Case Studies

Grid and Cloud technologies have successfully been applied to many different and complex business challenges in a number of sectors. Among the example success stories available, the resilience, performance, scalability and flexibility are constant themes. Unsurprisingly, the case studies of successful implementations of Grid and Cloud computing are most common in those industries with complex processing of large data sets, where the speed, agility and stability of the IT systems is directly tied to competitive advantage: the financial sector, the pharmaceutical sector and the engineering sector.

Adopting Grid technology: advices for technology providers and end-users

Introduction

Discover the challenges large and small companies from 7 main European industry sectors (travel, automotive, healthcare...) have faced when developing business solutions based on Grid technology. Read more on the outcome of the 25 Business Experiments in the BeinGRID project. We provide practical advice and examples for the technology providers and users interested in using Grid technology in their businesses.

The document is divided in two sections which approach the topic from two different perspectives : the Service Provider and the User Perspective.

The Technology Provider perspective. As seen during the different experiences, there is a real business potential and some factors appear : Grid technologies are currently niche-markets, with still potential for further development while many IT houses or integrators are discovering the technologies. What's important is estimating the added-value of the solution for the customer and remaining objective. During a project, it's crucial to keep permanent contact with him for regular feedback;
The User Perspective. Grid terminology goes far beyond common understanding. Grid can be actioned from inside the organization as from outside (Paas, Iaas, Saas), solutions that are becoming more and more popular. The set-up of Grid-related projects within an organization has many impacts : technological, cultural, organizational. None of them have to be underestimated.

Case studies:Cloud computing

Cloud computing broke out as the new paradigm of 2008 and since then a large number of companies have experimented with the technology. The case studies on this page illustrate the different experiences of some of the pioneers of cloud computing

Case studies : the Financial Sector

Case studies from the financial sector include Shinhan Bank, UniCredit Group, Hartford Life, HSBC, Merrill Lynch and Genworth.

Case studies : the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Sector

The need for researchers to be at the forefront of medical science requires massive simulations of molecular interactions and genetic sequencing. Grid and Cloud computing allow such firms as Incyte Genomics and Applied Biosystems to optimise their systems for the detailed modelling that dominates their industry.

Case studies : the design and engineering sectors

Success stories from these sectors include those from Mental Images, NVIDIA, AMD, Icon and Mental Graphics. The case studies highlight the benefits of Grid and Cloud and discuss why the chosen solution was selected.

Case studies : commerce, logistics and SMEs

There is no need to be a mega corporation or a financial giant to employ Grid and Cloud computing techniques. As can be seen from this set of case studies, Grid technology is Rife within SMEs where it is used for logistics, B2B platforms, commerce and more.

Case studies : Media and Information sectors

These case studies highlight the impact of Grid and Cloud technologies in companies such as Digital Dimension, Rising Sun Pictures, Comic Relief and JDC ltd.

Case studies : the mineral extraction, public utilities and environmental monitoring sectors

These sectors undertake massive simulations of large datasets. The techniques developed in the fields of distributed and parallel computing can be applied to these problems and thus ensure that Grid or Cloud computing have an important and demonstrable role in these industries.

Case studies : Research Institutions

Research Institutions made excellent initial testbeds for Grid computing due to their strong links to academia and their large requirements in computing power. Consequently, this area supplies a high number of success stories and case studies where Grid technologies has been put to work solving large and complex problems,

Case studies : the IT Sector

The use of Grid and Cloud computing to make large platforms of resources that can be resold as "utility computing" is a reality. Firms such as these providers, as well as software providers other IT forms all use Grid or Cloud technology to optimize their systems - as these case studies show.

BEinGRID Case Studies Booklet

"Approaching the Cloud: Better Business Using Grid Solutions"

The BEinGRID publication gives an impressive overview of twenty-five successful case studies covering the industrial sectors from Advanced Manufacturing, Media, Financial, Retail and Logistics, Environment and e-Science, Telecommunication, Tourism, Agriculture, Health... showing how businesses may profit from distributed computing -- from Grid to Cloud solutions.

In an economy that often insists on proven business cases to innovate, the booklet offers just that: concrete examples of how and why Grid and Cloud solutions can benefit the described industrial sectors.

Also included are post-project perspectives with IT-Tude.com, the Cloud momentum story, ten tips towards successful Grid-based business and much more.