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TORONTO, CANADA -- Accelerating the adoption of open source Grid computing, Platform Computing Inc. announced the beta availability of Platform Globus, the industry's first commercially supported version of the Globus Toolkit(TM) at this week's Global Grid Forum in Toronto. With Platform Globus, enterprises can establish a Grid computing infrastructure across multiple heterogeneous hardware and software platforms and create a virtual organization to share compute resources across geographic sites. Platform Globus supports all major UNIX- and Linux-based platforms, including Compaq Tru64, HP HP-UX, IBM AIX, Linux, SGI IRIX and Sun Solaris, and complements Platform's Grid computing solutions, including Platform LSF MultiCluster, Platform FTA and Platform Analyzer. "Platform Globus accelerates adoption of Grid computing by the commercial sector and provides value-added professional services to implement Grids quickly and efficiently," said Paul Hill, VP, Marketing, Platform. "Platform Globus is an integral component of our Grid computing solutions and meets the market need for a customer-centric, commercially supported open source Grid solution." Platform Globus includes the Globus Toolkit software, documentation and technical support, and a range of comprehensive professional services, including installation, configuration, customization and training. Platform will also provide services for Grid security, design and planning and integration. Based on established standards and open protocols, the Globus Toolkit provides an integrated set of security, resource directory, resource management, data management, and communication functions for Grid computing. Platform is working closely with the Globus Project to perform quality assurance, improve documentation, and achieve interoperability and seamless integration with commercial workload management and Grid computing applications. "As a software company with ten years' experience in distributed and Grid computing and an extensive customer base, Platform is well positioned to deliver a commercially proven open source solution for Grid computing," said Dr. Ian Foster, Globus Project co-lead and Senior Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago. "Platform has moved quickly to develop this solution, clearly demonstrating its commitment to open source computing and reinforcing its understanding of the complexities and challenges of commercial Grid computing." "We expect Grid computing to be a dominant technology in the future, enabling global enterprises to harness widely dispersed resources to improve collaboration," said Steven Joachims, Worldwide Marketing Manager, HP Technical Servers. "We plan to leverage the work we are doing with Platform Computing to deliver improved productivity and performance solutions for customers in industries such as automotive and aerospace." "Platform's decision to commercialize Globus validates the market demand for Grid computing," said Tony Hey, Director, UK e-Science Programme and the UK Grid. "With Platform as the commercial provider of Globus Toolkit, customers will have the technical support, product upgrades and training they need for a successful implementation, enabling large scale sharing of resources, applications and compute power." "By providing cross-platform commercial support for the Globus Toolkit, Platform has provided us with a credible reason to evaluate the potential of open source Grid computing," said William Reidy, a contractor supporting the U.S. Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP). "This commercially supported solution will permit organizations like ours to accelerate Grid initiatives in dynamic and heterogeneous hardware and software environments." "We are encouraged by the Globus Project's clear commitment to its partnership with Platform, which has accelerated our ability to deliver Platform Globus quickly in what has been a very positive collaboration," continued Platform's Hill. "The Globus Project has been a catalyst in bringing disparate groups together for a common goal of driving Grid deployment and we are proud to be working with them." Platform Globus will be generally available in March 2002 from Platform and its network of global resellers in Canada, China, Europe, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, the U.S. and Taiwan. Platform Grid Expertise With more than 10 years experience in distributed and Grid computing, Platform offers a complete range of software and consulting solutions needed to build, run and maintain Grids. In November 2001, Platform was the first company to announce commercial support for The Globus Toolkit through Platform Globus. Platform also announced Platform Grid suite, the industry's most powerful commercial Grid computing solution, which integrates Platform's Grid software, Platform LSF, LSF MultiCluster and LSF ActiveCluster, with components from the Globus Project and Avaki. Platform enterprise Grid solutions are being used by customers worldwide including the Monsanto Company, the U.S. Department of Defense, Texas Instruments, and the Italian National Agency for New Technology, Energy and the Environment (ENEA). For more information please visit the Grid Resource Centre at www.platform.com/grid.