What is “virtualization?”

At its basic level, “virtualization” is the separation of hardware and software. This divorce of software from hardware creates tremendous opportunities to scale numerous services, applications and entire operating systems on purpose-built hardware in a segregated, secure fashion. This capability saves on hardware, software, power, cooling and maintenance costs.

The Bubble Concept

Think about your operating system being encapsulated by a bubble, which never touches the physical hardware. When we’re talking about “virtualization” we are talking about creating a layer that insulates two things: This could be disconnecting the hardware from the software, or disconnecting an application from its links to the operating system. In either case you are creating a bubble around one thing to separate it from another.

To elaborate, take the laptop or computer you are currently working on…. Let’s assume it came with the Windows 7 operating system. You cannot move that system around because it is permanently locked in with that piece of hardware, and that operating system has systems and awareness to insure that it can’t be moved. That means that every time you purchase a new computer, you’ll need to purchase a new operating system.

But what if there was a “bubble” around that system that allowed it to be portable. You could now move that system that was completely protected in its “bubble” to anywhere you wanted. In layman’s terms, that is what virtualization accomplishes.

Why Virtualize? In Two Words: Portability & Flexibility

Keeping in mind that technology is only helpful when it becomes a useful business application; virtualization offers two very valuable benefits to your business. It makes your computer network both portable and flexible.

Portable

If you have a complete machine encapsulated in a bubble, you could run that system on any server that supports that technology. For example, one could be Dell, the other Intel, one could be newer, one could be older, and the contents of the bubble don’t matter. They’ve been separated from the underlying infrastructure and because of this they are only talking to the virtualization layer.

This is a huge value relating to business continuity and disaster recovery. If a virtual machine can run anywhere, you can bring it quickly back up in the event of a failure.

Hardware upgrades can be dealt with in exactly the same situation. When you bring a new server into the mix, there is no complicated rebuild. For physical servers, you simply bring a new one into the environment and then move the virtual machine onto it to redistribute the data.

Of course, this is not possible with traditional hardware – at least not without buying more. With virtualization technology you can redistribute resources that you have on hand, without “buying more” just to have another server.

Flexibility

Besides being portable, these bubbles are simple to create. When you need a new system, you no longer need to order hardware. You can carve up existing hardware, and use the complete resource, rather than letting that big CPU sit idle. This allows you to redeploy and reuse hardware quickly and easily, making it far more flexible than the hardware on its own.

This flexibility – the ability to create and divide resources as you need them changes the game! You’re no longer limited to having enough raw hardware, you’re only limited by your ability to carve it into the pieces you need and want. Not all pieces need to be running at the same time, so you can start and stop pieces as you need them.

Virtualization allows you to “try something”
And then quickly remove it if it doesn’t work

…you can even copy it so you and another person each have a version to try.

With virtualization, you know have a much more flexible way of working with systems then you did before. They can be brought up, turned down, moved around, and shaped much faster and easier than they were before.

In A Nut Shell …

There is no end to the next steps with virtualization. The separation of the link between hardware and software that is delivered by virtualization is hugely beneficial to small to medium sized businesses. In a world where your server is virtualized, this portable and flexible bubble is now something that can be moved easily. Need to replace hardware to keep the hardware fresh? No problem. Slide it over easily – need a bigger server to support new applications just slide it over.

Virtualization offers businesses a much more portable and flexible network, while offering for a much more manageable and affordable price.

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Are You Ready For The Cloud?

Not every business is ready to make the transition to the cloud, but many are. DuraLogic is offering a comprehensive evaluation of your company’s IT infrastructure to determine if and when you might make the most out of transitioning some or all of your technology to the cloud. This Evaluation is provided at NO COST TO YOU. This offer is valid for new or existing clients.