Cost and complexity fears hold back grid computing

Fewer than one in 10 businesses is planning to adopt grid computing because of concerns about cost, complexity and security, according to a survey of IT managers.

Out of the 100 IT managers quizzed, 88 per cent said their board of directors don't see grid computing as a priority.

Most businesses will spend thousands of pounds buying new servers but then have their heads in the sand when it comes to getting full use of them.

Only eight per cent said they had already rolled out or planned to adopt grid computing, with a third of all respondents saying the technology is too complex and too expensive.

A third of IT managers also expressed concerns over security because grid computing can involve running applications across businesses and allowing external third-party suppliers to access the pooled computing power.

Early adopters of grid computing include universities and large pharmaceutical companies, which pool the computing power of a cluster of servers to process large amounts of data.

But Peter Critchley, strategy director at Morse, which commissioned the survey, said grid computing is being held back by confusion and myths surrounding the technology.

He said in a statement: "Most businesses will spend thousands of pounds buying new servers but then have their heads in the sand when it comes to getting full use of them. Businesses commonly waste a significant portion of their IT budget because they aren't fully utilising their servers."

The survey was carried out by Vanson Bourne.