Thursday, November 11, 2004

[urls/news] The Global Grid: China's HPC Opportunity

Thursday, November 11, 2004
Dateline: China
 
For this posting, I'm using an annotated urls format.  Let's begin.
 
The Global Grid
 
Grid computing.  HPC (high-performance computing).  Lots of trade press coverage.  Lots of academic papers.  Generally, this is a GREAT convergence.  Didn't hold with AI (artificial intelligence), but the coverage of grid computing is much more pervasive.  Also, it's an area where I believe that systems integrators (SIs) in China can play with the globals.  It's new enough that there are no clear leaders.  Okay, maybe IBM is a clear leader, but it's certainly not an established market.
 
It's also a market where Chinese SIs can leverage work done for domestic applications for Western clients.  This is NOT true in areas such as banking applications; the apps used in China are very different from the apps used in the States.  Fundamentally different systems.  But a lot of grid work is more about infrastructure and custom development.  There's also a lot of open source in the grid sphere.
 
I've selected some of the best papers and sites for review.  This is certainly not meant to be comprehensive, but simply follow the links for more info.
 
One last note:  Clicking on any of the following links will likely lead you to an abstract and possibly to some personal commentary not included in this posting.  You may also find related links found by other Furl users.
 
The "Bible" of the grid world.  The home page will lead to many other relevant papers and reports.  See also The Anatomy of the Grid (PDF).
 
Hottest journal issue in town!!  Papers may be downloaded for free.  See also Grid computing: Conceptual flyover for developers.
 
One of the better conferences; covers applications and provides links to several excellent papers and presentations.
 
Well, the link has been replaced.  Try to get a hold of this paper.  It WAS available for free.  SOA meets the grid.  The lead author, Liang-Jie Zhang, is a researcher at IBM T.J.Watson Research Center and chair of the IEEE Computer Society Technical Steering Committee (technical community) for Services Computing. Contact him at zhanglj@us.ibm.com .  Ask for his related papers, too.
 
Several excellent papers; recent conference.  Middleware:  Yes, middleware is the key to SI opportunities.
 
Conference held earlier this month!!  See who is doing what in China.
 
Want a competitive edge in the grid space?  This is it!!
 
NOTE:  A search for "grid computing" in my Furl archive yields 164 hits (and most are publicly searchable).  See http://www.furl.net/members/goldentriangle .
 
Other News
 
Outsourcing & Offshoring:
 
I don't agree with this, but it's worth reading, especially considering the source.  I agree that China shouldn't try to be a clone of India, but the arguments in support of the domestic market don't consider margins.
 
I'll be writing a column for the AlwaysOn Network about the disconnect between China's foreign policy initiatives and the realities of the IT sector.  Suffice it to say that SIs in China should NOT chase after the EU.  Again, do NOT confuse foreign policy with corporate policy!!
 
More of the same.  Read my comments about Romania by clicking the link ...
 
Google is coming to China, too.  Think MS Research in Beijing.
 
Another great move by IBM; they're clearly leading the pack.
 
This article is a bit confusing.  I suspect that TCS is simply copying the IGS China strategy.  But it's worth noting that they're moving beyond servicing their American clients with a presence in China.
 
Yes, yes and yes.  Expect a lot more of this.  I wouldn't be surprised to see China's SIs forced to move a bit lower on the U.S. SI food chain for partnerships.  Move up the chain by thinking verticals!!
 
BPO:
 
No need to click; it's all about security.
 
No, not really a new model; more about a new certification!!  Just what the world needs ...
 
Enterprise Software:
 
The title says it all.
 
Maybe the "P" in "LAMP" should stand for "Plone"?
 
A strategy for USERS, i.e., SIs in China.
 
Marketing & Management:
 
Product Management 101, courtesy of the Harvard Business School.
 
Spread this throughout your organization ... and then ramp up with some paid tools.
 
SCM (supply chain management) meets marketing, but with a general management and strategy slant.
 
G2 planning strategies.  A wee bit mathematical, but still fairly easy to follow.
 
Expect the next original posting in two or three weeks; my next column for the AlwaysOn Network will be sent to this list.  Off to HK/SZ/ZH/GZ next week.
 
Cheers,
 
David Scott Lewis
President & Principal Analyst
IT E-Strategies, Inc.
Menlo Park, CA & Qingdao, China
 
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posted by David Scott Lewis at 11:24 AM