In a typical enterprise, IT resources are locked into silos and data resides in separately owned domains. Some IT resources are under-utilised, while others can’t meet peak business demands. For multinational companies with data centres in many locations, efficient IT utilisation is a serious challenge. With grid computing, your far-flung and disparate IT resources can act as a single 'virtual data centre'. The virtualisation of your heterogeneous IT resources means these resources are available when and where you need them. It allows you to provision applications and allocate capacity among business groups that are geographically and organisationally dispersed. Through the use of this technology you can:

• Enable secure, real-time collaboration among global teams, including partners and suppliers outside your company
• Deploy resources for new initiatives rapidly
• Accelerate new product development and improve time to market
• Reduce IT costs and increase return on investment
• Handle peaks and troughs in demand by provisioning resources where needed