Oracle Grid Computing

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW The speed and unpredictability of business cycles have pushed many enterprises to the limit of manageability. Organizations need to become more adaptable but often their information systems are slow to respond. At the same time, these enterprises want to gain greater efficiency from their IT systems and lower the cost of computing. Grid computing is a new IT architecture that adapts to your changing business needs. Even better, grid computing revolutionizes IT economics. With enterprise grid computing you can build a powerful data center with a variable cost structure that can be adjusted as needed. Grid computing is rapidly growing in popularity. Forrester Research reports that 37% of enterprises are piloting, rolling out or have implemented some form of grid computing. 1 IDC calls grid computing the fifth generation of computing, after client-server and multi-tier. 2 Oracle Corporation has introduced Oracle 10g infrastructure software, the first specifically designed for enterprise grid computing. Oracle 10g software also protects your technology investments today as your data center evolves to enterprise grid computing. Leading businesses, such as Dell and the Chicago Stock Exchange, have begun deploying enterprise grids using Oracle. 3 INTRODUCTION Volatility is now a permanent feature of business life. While change is normal, the growing speed and unpredictability of change—which is increasingly technology-driven—have pushed many enterprises to the limit of manageability. Businesses have to develop more adaptive techniques to create value, no matter how unstable the economic environment may be.