Grid popularity rises but SOAs lag behind

Grids are taking off, but understanding of service-oriented architecture is still limited, according to an Oracle survey

Grid computing technologies are rapidly entering the mainstream, allowing firms to cluster servers to handle tasks that require a lot of computing power, but European businesses lag behind their US counterparts in their understanding and adoption of related service-oriented architectures (SOAs).

That is the conclusion of the latest Grid index report from IT infrastructure giant Oracle and analyst firm QuoCirca, published today (21 June).

The report – based on interviews with almost 1,500 IT decision makers - says 70 percent of firms now deploy enterprise grids "in some areas", up from less than 20 percent a year ago. Tim Payne, vice-president of technology marketing for Europe at Oracle, said there are now a lot more grid pilot projects. "If you look at past technology adoption patterns we can safely predict grid technology is about to go mainstream," he added.

The findings counter those of a recent survey from systems integrator Morse. which indicated many firms regard grid technology as complex and expensive.

Payne argued firms’ views are changing as new grid technologies have removed much of the complexity previously associated with clustering. "A lot of work has gone into ensuring clustering technology can be installed as a relatively simple upgrade," he said. "If you can make it seamless, people are far more likely to do it."

Oracle said the new report also shows a strong correlation between early adopters of grid technology and early adopters of SOAs capable of creating reusable, flexible application components. However, understanding of SOA technology remains limited - almost 60 percent of European businessmen did not understand the term, compared with just 30 percent in the US.

"There is still a lack of awareness among European business people about what SOAs are and what benefits they deliver," said Payne. "It is a challenge Oracle and others in the industry need to address with better education.

Payne added, “People who haven't implemented SOAs have concerns about managing the technology. But the feedback we're getting from firms that are doing it is that the tools are now in place to make it work."

In separate news, grid middleware software specialist Platform Computing this week launched a new version of its Symphony software suite for managing grids used by financial services firms to undertake credit and risk modelling.

Chris Purpura, vice-president of new ventures and strategic alliances at the company, said Symphony 3 offers better scalability to handle larger grids and has new open architecture designed to allow firms to run more applications on the same grid.