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Sitting in your office, your cell phone rings. You pick up your myTouch and have a casual phone conversation. It happens every day in businesses around the globe. However, while you’re talking on the phone and filing office reports, there’s a force working behind the scenes to help you accomplish the tasks you need.
Cluster computing basically takes several different computers, a cluster, and helps them operate like one computer. The most common way to accomplish this is through a Local Area Network. This means that Computer A in Susie’s office can access the same resources and files as Computer B in Bob’s office. When the two computers are on the same Local Area Network, any and all information shared on the network is available for computers to access.
What does this mean for your business?
This means that each computer no longer needs its own printer. A larger printer, accessed through the Local Area Network, can meet the needs of all the computers in the office. It does mean that employees have to get up from their chairs to retrieve the printed documents, but a little exercise never hurt anyone. The same theory applies to scanners, fax machines and other office equipment; employees are able to share.
Another benefit of cluster computing is shared resources. Documents don’t have to be emailed back and forth between employees because everyone can access the same documents through the Local Area Network. There are some safeguards in place, so two people usually can’t alter the same information at the same time, but a little communication with each other can easily resolve those issues.
Cluster computing also improves the speed and availability of each computer. Because resources are stored on the Local Area Network, the computer has more space free on the hard drive. That means the computer runs faster and employees can work more efficiently.
