organization (VO). Utility computing providers deliver a mix of systems,
storage, computing, networking and software capabilities. This capacity offering
can be used to underpin many other businesses whose users may be completely
unaware of the underlying infrastructure they are using.
This offering is targeted at customers from SMEs to large enterprises and
Government departments. For example SMEs may elect to effectively outsource
their IT infrastructure to “The Cloud” whereas large enterprises and Government
departments may prefer to take care of the day to day requirements internally and
handle peak requirements by accessing external services from time to time as and
when required. The general value network for utility computing is present in the
figure 6.3.
