ABSTRACT
Regardless of how inexpensive hardware becomes, building a high-powered cluster computing
environment is out of the reach of many organizations and individuals. Analyzing large chunks of
data may require more CPU cycles and memory than an organization has in its arsenal. Enter grid
computing: for a reasonable fee, and depending on the type and quantity of resources needed, a company
can “rent” grid time from IBM and Sun Micro Systems. It is a beautiful concept: the power of a Big Blue
for the price of a middle-tier server. The concept of grid computing has evolved in the past 30 years. In
this short time, the idea of utilizing unused processing cycles across a network for purposes other than
what they were originally intended for has gone from a beautiful thought to reality. This paper discusses
the evolution of grid computing, emphasizing security issues and standards that have risen as the direct
result of its popularity. It reviews major developments in standardizing grid access and authentication,
their strength and weaknesses, current vulnerabilities, and paths to the future.
