Differences Between Cloud Computing and Grid Computing

- Deney Dentel, CEO of Nordisk Systems, Inc. (http://www.nordisksystems.com/), says:

Cloud computing is a relatively new term that has invaded the minds of IT geeks everywhere, with major brand names like Amazon and Apple pouring millions of dollars into developing cloud based services for their wide array of products. The concept of the cloud is hardly new, in fact it is one that was predicted years ago. The notion of computing via a third party without local computers and hardware is one that has existed for quite some time, predicted by IT pioneers before they were even considered IT pioneers. Cloud computing is, in a sense, the evolved form of computing born from predecessors not well-known, those who missed out on their time of glory.

What is grid computing?

Grid computing can be seen as a precursor and even a similar concept to cloud computing. Grid computing is the use of multiple computers, combined to finish a task or complete a goal. The concept of the grid is very similar to that of the cloud but they are hardly the same thing. Grid computing is the combination of multiple computers to create one infrastructure.

Grid computing could exist on the cloud, which mainly depends on the role it will play and the users. For example, if an administrator is using grid computing, their role may be to ensure that applications are running well on the cloud. With grid computing, users can upgrade, install, and virtualize servers and applications. Consumer users of grid computing have very little interest in how the system is being run.

With grid computing, software can be divvied up and spread out to several computers for the program to run. A concern of grid computing is the issue that one small piece can ruin the entire software, essentially creating a domino effect. Large scale grid computing is used by a variety of industries and practices, especially when large amounts of capital needs to maintained and managed.

What is the cloud?

Cloud computing uses hardware to solve a rising problem in the digital age we live in – data storage. With help from IT solutions provider, the cloud can be viewed as “Cloud service is a computing environment in which a user does not need knowledge of the physical location of computer hardware or the underlying hardware and software configurations providing the services. The cloud services provider supplies the data center, computing infrastructure, and management of these assets.” Cloud computing is scalable and flexible - the services can configured on-demand.  Cloud based services are best utilized by small to medium sized businesses and have recently become popular due to the services being used and offered by Amazon, IBM, Apple and Yahoo.

Cloud computing and grid computing have a few similarities. Both exist to create an increased computing system that is more reliable, reduces costs, and operated by a third party. They, of course, have differences as noted above.