PHYSICS

Leading technology companies launched the Enterprise Grid Alliance (EGA), a consortium formed to develop enterprise grid solutions and accelerate the deployment of grid computing in enterprises. Despite the group's support from so many big names, neither IBM nor Microsoft has joined this alliance thus far. This may pose a problem for the organization's future, several analysts said. Grid computing connects pools of computers, storage and networks, enabling enterprises to dynamically allocate resources based on changing business needs. Exploiting rapid advances in technology, enterprise grids enable organizations in the public and private sectors to adapt their Information Technology (IT) resources to their business needs. The EGA is an open, independent and vendor-neutral community addressing the near-term requirements for deploying commercial applications in a grid environment. Initial focus areas include reference models, provisioning, security and accounting. The Alliance will address obstacles that organizations face using enterprise grids, by looking at best practices and solutions that are open and interoperable. By focusing exclusively on the needs of enterprise users, the EGA will enable businesses to realize the many benefits of grid computing such as faster response to changing business needs, better utilization and service level performance and lower IT operating costs. The initial EGA Board includes EMC, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, HP, Intel, NEC, Network Appliance, Oracle and Sun Microsystems. Other founding members are AMD, Ascential Software, Cassatt, Citrix, Data Synapse, Enigmatec, Force 10 Networks, Novell, Optena, Paremus and Topspin. In addition to providing an open forum for enterprise software, hardware, service companies and end users, the EGA is working with other consortia and standards organizations to promote integrated enterprise grid solutions and improve adoption rates. "Comprised of a remarkable group of technology companies, the EGA was formed to accelerate the adoption of grid computing in the enterprise," said Donald Deutsch, president, Enterprise Grid Alliance and vice president, standards strategy and architecture, Oracle Corp. "With our pragmatic approach focusing on the enterprise, EGA is uniquely positioned to deliver near term, tangible benefits." "Grid computing, previously known largely as a powerful tool for the high performance computing community, is emerging as an important platform for critical business functions," said Dan Kusnetzky, IDC's vice president of system software research. "The next critical step in the adoption of grid computing is the creation of standards and compliance testing for those standards. Standards bodies like the Enterprise Grid Alliance are critical to enterprise grid computing as it emerges over the next five years. Working in conjunction with other grid alliances, the EGA can place a stake in the ground to define the solutions and specifications essential for organizations to adopt enterprise grid computing."