Grid developers are spending their time working on five big areas:

1. Resource sharing on a global scale: Sharing is the very essence of grid computing.
2. Secure access: There must be a high level of trust between resource providers and users, who often don't know each other. Sharing resources is fundamentally in conflict with the conservative security policies being applied at individual computer centers and on individual PCs. So getting grid security right is crucial.
3. Resource use: Demand for grid resources should be balanced, so that computers everywhere are used more efficiently.
4. The death of distance: For grids to work, we need to ensure that distance makes no difference to efficient access to computer resources.
5. Open standards: Open standards are needed to ensure that grids are interoperable and that everyone can contribute constructively to grid development. Standardization also encourages industry to invest in developing commercial grid services and infrastructure.