Grid computing has the potential to be a disruptive technology and
dramatically alter the competitive landscape, according to a report that
will be released next month.
The report, by Grid Technology
Partners, says Grid computing represents a "paradigm shift that will
provide the next big boost in corporate productivity since the Internet
and World Wide Web.
Grid computing also passes the three-point
Christensen Disruptive Technology test - being inexpensive,
technologically simple and a technology that doesn't require replacement
of existing systems. Disruptive technologies have the potential to
substantially change the competitive landscape."
The report, "Global Grid Computing Report 2002: Technology and Market
Opportunity Assessment," is slated for release June 17 in conjunction
with the Grid
Computing Planet Conference & Expo in San Jose.
Ahmar Abbas, managing director of Grid Technology Partners, said Grid
computing leverages existing resources and delays the need to purchase
new infrastructure. With demand for compute power in industries like
life sciences and financial services almost unlimited, Grid's ability to
deliver greater power at less cost gives the technology tremendous
potential.
Abbas, an electrical engineer who worked at UUNET and ONI Systems before
launching Grid Technology Partners, said he was talking with a big Wall
Street firm that was willing pay $1 million for a server farm just to
cut the time it takes to run risk calculations in half. With Grid
computing, the time could be cut even further, and at much lower cost,
he said.
"Grid is cheaper than a server farm," Abbas said. "You can leverage
whatever you have and avoid the wholescale replacement of
infrastructure."
The technology "can change the competitive landscape," he said, and is
thus a potential disruptive technology according to the theories of
Harvard Business School professor and disruption guru Clayton
Christensen.
Sun 'At Risk,' IBM On Target
Among technology giants, Sun Microsystems is "at risk" because its
"software and hardware platforms are tied too closely together," Abbas
said. IBM, on the other hand, is "on the mark" because of its more
neutral approach to software.
As one sign of Grid's potential, Abbas said a Grid textbook edited by
Globus team leaders Ian Foster and Carl Kesselman is one of the
top-selling books on Amazon.com in Menlo Park, Calif., the epicenter of
venture capital.
"Grid Computing takes collective advantage of the vast improvements in
microprocessor speeds, optical communications, raw storage capacity,
World Wide Web and the Internet that have occurred over the last five
years," the report's summary says. "A set of standards and protocols are
being developed that completely dis-aggregate current compute platforms
and distribute them across a network as resources that can be called
into action by any eligible user (person or machine) at any time. A
company with 600 grid-enabled desktop PCs can utilize all of them
together as one compute platform - suddenly providing it with enough
computing capacity to go head to head with the world's 49th largest
supercomputer."
"Companies that pay attention to this evolving technology will stand to
reap huge gains in the coming years," the summary said. The report said
it will arm "corporate executives, service providers, hardware/software
vendors, venture capitalists, governments and individuals with a set of
decision tools to prepare and successfully win in this new computing
paradigm."
The 200-page report will cost $2,995, and is available from internet.com's AllNetResearch service.
Events
