Flexible and efficient, virtualization technology offers many benefits to businesses of all sizes as it pertains to different simulated types of execution. IT spending is projected to total $4.5 trillion in 2022, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to learn how to maximize the advantages of virtualization technology and choose the right approach for your business.
What is Virtualization?
Virtualization is a technological process that creates a simulated environment so a business or organization can partition one computer or server into multiple virtual machines. If you began with one hard drive, and partitioned it into two hard drives, the result would be two simulated hard drives with a host of capabilities. Each of these machines could then run different applications or even operating systems. They still share the resources of the single host machine, such as disk space and memory (RAM), but improve overall workload and offer up amazing scalability without the hassle of physical systems.
These simulated environments use less energy than traditional computers performing the same tasks. After a virtual server is configured for an action, it takes mere minutes to configure other virtual servers to perform the same task. The result over time is an efficient, streamlined operation that operates at lower cost with less IT infrastructure, while speeding up multiple processes. It’s no wonder that traditional hardware spending dropped off, according to IDC data. With an increase in resources and an eye on responsiveness, virtualization provides a multitude of simulated environments for storage, memory, networking and executing applications for a variety of businesses.
Types of Virtualization
- Application virtualization allows for applications to run without the need for direct installation. It’s especially useful for running two versions of the same software. Packaged and hosted applications make good use of application virtualization.
- Cloud virtualization offers three different models; first, infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) for a user-configured virtualized server, storage and network resource. Second, platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offers up simulated cloud databases, development tools and services. Clients then use these tools to build their own applications and services. Finally, software-as-a-service (SaaS) are subscriber applications consumers use while in the cloud.
- Data center virtualization allows an admin to collect, manipulate or deliver data without the need for technical details. This form of virtualization aids in data warehouse management thanks to its on-demand, real-time search abilities and acute analysis. With this format, a business can craft its own data center without the need for expensive physical hardware architecture.
- Network virtualization allows an admin to manage an entire network from one console with the ability to control and change various elements all without any physical interaction. It’s a simple way to streamline network management. Software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) utilize network abstraction.
- Desktop virtualization, or client-server computing model, stores a desktop environment (operating system) virtually on a centralized remote server. It offers easy portability and simple software fixes like updates or patches. Desktop virtualization aids in tasks like disaster recovery, employee on-boarding and duplicate process removal.
- GPU virtualization takes the load off of managing mathematical processing like computer science and hydrodynamics simulations. It’s also used in heavy graphic processing for all manner of cloud gaming scenarios.
Data virtualization allows for easy data access no matter the location, source, or format. Businesses and organizations can store different file formats from various locales (cloud, software system, or on-site hardware) and even applications.
Your Virtualization Tech Solution
With so many options, virtualization can quickly become overwhelming. Consider letting World Wide Technology help you choose the right virtualization tech with the abilities that best complement your business or organization goals.