UC: Platform Computing describe itself as a Grid Computing Solution Provider. How would you differentiate between Utility Computing and Grid Computing?

Sands: When we are talking about turning IT into a utility, I see Grid Computing as a component of that. With any utility - be it water, electricity or IT - there are always building blocks and, as a Grid Computing software provider, Platform Computing is providing a raw material for the IT utility. Utility Computing simply cannot be delivered without some of the functionality that Grid Computing provides, so it's one leg of the stool of on-demand computing.

Ultimately, Grid Computing is going to be a ubiquitous aspect of the utility computing model. Our aim is to ensure that users come to view Platform Computing as synonymous with that need and we are working hard to ensure our products fit within that eco-system. When ERP integrators begin to wake up to the power of utility computing - and they are certainly beginning to do so - we will partner with them in much the same way as we do already with the major system integrators and consultants.

Right now, the benefits that Utility Computing offers are at an infrastructure level and if you ask the question, what does utility computing mean to a People Soft or an Oracle, the answer has to be "not a lot." That's definitely not going to remain the case for long and we are already involved with some of these companies at an R&D level.

UC: Platform Computing have been involved in this market since your foundation almost ten years ago, so it's clear you see a long-term future for utility computing. What are the true timescales involved and which executives should be most focused on this subject? Is utility computing an IT issue or a Board-level one?

Sands: When you look at any major advance, there is typically a development path of 3, 5 and 7 years - when the technology grows from incubation to maturity. We are at the early stages now - but there is certainly a logical way of preparing for the development of this. Ignoring that, could affect companies heavily as the cost of entry may be too high later on.

In the short term, the Board, particularly the CFO wants to drive down cost. Everywhere, IT is being forced to do more with less. Utility Computing helps there - CIOs are looking at how over-resourced their organisation is and at the spare processing capacity they own and need to find a way of extracting that capability. Standardising on a platform, measuring, managing - and ultimately paying only for the usage is going to drive down TCO.

Let's take an example customer with 1000 servers provided by 3 different hardware suppliers. The grid computing approach would be to bring that number of servers down to 600 with efficient utilisation of resources.

UC: Doesn't that mean that the incumbent hardware vendors will vie for position? They may simply see an opportunity to sell more servers and lockout their competition. As the Grid Computing approach encourages customers to see IT as a commodity, the left hand of the vendors may be attempting to differentiate their hardware on grounds other than cost - all whilst the right hand pushes the customer towards a grid computing approach.

Sands: I think that's true, there will always be internal tugs of war but it's actually an opportunity for the smart hardware vendor - the one who has really grasped the potential of what Utility Computing can do for them. If they grasp the strategic utility computing opportunity they will be looking far beyond the server sale and will take the opportunity to present the customer's senior management with a partnership opportunity that can fundamentally re-invent the way their business is done. If it's done right, the ROI will show itself very quickly in the way the IT system which underpins the company is changed. Business units, even users, will know that their IT department understands and provides for them on an individual level.

UC: Are there industries that are particularly suited to Utility Computing and well positioned to reap early benefits from the strategy?

Sands: Absolutely. In my view, the Financial Services, Telecoms and Manufacturing industries have a prime opportunity to benefit from this. They are all multifaceted industries that have both a lot of applications and a great deal of infrastructure. Much of that infrastructure is deployed on a "what if" basis - "what if, our cell phone demand level suddenly peaks," "what if a large order for more planes comes in." The industries that are logical early-beneficiaries of utility computing are the ones that are characterised by both complexity and cyclicality of demand.

UC: What is next for Platform Computing? What are your immediate aims?

Sands: Many of the system integrators and consultants we partner with have strong industry practises. In line with that we are developing a more focused, industry-orientated approach. We're also expanding our geographical presence into Europe, which is clearly a key market. Ultimately our intention is to be a key enabler as Utility Computing gains critical mass.

With some apologies to Bill Gates, whose early evangelical mission was to see a copy of windows on every desktop, our aim is to make sure that Platform Computing provides the grid software on every server! Shoot for the stars and you land on the clouds as they say…