Get the Most out of Server Virtualization
Develop a strategy to move infrastructure from a virtual fantasy to a virtual reality.
- For many enterprises, server virtualization is moving beyond basic consolidation into a more managed virtual environment, and potentially to the internal Cloud. Understanding the benefits of each of these stages and their associated costs will assist you when setting your server virtualization goals.
- Implementers must assess their current readiness and future goals for virtualization, and gain an understanding of the best practices and pitfalls to avoid when implementing.
- Engaging with vendors requires an awareness of the end goal for server virtualization, to ensure that the features and functions offered by virtual server software providers will meet enterprise needs.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Server virtualization is mission-critical ready. More than 50% of production machines are virtual for those investing in server virtualization. This is because virtualization has been tested in the field and vendors are providing features that ensure availability and reliability of virtual machine workloads.
- Management capabilities can add significant benefits; management benefits increase in value with more virtualization. Improved availability for DR and simplified app delivery are often sufficient to justify investment in server virtualization. However, management can also be deployed too early and the infrastructure costs and steep learning curve for IT staff may make an upgrade to a managed virtual infrastructure a costly and risky investment.
- Internal clouds are qualitative upgrades; implementing internal cloud functionality is dependent on specific use cases for automation, self service, and app lifecycle management. Becoming more virtualized does not necessarily introduce pain points that are solved by an internal cloud.
Impact and Result
- Cost savings through consolidation are most often associated with initial stages of virtualization because these benefits are used to make the business case. However, capital and operational savings continue as a greater proportion of the infrastructure is virtualized because further hardware refreshes are avoided.
- Management benefits build on consolidation benefits; features of management software improve utilization of machines and resources, allowing more workloads to run on fewer servers.
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