Grid Computing Definition

GRID COMPUTING usually consists of one main computer that distributes information and tasks to a group of networked computers to accomplish a common goal. Grid computing is often used to complete complicated or tedious mathematical or scientific calculations.

Grid Computing Definition
A service for sharing computer power and data storage capacity over the Internet
Advantages of Grid Computing
1. Easier to collaborate with other organizations.
2. Make better use of exisiting hardware.
3. No need to but huge servers for applications that can be split up and farmed out to smaller commodity type servers.
4. Grid environments are much more modular and don’t have single points of  failure. If one of the servers/desktops within the grid fail there are plenty of other resources able to pick the load.
5. Jobs can be executed in parallel speeding performance
6. Can solve larger, more complex problems in a shorter time.
Disadvantages of Grid Computing
1. Grid software and standards are still evolving.
2. Learning curve to get started.
3. Non-interactive job sumission.
4. You may need to have a fast interconnect between compute resources (gigabit ethernet at a minimum).
5. Licensing across many servers may make it prohibitive for some applications.
6. Many groups are reluctant with sharing resources even if it benefits everyone involved.