Grid computing: more hype than hiring

Grid computing could be the most talked-about new technology in 2007, but job opportunities in the financial sector are still thin on the ground, according to recruitment experts.

"I think grid computing is being talked about more than it's done," says Martin Smith, a director of City recruitment firm Anson McCade. "An awful lot of clients are talking about it, but only a few have actually deployed systems."

Grid computing refers to the practice of linking together hundreds of PCs and servers so they can collectively process enormously complex computational tasks. Banks such as HSBC use grid computers to process risk analysis calculations and derivatives trades, where enormous amounts of data need to be analysed very quickly.

Other banks using grid include Barclays Capital and Morgan Stanley, says Rob Lycett, a consultant with recruitment firm Astbury Marsden. Lycett says job opportunities are still few and far between, but he expects many more banks to jump on the grid bandwagon this year.

The benefits of grid are enormous for banks, but there are also enormous challenges, which means sufficiently skilled candidates are few and far between, adds Smith. "Where we have recruited people to work on grids, they've been the best of the best, academically, and highly numerical," he says. "There's a real shortage of experienced architects and analysts."

Candidates with experience as senior engineers who have several years experience of designing, implementing and supporting infrastructures could move into grid, but this isn't a sector for novices, adds Louise Clarke, manager of technology recruitment at Robert Walters. "Grid isn't something you can just have a go at," she says. "If you want to get into this sector, you need several years of experience with the technology, and excellent qualifications."