Digipede Technologies, the leading provider of distributed computing solutions for the Microsoft Windows platform, has received a 4-star rating from Software Development magazine for its Digipede Network, an affordable distributed computing solution built entirely on Microsoft .NET that dramatically improves the speed and performance of demanding real-world business applications. The 4-star review appears in the January 2006 issue – on newsstands now – or online at (first link under the “News Links” section). In the review, titled That Parallel Beat, reviewer Rick Wayne opens by stating that Digipede is "bringing grid computing to the rest of us. The best part: You probably already own all the hardware you need," referring to the product’s powerful capabilities in allowing users to easily grid-enable their applications without having to invest in more hardware or hire expensive consultants. While distributed computing has been around for many years, the cost and complexity of other grid offerings has kept most workgroups, small to mid-sized companies and even large organizations out of the grid market. Because the Digipede Network is radically easier to buy, install, learn and use than other grid offerings, those that have been priced out of the market can now benefit from distributed computing. Digipede’s customers are now able to focus on solving their key business and research problems rather than sitting on the sidelines or wasting time developing a distributed computing infrastructure on their own. The in-depth review by Software Development magazine examines how organizations can use the Digipede Network to grid-enable compute-intensive applications with their existing Windows PCs instead of a supercomputer or Linux cluster. In addition, the application used for the review – Precision Agriculture Landscape Modeling System (PALMS) – was not designed for parallel computing. The review reveals how easily organizations can solve this problem by using the Digipede Network to create a compute farm with minimal requirements, technical expertise and administrative effort. "We are pleased to have our software recognized by Software Development magazine. The 4-star review further validates the value that the Digipede Network offers customers,” said John Powers, CEO of Digipede. “Early on, we realized that many real-world business applications could benefit from distributed computing and that most businesses had Windows-based hardware that was underutilized, but there was no real solution available. So we set out to make grid computing accessible to all who needed improved application performance and speed. This unmet need led to the creation of the Digipede Network, which began shipping in the middle of 2005 and has been well received by our customers, analysts, and other industry influencers.” The Digipede Network is available in two editions: the Digipede Network Team Edition meets the needs of small departments and labs that may only have up to 20 computers, while the Digipede Network Professional Edition supports large departments and enterprises with hundreds or thousands of desktops, servers, and cluster nodes across a network. Both editions include the Digipede Workbench, which is designed to shorten the learning curve so that users can become productive immediately. Through a familiar Windows user interface, users can run distributed computing jobs with ease. Wizards assist users with learning and using the system quickly, and powerful designers provide access to greater system functionality. No complex scripting is required. Availability and Pricing The Digipede Network is available now directly from Digipede Technologies. The Digipede Network Team Edition starts at $995 for a system licensing one Digipede Server and five Digipede Agents. The Digipede Network Professional Edition starts at $4,000 for a similar configuration. Additional Agents work with either edition, and can be licensed for $199 each. Current customers of the Digipede Network Team Edition can upgrade to the Professional Edition at a discount. Both editions of the Digipede Network include the Digipede Framework SDK at no additional charge. For additional information about pricing and configuration options, visit Digipede’s online store at www.digipede.net, or contact Digipede at e-mail protected from spam bots.