IBM, DataSynapse and Paremus are each taking steps to quell fears and nudge enterprises down the grid computing path. Commonplace in universities and research institutions, grid computing is the practice of pooling IT resources into grids to create massive amounts of computing power. IBM is embarking on a program to encourage ISVs to grid-enable their applications. The program includes technical advice and visits to developers" sites, as well as a series of Think Grid Workshops, where developers can talk about grid computing with IBM experts, according to IBM officials.
The Armonk, N.Y., company conducted one seminar in Boston last month and scheduled another for next month in London. The goal is to recruit several dozen ISVs into the program by the end of the year, said Al Bunshaft, IBM vice president of sales and development of grids. Don Tucker has looked at grids from both university and commercial viewpoints. As a professor in the University of Oregon"s psychology department, in Eugene, Tucker knows how grid computing can improve research into brain disorders. But as CEO of Electrical Geodesics Inc., also in Eugene, which is working to commercialize a Linux-based computing grid, Tucker has seen resistance from hospitals concerned about issues such as security and privacy, as well as adopting a new architecture.