Paremus Plays Its Hand

PHILADELPHIA -- Gt04 -- Emerging from stealth after three years, U.K. startup Paremus Ltd. unveiled its data-center optimization software here today at the Gt’04 conference.

Paremus was founded in 2001 by Richard Nicholson and Richard Barclay, two former vice presidents at Salomon Brothers. With grid computing so closely allied to scientific research, it is perhaps not surprising that Nicholson also has a background as an astrophysicist, having worked at Jodrell Bank Observatory in the U.K.

To date, the company has received $3 million worth of funding from investment firm Broadband Network Management Ltd. However, there is more than one face to Paremus. The company also has a consultancy wing, which turned over $1.5 million last year, and is being used to support the product technology side of the business.

The fruits of these labors emerged today in Philadelphia, with the launch of Infiniflow, a software that sits on top of data center provisioning applications. These include, for example, applications covered by Sun Microsystems Inc.'s (Nasdaq: SUNW) N1 strategy, which lets firms manage a range of devices as if they were a single computer.

Infiniflow, based on a Java-based technology called Jini, helps shift data to the most appropriate resources, such as server processors or storage. The product can also work with chips and operating system from any vendors, according to executives at Paremus.As the grid computing market takes shape, Paremus is hoping for some big wins in the financial sector, particularly given the company’s strong links with that market. Mike Francis, business development manager at Paremus, confirmed that one financial firm is already piloting Infiniflow, although he was unable to reveal the company’s name.

However, Paremus’s ambitions extend far beyond the money markets. Francis says, “We’re a Sun Alliance partner, so we expect to expand beyond finance.”

Paremus is not the only specialist software vendor looking to make inroads into the grid computing market. Frank Gillett, principal analyst at Forrester Research Inc. says, “There are a number of companies that are trying to take the grid ideas and implement them on Web services.”

In addition to Paremus, these include DataSynapse, Cassatt Corp., and Tsunami Research Inc.

Of these firms, DataSynapse has the longest presence in the market, with the launch of its flagship GridServer software back in 2000. The product works by grid-enabling applications and, to date, has been deployed in 50 organizations.DataSynapse also used Gt’04 to launch a new services offering to support GridServer, entitled GridDesign. This aims to help customers prioritize which applications will be integrated into a grid architecture and examines the possible impact on firms’ overall IT infrastructures.

— James Rogers, Site Editor, Next-gen Data Center Forum