SCIENCE

Our desktop computers get faster every day, but in fields like finance, geology and health care, the amount of information being generated is growing even faster. Probability analysis is a critical tool in analyzing risks and planning, but to get a clear picture requires processing more and more data.

The new release of RiskAMP CS for Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 is designed to do just that. RiskAMP CS extends the RiskAMP series of stochastic modeling software from the desktop to a Windows HPC cluster, dramatically improving the speed -- and the quality -- of risk analysis and risk modeling.

Structured Data, LLC is announcing today the release of the new version of RiskAMP CS to coincide with Microsoft's release of Windows HPC Server 2008 R2, and customers can download a fully-functional trial version of the new software immediately.

Access to the computing power of a Windows HPC cluster lets users tackle ever larger data sets and scale up their processing on demand. Stochastic analysis is based on a fundamental tradeoff -- to generate a better analysis requires more computation, but that takes more time. Organizations using this analysis have to balance the quality of the reports generated with the time it takes to generate them, and for complex models on the desktop that time can run into hours -- meaning it can be difficult to react to fast-changing conditions.

"Our business is structured around giving our customers insight into the real-world risks in their organization, but it's only as good as the amount of data we can model," said Duncan Werner, founder of Structured Data LLC. "Moving from the desktop to the cluster is like going from pencil and paper to an Excel spreadsheet. It dramatically increases the quality of the analysis, and tasks that used to take hours can now run in minutes".

"Microsoft is excited to work with companies like Structured Data who understand how HPC solutions can make a real difference for customers," said Bill Hamilton, director of technical computing at Microsoft Corp. "We know customers want access to critical information more quickly, and applications like RiskAMP CS can help them take advantage of the processing power of Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 to achieve this access".