The Time is NOW for Virtualization
By Blake Britton – VP, Axxys Technologies
As we continue to look forward at the IT landscape nothing is growing faster than virtualization. The last 4 out of 5 projects completed by us have all involved creating a virtual strategy for our clients. I know this number does not appear to be “staggering” or “earth shattering” but it is a rapidly growing trend in business. Here are a few reasons we are encouraging our clients to move to a virtual server environment for their infrastructures:
Maximize Resources
Can you imagine hiring someone with the intent of using 10% – 20% of their potential? This is what seems to happen when a client purchases a new server for their business. Server hardware is incredibly powerful with Quad Core processors and the low cost of memory these days; however, it is challenging to utilize the resources to their full potential because of operating system and software limitations. By implementing virtual software such as VMware ESXi (FREE) you are able to create multiple servers each with their allotted piece of the processor and memory “pie”. This will allow you to create multiple environments where hardware resources are fully utilized per server for each role. I know you think this may be creating too many servers but this is simply needed in a lot of environments so applications and processes can be run at their full potential.
Faster Server Provisioning
When you build a virtual server environment you have the ability to build your servers to be flexible. Flexibility allows you to access and run a virtual server at any time to take over operations of a downed server should the need arise. For example, if your file/print server goes down and you have it backed up, under the right circumstances, you can migrate from the backup or rebuild your file/print server to a virtual server using the tools provided from VMware. This eliminates the need to wait on new hardware and provides you the ability to immediately work on the solution for the downed server.
Reduce Your Server and Carbon Footprints
By using virtualization technology you can still have the right amount of servers needed to operate your business efficiently. If you are moving to a datacenter environment, having less servers means you need less “real estate” to house those servers. It also provides you with the ability to lower your power and cooling requirements since you are running less physical equipment. This allows all businesses to think and act “green’ without compromising your business productivity while saving money on location housing and electricity.
There are many other reasons to begin building your virtualization strategy, but the keyword here is STRATEGY. You are moving to a new model when thinking of technology so it is important to plan this migration out so your business can achieve the greatest value possible. Consult with us on your strategy.
