Chapter 5
Super computing and grid computing have been used as a means if increasing computing power to achieve some specific desired results at a much faster rate, that is more accurate. The computers involved would cumulatively have the power close to a hundred times the power and functionality of a single home computer. A super computer is a single computer that has many processors that are inter connected via multiple high speed of board buses while a grid computer is a series of normal computers connected over a network that are used to perform specific calculations collectively for a single result (Gallaugher, 2011).
Companies that are known to use both grid and super computers are those that are more likely to implement modeling of situations such as earth quakes, financial modeling, genetic modeling just to mention but a few. All the named situations are such that they may vary in various possible ways, and to achieve fast, efficient and meaningful results, one would need to acquire a powerful system to feed the variables.
The use of grid computers on its part provides the companies using them a cheaper way to achieve the same results that they would achieve with one super computer. They are able to make use of resources that already available to the company without the need to buy an extra expensive computer. This method is, however, disadvantaged by the fact that not all resources on the network can be fully depended on. They could at some time be yanked from the network unexpectedly (as is the case with laptops) (Gallaugher, 2011). This should however not be a discouragement to the productivity of the system. The use of super computers on the other hand is very advantageous in that the results are reliable, timely and fast, the only disadvantage being that the computers are very expensive.
Bibliography:
Carr, N. 2003, IT Doesn't Matter', Harvard Business Review, Vol. 81, Iss. 5, May, pages. 41-49 Available through the Swinburne Library at: [Accessed 17 December 2012]
Fran B., Geoffrey F., Anthony J.G. Hey, 2003, ‘Grid Computing: Making the Global Infrastructure a Reality. Wiley series on parallel and distributed computing, Volume 2 of Wiley Series on Communications Networking & Distributed Systems. Wiley series in communications networking & distributed systems: Wiley series on parallel and distributed computing’. pp. 523-548, John Wiley and Sons, viewed 17 December 2012
Gallaugher, J. 2011 Information Systems: A Manager's Guide to Harnessing Technology, Flatworldknowledge.com,
