Significance and Utility of Server Virtualization

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Server Virtualization has seen huge progress in recent times. Companies employ virtualization to enhance server usage and gain flexibility in employing the resources for enterprise applications.

WHAT IS VIRTUALIZATION?

Virtualization is the creation of a virtual, software-based representation of an object or resource such as an operating system, server, storage system, or network. These simulated or emulated resources are in all points identical to their physical version.

WHY TO VIRTUALIZE?

There are many reasons why companies and organizations investing in the virtualization of servers. Some of the reasons are financially motivated, while others are for technical concerns. In any case, this is a good prerequisite for preparing for migration to the cloud. Here are a few strengths that we have identified:

1. MORE SERVERS WITH FEWER SERVERS

Let’s understand: virtualization allows you to create several virtual servers (also called VM, for Virtual Machine) on a single physical server. Many servers are often oversized to typically run only one application.

Thanks to server virtualization solution, it will be easier to adjust and size the server to meet the needs of the application. The number of physical servers to run your IS will therefore be considerably reduced, and everything will be made easier to maintain.

2. SAVING SPACE!

It may not be the most important, but still! Server virtualization optimizes space in your premises through consolidation. It is common to dedicate a server to a single application. If multiple applications use only a small amount of processing power, the network administrator can consolidate multiple machines into a single server running multiple virtual environments.

For businesses with hundreds or thousands of servers, the need for physical space can decrease dramatically.

3. BETTER AGILITY

Server virtualization allows businesses to migrate a virtual machine from one physical server to another sometimes without even stopping. So, with this mechanism, you can be more agile, have better availability, and ensure better redundancy.

The redundancy means the execution of the same application on multiple servers. This is a safety measure – if one server crashes for some reason, another server running the same application can take its place almost instantly. This minimizes downtime. Be careful, it goes without saying, it would not make sense to build two virtual servers running the same application on the same physical server. If the physical server crashes, both virtual servers would also go down.

Virtualization offers you the possibility of changing sometimes without interruption resources such as random-access memory (RAM), storage space (disk), or the number of processors (CPU). In most cases and depending on your business needs, the redundancy of your VMs is an insurance to offer an optimal user or customer experience.

4. A PERFORMANCE GAIN

This agility allows you to gain in performance: by optimizing your resources according to needs, it is easier for you to distribute the loads on your physical servers. You may therefore prefer to put your greedy and / or critical applications on more muscular servers, and reserve those which are less powerful for less consuming applications.

5. EPHEMERAL MACHINES

VMs also provide your developers with isolated, independent environments in which to test new applications or operating systems. Rather than investing in a new, dedicated physical machine, you can allocate a virtual server on an existing machine.

Because each virtual server is independent from all other servers, developers can perform actions on software without worrying about affecting other applications. Once you no longer need it, it’s easy to remove the server, erase it, and reallocate your resources for other needs.

6. REINFORCED SECURITY

Partitioning your servers at will helps reduce the risk of a failure or infection spreading. In many SMEs or VSEs, it is not uncommon to even have several tools (messaging, file server, intranet, etc.) on the same server. If a user infects their email, then all tools can be infected. Virtualization will provide better isolation of services on separate virtual machines.

In addition, it will be easier to set up a PRA (Business Recovery Plan) with virtual machines, by definition more mobile, and easier to duplicate.

Your backups can also be simpler, your VM can be likened to a large file. It is therefore easy to make copies at an instant T (snapshot), and to keep a history of it with a depth and a frequency that you define.

7. NO MORE DEPENDENCE ON OBSOLETE PHYSICAL SERVER

Another advantage is that your servers do not last forever and they will eventually become obsolete. Switching from one system to another may also prove difficult.

If you have a physical server that you want to virtualize, there are migration tools to move a physical environment to a virtual server.

8. OPTIMIZED LICENSE COSTS

Often, you have to pay for licenses per server, or per processor. With virtualization, publishers have often revised their business model, and offer licenses that cover all the VMs present on the physical server.

To summarize, virtualization is very practical, fast, secure and allows you to optimize your infrastructure costs, it’s up to you!!