Virtualization Explained

Virtualization: Technology for the next generation of your business.

Is your technology taking over your office? Do you wish you could implement new technologies but simply do not have the space to do so? Virtualization is the answer, with capabilities that allow businesses to separate resources and services from the underlying physical delivery of those services. In other words, virtualization allows you to do more with less.

For example, with virtual memory, your software can access more memory than is physically installed in your computer, via the background swapping of your data onto disk storage. Virtualization techniques can be applied to other aspects of your business IT as well, including: networks, storage, laptop or server hardware, operating systems and applications.

Virtualization technologies provide a layer of abstraction between computing, storage and networking hardware, and the applications running on it, so you can enjoy more advanced technology without installing more equipment in your office.

Implementing a virtual infrastructure in your business is non-disruptive, since using your computers will be no different than it is now. However, virtual infrastructure gives administrators the advantage of managing pooled resources across your business, allowing IT managers to be more responsive to changing business needs and better leverage infrastructure investments.

Using virtual infrastructure solutions, enterprise IT managers can address challenges that include:

Server Consolidation and Containment – Eliminating “server sprawl” via deployment of systems as virtual machines (VMs) that can run safely and move transparently across share hardware, and increase server utilization rates from 5-15% to 60-80%.
Test and Development Optimization – Rapidly provisioning test and development servers by reusing pre-configured systems, enhancing developer collaboration and standardizing development environments.
Business Continuity – Reducing the cost and complexity of business continuity (high availability and disaster recovery solutions) by encapsulating entire systems into single files that can be replicated and restored on any target serve thus minimizing downtime.
Enterprise Desktop – Securing unmanaged PCs, workstations and laptops without compromising end-user autonomy by layering a security policy in software around desktop virtual machines.

Want to do more with less?