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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

To raise engineer productivity Russia's heavy machines manufacturer Salut chose the Windows HPC platform because it offers high-performance computing at a reasonable cost, offers high compatibility with the company's specialized engineering applications, and is easily integrated with the existing enterprise infrastructure.

Microsoft Windows HPC Server allows users of Schlumberger's specialized applications to perform extensive calculations while simultaneously taking advantage of standard client programs on a single platform. This flexibility greatly lowers needed expenditure for IT infrastructure. Additionally the company's IT administers are able to support and manage the high powered computing clusters with their existing skill sets.

For nearly 75 years, Grange Insurance has offered competitive products and services to policyholders in more than a dozen U.S. states. To maintain its well-earned reputation and standing, the company decided to enhance its rating engine—a software tool for rating policies and performing what-if modeling, impact analyses, and other vital activities. Working with the Sophic Group and using the Microsoft® Visual Studio® Team System development environment and Microsoft Visual F# programming language, Grange Insurance parallelized its rating engine to take better advantage of multicore server hardware, and in so doing garnered significant performance benefits. Processes that used to require hours now take just minutes, enabling the company to trim time-to-market by weeks and making it far easier for independent agents to sell and service Grange products.

As a leading IT service provider in Europe, Computacenter wanted to simplify its own computer environment with an operating system that would provide reliable network access and high performance, while enhancing its ability to safeguard data. By deploying the Windows® 7 operating system, the company can offer its highly mobile workforce a better link to corporate resources, while simplifying security management and increasing employee productivity.