United Devices, the market leader in enterprise grid solutions, today announced the beta release of Grid MP 4.2. Among the release's most important features is support for Apple's Mac OS operating system, a key requirement for customers in Academia, Design and Media. The new version also enables grid user authentication to be integrated with industry standard identity management systems. "Mac OS support is a critical feature for our customers using high-end design tools as well as universities and academic institutions," says Jikku Venkat, United Devices CTO. "Now these customers can operate truly heterogeneous grids, leveraging their wealth of Macs to dramatically increase the total power of their grid." "Bringing Mac workstations onto the grid is important especially for universities because of the widespread use of Mac OS X platforms in academic environments," says Dr. Ashok Adiga, Research Scientist and Roundup project manager at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), The University of Texas at Austin. Roundup is a joint project between United Devices and TACC to build a campus desktop grid. "We're excited that United Devices is providing this support so we can expand our install base and drive even more value from our grid. With the Mac machines grid-enabled, we expect to find many more applications that will benefit from running on Grid MP." In addition to Mac OS, United Devices Grid MP supports a range of operating systems including Windows, Solaris, AIX, and Linux. With the new release come additional management features as well, like integration with existing identity management systems for simpler grid interaction and expansion. "Integrating with existing identity management and authentication systems makes it easier for customers to use the grid," says Jikku Venkat, CTO at United Devices. "Our customers continue to be extremely pleased with the benefits being delivered by their grids, and this is one important feature that enables them to expand grid usage throughout the enterprise."