Virtualisation Boosts Efficiency And Flexibility For Midsize Biz

Prior to server virtualisation, a static relationship existed that tied a single instance of the operating system software and its collection of applications to a dedicated server. If the operating system and application workload demand was constant, utilisation of the server could be maximised, resulting in minimal dormant or unused hardware resources. However, application usage is seldom constant resulting in peaks and valleys during the day, within the workweek, seasonally and unexpectedly.

Consequently, average server utilisation without virtualisation is low and energy and cooling is wasted on servers that are ‘on’ but are not actively serving a business need.

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Frost & Sullivan recently published a whitepaper, Virtualization for Midsize Businesses: Keep Your Foot on the Accelerator, which identifies the benefits midsize businesses gain through holistic adoption of virtualisation technologies.

To overcome the many recurring challenges pertaining to datacentres, there are streams of benefits virtualisation across servers, storage, networks, and desktops can deliver, especially for midsize businesses with heightened strategic priorities in innovation and revenue growth. This shift to virtualisation increases capacity and improves effectiveness with greater speed, flexibility and reliability than possible in non-virtualised environments.

“Devising and following a server upgrade plan to support virtualisation will not only stretch existing datacentre space further, but will also produce incremental gains in energy efficiency,” said Michael Suby, Stratecast Vice President of Research at Frost & Sullivan.

Selecting a virtualisation partner is equally important. For instance, IT managers should consider the partner’s effectiveness in managing virtualisation technologies while also integrating complementary technologies and extending them into other areas of business needs. This white paper addresses the criteria to consider in designing a virtualisation strategy and in selecting a virtualisation partner. Frost & Sullivan identified IBM as a compelling example of a virtualisation provider with a broad portfolio of virtualisation-enabling products, a deep bench in value-added resellers and local IT management partners, and experience that counts.