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Can the network be the computer?

Aug 2004, by Michael R. Nelson, VP of Public Policy

For more than a decade, IT companies have been saying, "The network is the computer." With distributed computing--Grid computing, Web services, peer-to-peer applications, utility computing--that vision is starting to become a reality. Despite many false starts, applications software is being provided as a service over the Net (e.g. Salesforce.com). Companies are tapping into the Grid to solve massive, computationally-intensive problems.

Yet, there are raging arguments about whether the Internet can really become a platform for general purpose computing or whether the Grid and peer-to-peer computing are destined to only provide niche solutions for a rather narrow set of problems (music file sharing, massively-parallel supercomputing problems, e.g.). For the first two decades of the Internet, network traffic was dominated by one-to-one applications (e-mail, remote logon, FTP). Then the Web was invented and the Internet also became a one-to-many broadcast medium. Will the Grid and distributed computing enable the Internet to enter a third phase of development--as a many-to-many medium connecting millions of people to networks to thousands of machines working together seamlessly? Will utility computing allow us to "plug into the Grid" to get computing resources the same way we plug into the electric grid today?

The survey ended on September 12, 2004.

1. How familiar are you with Grid computing?

I know very little about it
I have read magazine articles about it
I have explored the technical details
I am using Grid applications
I am helping develop and/or promote the Grid and Grid applications

2. How familiar are you with peer-to-peer applications?

I know very little about them
I have read magazine articles about them
I have explored the technical details
I am using P2P applications (e.g. SETI@Home or KaZaa)
I am helping develop and/or promote P2P applications

3. How familiar are you with Web services?

I know very little about them
I have read magazine articles about them
I have explored the technical details
I am using Web services applications
I am helping develop and/or promote Web services

4. Within the next 6 years, I believe that distributed computing (e.g. Grid computing, P2P, and Web services) will become:

A passing fad
A useful technology for certain niche applications
A way that many organizations will augment their existing IT infrastructure
A technology that will be critically important to most organizations
THE dominant way in which organizations get the computing resources they need

5. What are the biggest challenges to be overcome in the develop of the Grid, P2P applications, and Web services?

Not important Somewhat Important Important Very Important Critical
Security
Authentication
Privacy concerns
Culture (e.g. CIO want to control their data and their systems)
Lack of standards
Inadequate networks
Performance and reliability problems

6. What policy barriers could hinder the growth of the Grid, P2P applications, and Web services?

Not important Somewhat Important Important Very Important Critical
Liability

Privacy regulations that restrict the international flow of personal information
Telecom regulations that increase the price of Internet access
Digital copyright laws
Wiretapping requirements

SURVEY RESULTS

Summary of Results

We received more than 490 responses to the Cyber Survey #14 ‘Can the network be the computer' sent out in August 2004.

The familiarity with Grid computing varies quite a bit among those responding to the survey: more than 41% had read about it in magazines, 21% have explored the technical details, but on the other hand, 25% know very little about it. More than half of the respondents however are using peer-to-peer applications (45.5%) or have explored the technical details (23%). Web services are used by 34% and almost 30% even help promote those services.

When asked about the future of the above-mentioned technologies, 38% believe that many organisations will use them to augment their existing IT infrastructure, 29% think they will be critically important to most organisations and 13% even believe that it will become THE dominant way in which organisations get the computing resources they need.

The biggest hurdle to be overcome in the development of this technology is seen to be security (62% think this is a critical factor). Other big concerns are authentication (almost 45% believe this is critical and another 36% think this is a very important factor) and privacy concerns (38% critical and 36% very important). Other issues like culture, lack of standards, inadequate networks and performance and reliability problems are seen as fairly important by most respondents, but not necessarily as critical.

Finally, when asked what policy barriers could hinder the growth of the Grid, peer-to-peer applications and Web services, privacy regulations that restrict the international flow of personal information get the highest mark: for 21% this is critical, another 33% list this as a very important barrier for development. Also policies s like liability, digital copyright laws, wiretapping requirements and telecom regulations that increase the price of access to the Internet are perceived as important barriers for the development of these technologies.

Thank you to all who took the time to complete the survey.