Businessweek makes the declaration this week: Grid computing is going mainstream. No longer just the province of ineffable projects listening for peeps from the outer universe (see The SETI Institute’s page for info on one of the earliest and best known grid computing projects), it’s being used by organizations as varied as the U.S. Tennis Association, Axciom and brokerage Charles Schwab. Getting a Grip on Grid Computing quotes a Forrester Research study of 149 large North American companies: 37 percent have set up grids and 30 percent are actively considering it. More compellingly, the story talks about the savings. C. Alex Dietz, Acxiom’s CIO, said he cut his annual data analysis expenses in half by switching from a single $2 million mainframe-style computer to a grid of cheap servers running the Linux operating system. The word of warning at the end, the very end: The technologies are immature, security must be improved and all the standards aren’t yet in place. But of course a visionary CEO might determine that the road to the bright and glorious future starts with steps into the immature unknown. CIO has been writing about grid computing for a while now. In last May’s True Grid, we quote some practitioners and recount their experiences, offer questions to see if grid’s right for you, and link to other resources. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe