Excel spreadsheets tap into grid power

C|Net | at | by Mike

Platform Computing has released a software module that enables Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet software to tap into the power of a grid computing system, the company said Tuesday.

The Excel adapter is now a standard part of Platform's Symphony Suite, software the Toronto-based company sells to join groups of computers together into a single pool of processing power.

Platform is aiming the Excel adapter software at financial services companies, where analysts often must perform high-speed calculations such as calculating the risks incurred by a particular change to a stock portfolio.