When researchers at Rutgers wanted to explore massive computing scenarios with real-world significance for fields such as financial services and pharmaceuticals, they turned to Windows® HPC Server 2008. In one research project, the software proved at least 30 percent faster than Linux. The Windows HPC Server cluster was deployed in one day and works like the Windows operating system with which users and administrators are already familiar.

EURO/CFD, which provides digital simulation of fluid mechanics and heat transfer, recently expanded its computing infrastructure and upgraded to the Windows® HPC Server 2008 operating system for its 37-node cluster. EURO/CFD can now launch simulations on 20 server computers simultaneously. With the resulting 20-percent increase in computation speed, EURO/CFD has gained a competitive edge by delivering detailed, accurate information for customers.

The High Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS) provides computing resources to internal and external research and industry partners. The institute uses diskless boot technology for all of its 700 compute nodes to implement a compute cluster with Windows® HPC Server 2008. HLRS has found that using diskless boot technology in combination with the latest cluster technology leads to significant savings, thanks to the high energy efficiency.

The Department of Phoniatrics and Pediatric Audiology at Erlangen University Hospital needed to increase its computing power to conduct meaningful analysis of vocal cord data. The department decided to use a Windows® HPC Server 2008 cluster at the Regional Computer Center in Erlangen to increase its pace of research. Computations that used to take two weeks are now complete in a few hours, resulting in more thorough research.

Swansea Metropolitan University (SMU) has gained international fame for excellence in research into cancer by its Applied Design and Engineering Faculty. Scientists needed a fast high-performance computing (HPC) tool to support clinicians treating patients with oesophageal cancer. They upgraded to Windows Server® 2008 with the Microsoft Message Passing Interface (MS MPI) for parallel testing on a single workstation to support the non-invasive treatment.

Banca IFIS wanted to speed up its batch processing to meet an increase in customer demand for services. The bank worked with its partner Teamlab to migrate its existing Electronic Credit Line Management application to the Windows® HPC Server 2008 operating system. Doing so helped the bank reduce its batch-processing times by 75 percent, ensure high availability, and avoid purchasing additional hardware to accommodate the heightened demand.

Stork Thermeq, a provider of products and services for industrial water-steam systems, used a Red Hat Linux high-performance computing (HPC) system to support its research. But the company found that the system took considerable expertise to run and maintain, pulling researchers away from their work, and would have required outside consultants to expand and maintain the system’s structure. The company migrated to the Windows® HPC Server 2008 operating system because it provided greater scalability and easier management. Stork Thermeq also found that the system delivers greater cluster efficiency and flexibility because of the integrated Job Scheduler and because it performs 30 percent faster per node than the company’s previous Linux system. Due to the accelerated performance, Stork Thermeq researchers can run more compute jobs and gain deeper insight for improved products and services.

Ricoh Company has prided itself on being the first to market with innovative solutions. In 2009 Ricoh Company acquired one of the world’s largest document management technology distributors, IKON, which had an immediate and dramatic effect on the Canadian business unit, Ricoh Canada Inc., a move that willgrow the number of PCs the IT department must manage from 1,000 to an estimated 2,000. In response, the IT department sought ways to achieve even greater levels of automated management and control over the company’s computing environment, and ensure maximum uptime for applications. To accommodate growth, Ricoh Canada has begun a company-wide migration to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Together, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 have helped to improve mobile and on-premise security, help the IT team achieve greater manageability, and set the stage for further growth.

The Department of Physics at the University of Bologna needed to increase its computation speed for complex tomographic analysis of large works of art. After successful testing, it now conducts its calculations on a cluster that runs the Windows® HPC Server 2008 operating system. Doing so made it possible for university researchers to avoid rewriting code, reduce calculation times from 20 days to 6 hours, and expand into new areas of research.

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario with a metropolitan area population of more than 350,000. The innovative municipality prides itself on the strategic use of technology and delivering a high level of core services to its citizens. Facing mounting budgetary pressures, London was looking to update its desktop computing environment in order for city officials to be more responsive to the public. Working with Microsoft® Gold Certified partner CMS Consulting Inc., London became one of the first Canadian municipalities to upgrade its desktop computing environment to the Windows® 7 operating system operating system. Employees at the city are now taking advantage of the software’s capabilities to access data more quickly, securely and productively – allowing staff to support more efficient and lower-cost municipal services.