The implementation of virtualisation is currently regarded as one of the best business decisions due to the many advantages it offers — but what does it actually involve?
According to estimates by the analyst firm IDC, the operating cost of a server now exceeds its purchase price; in other words, the electricity and cooling required to run a server cost more than the server itself. It is also important to consider the use of physical space and the cost per square metre of facilities and furniture.
What virtualisation proposes is the reduction of these costs through server consolidation — that is, virtualising a certain number of physical machines into a single one.
Benefits
Most servers operate well below their full capacity, but thanks to virtualisation it is possible to optimise resource utilisation by running multiple virtual machines on a single host and significantly improve energy efficiency.
Another major advantage is flexibility. It is now possible to deploy a new service instantly, as most solution providers have simplified IT infrastructure management through virtualisation technologies.
Virtualisation also plays a key role in disaster recovery, allowing operations to be restored quickly and easily. By using virtual environments, organisations gain added security in the event of a serious incident. System images or snapshots can be created continuously, or before updates, ensuring that recovery time is kept to a minimum.
Key components
There are two core elements that explain how virtualisation works:
- Virtual Machine (VM): the heart of virtualisation. It is entirely software-based and can run operating systems and applications, powered by the resources of a physical server.
- Hypervisor: the component responsible for creating the virtualisation layer. It dynamically allocates the necessary resources to each virtual machine so that, regardless of the operating system in use, it perceives the physical hardware of the host server as its own.
Different types of virtualisation environments
As we’ve seen, by creating multiple resources from a single server, virtualisation enhances scalability and workload management while reducing the number of servers required — and therefore energy consumption, infrastructure costs, and maintenance efforts.
Beyond server virtualisation, there are four other main categories where this concept applies:
- Desktop virtualisation: allows a centralised server to deliver and manage individual desktop environments.
- Network virtualisation: designed to divide a network’s bandwidth into independent channels that can be assigned to specific servers or devices.
- Software virtualisation: separates applications from the underlying hardware and operating system.
- Storage virtualisation: combines multiple networked storage resources into a single logical storage device accessible to multiple users.
In conclusion, virtualisation is a highly effective tool — provided it is implemented correctly and the key aspects are carefully planned in advance to avoid unforeseen issues. At Inmove IT Solutions, we can help your company take the leap into virtualisation. We provide comprehensive solutions and expert consultancy across this and many other IT and technological fields.
