Corus Selects Univa For Private HPC Cloud

Integrated Systems Management and Web Portal Products Provide a Private Cloud Solution For HPC

Austin TX, July 6, 2009 — Univa UD, a leading provider of software solutions for enabling dynamic IT environments, announced today that Corus Automotive has chosen Univa to provide them with a solution for private cloud enablement of high-performance computing (HPC) applications.

This single solution includes Univa UniCluster 4.1 and Univa UniPortal 5. The UniCluster 4.1 HPC stack features Sun Grid Engine workload management, Oracle Enterprise Linux operating system, and the UniCluster suite of cluster and cloud management software. UniPortal 5 provides a web-based user cockpit, delivering engineering and technical computing applications on-demand in a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) environment.

The integrated Oracle-Sun-Univa private cloud solution will optimize computational workload and make HPC computing simpler and more flexible via SaaS delivery of applications over the web. Univa increases the value of the solution by supporting all components, so users have a single path for support of the Oracle, Sun and Univa products.

Corus, a leading global manufacturer of steel products and services, selected the Univa solution for the Automotive Engineering team to create an internal environment for more easily submitting, executing, tracking, and monitoring HPC workload, providing their users all necessary functionality to run HPC applications.

"Univa's solution makes our jobs easier and removes business risk, since all the components we need have already been integrated to work together," states Mike Twelves, Manager of IT Systems at Corus Automotive. "It's a cost-effective solution thanks to the open source model, and the fact that we have a one-stop-shop for support is a huge benefit."

"The quality of the professional services team is probably amongst the best I've experienced," adds Twelves.

Private cloud computing is a form of cloud computing in which smaller, cloudlike IT systems within a corporate firewall offer on-demand, web-based computing services to a closed internal network.

The integrated solution includes UniCluster, Univa's leading HPC systems management software product that provides a superior alternative to commercial cluster schedulers by integrating a range of technologies into a single, unified stack. Available for download at www.Grid.org, UniCluster includes expanded systems management functionality that automates repetitive and homegrown administrative tasks, significantly reducing time to value and TCO for cluster owners.

The solution also relies upon UniPortal, powered by NICE EnginFrame, which provides a user-friendly portal to easily access computing resources, data, licenses, batch applications and interactive applications. UniPortal's evolutionary framework and security features fit the most demanding IT environments and easily blend with corporate Intranets, Extranets, enterprise portals and single-sign-on solutions.

"Here at NICE, we enjoyed working with Corus to evolve their environment and deliver engineering applications via the intranet. The requirements included surpassing a previous generation web interface and adding virtualized data management. The next step in the roadmap is to integrate web-services with the design process," said Bruno Franzini, Support and Services at NICE.

Running the UniCluster and UniPortal products on Oracle Enterprise Linux provides a bulletproof HPC cluster solution with a single path for all support issues.

"With Oracle Enterprise Linux and UniCluster, HPC users have a complete, open and integrated Linux enterprise software stack," said Jeff Doolan, Director, Linux and Virtualization channels at Oracle. "Customers like Corus have access to a total solution for web-based HPC via the UniCluster/UniPortal combination on Oracle Enterprise Linux. It's the best option for enterprise-scale, fully supported Linux cluster computing."

"Univa's private cloud solution offers the flexibility and usability that global corporations need," says Gary Tyreman, vice president and general manager of Univa UD HPC. "The reality of most HPC cluster environments is that they are heterogeneous, globally dispersed, and supporting multiple disparate applications. With our integrated solution, access to resources across such an environment is dramatically simplified."

UniCluster is available by download at www.grid.org. UniPortal is offered by subscription, on its own or as an extension to UniCluster 4.1. For more information on these products, go to: http://www.univaud.com/hpc/products/.

About Univa UD

Univa UD is a leader and innovator in application and infrastructure enablement software for dynamic IT environments, including cloud computing. Univa understands the challenges and benefits of cloud computing and provides the evolutionary path and comprehensive set of products to get companies there - all without having to 'rip and replace' their legacy IT investments. For over a decade, Univa has delivered proven, award-winning technology to hundreds of market-leading companies. Our lightweight infrastructure products are fast and easy to deploy, ensuring better time to value for our customers, and our leading application service governance product intelligently automates resource provisioning based on application SLAs. With a focus on making business easier for our customers, Univa is advancing the vision and practice of dynamic IT. Visit us at www.univaud.com.

About Corus

Corus is Europe's second largest steel producer with annual revenues of around £12 billion and a crude steel production of over 20 million tonnes, primarily in the UK and the Netherlands.

Corus comprises three operating Divisions, Strip Products, Long Products and Distribution & Building Systems and has a global network of sales offices and service centres, employing around 42,000 people worldwide.

Corus is a leading supplier to many of the most demanding markets around the world including construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical and electrical engineering, metal goods, and oil & gas. With innovation and continuous improvement at the heart of its business performance, Corus aims to create value by offering a differentiated product range supported by unrivalled customer service.

Corus is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, the world's sixth largest steel producer. With a combined presence in nearly 50 countries, the Tata Steel Group including Corus, Tata Steel Thailand and NatSteel Asia, has approximately 80,000 employees across five continents and a crude steel production capacity of over 28 million tonnes.

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