From Grid to Cloud computing service model: new business model for web services based computing

Grid and cloud computing are two models of distributed computing systems that are based on the same objective of sharing heterogeneous resources in terms of networks, compute, storage, software, platform and infrastructure, in a transparent way for the end users. They manifest similarities and was born to satisfy the same needs, even in different times, but their adoptions in profit or not-profit organizations followed different paths. In Europe grid computing emerged thanks to several European funding research projects and demonstrations, which gave rise to the creation of a European grid infrastructure (EGI), even if the core software of architecture was first developed as a US project of the Globus Alliance. Cloud computing, instead, exploded through wide commercial offerings as a dynamic and scalable computing and storage platform that more closely responds to the demands and needs of users. The model is now embraced by different organizations, since it seems much easier to adopt and use and could implement economies of scales considering investments in computing infrastructure. With the aim to demonstrate that the two models could converge rather than compete, this paper analyses the two infrastructures to evaluate their use in a typical not-for-profit environment such the educational or public research institutes, focusing on both the benefits and problem