How to Buy a Grid

I was starting to prepare a post on how to buy a grid--what are the steps you can take, and what's involved.

Then I remembered this post by my colleague Kim. It's a great place to start: 10 easy steps, and guaranteed success (well, they may not all be easy, and no one can guarantee success). But it's a very good list of things to consider when you are educating yourself about a purchase.

I'd add one more thing to watch out for: don't be swayed by features that you don't need (and won't be able to take advantage of). If someone tells you that their software is the most powerful on the planet because it works on 12 different operating systems and can tie together PCs in Idaho with mainframes in Kirkutsk, but you have 200 PCs in one office building, how does that help you? It doesn't. So look for something that will help you the way you work.

So read Kim's post. It's a good one. Plus, she used it to invent the word gridified, which is my new favorite word.