Virtualization remains a very popular technology. But certain key parts of the data center, notably the infrastructure for enterprise applications like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), generally remain on physical servers. This situation is changing. Recent initiatives from vendors like SAP and Oracle indicate that the era of virtualized ERP is dawning.
This note explores virtualization and ERP by addressing:
- Common problems with ERP environments.
- Benefits of virtualizing the ERP operating stack.
- The types of enterprises most likely to benefit.
- Recommendations for implementation.
Virtualizing the ERP environment drives cost savings from server consolidation and improved development efficiencies. Increasing the ease and speed with which environments are recovered is a key enabler. Pursue virtualization for the development stack, but keep the production environment on physical hardware for at least another year.