Virtualisation

Virtualisation is an approach to IT that pools and shares resources so utilization is optimized and supply automatically meets demand. To achieve this, a holistic approach is used through the integration of processes and technologies. This new virtual view of the resources is not restricted by implementation or the physical configuration of underlying resources.

Commonly virtualized resources include computing power and data storage. Traditionally, distributed computing centres have used dedicated servers for each application within an enterprise, while most server capacity goes unused. Average utilization rates of 20 – 30 percent are not uncommon and contribute to hight costs and wasted IT resources and funds. By pooling and sharing resources, utilization is optimized and supply rapidly shifts to meet demand.

How quickly can a business identify and respond to change? Can it leverage change to create new opportunities for success? Breaking away from the inflexible, silo-like architectures of the past to deliver more business value, virtualization lets customers balance two seemingly contradictory areas – reducing costs and increasing agility. In the past, organizations have tried to balance these conflicting goals: Reduced costs (through consolidation) and faster reaction to business needs (through decentralization). Virtualisation also offers a workable solution to the rapidly increasingly problem of server and storage proliferation.

By demonstrating the ability to address virtualization challenges, channel partners can capitalize on important client opportunities.

The business issues driving virtualization

Challenging the IT infrastructures that have evolved
Traditional, distributed IT environments are often silos where both technology and human resources are aligned around an application or business function. Capacity is fixed, resources are over-provisioned to meet peak demand and systems are complex and difficult to change. Many organisation are struggling to manage and maintain environments that consist of multiple vendor, multiple technologies and multiple states of maturity – the complexity created here can make the whole IT infrastructure unstable and difficult to operate. Where a server or storage device is overloaded it becomes difficult to move the load to another server.

Virtualisation lets users pool and share servers, storage, networking and other resources, that comprise the IT infrastructure and allocate these resources across an organisation’s applications and processes to meet the changing demands of business.

IT cost of ownership
Costs in traditional IT environments are often based on owning and operating the entire vertical infrastructure – even when under-utilised. ERP, CRM and Web based applications, for example, typically operate in silos. Capital expenditures in a traditional environment are often unpredictable and funding becomes difficult to justify.

In a virtualization IT environment, costs can become utility based, with cost-centres across the business only paying for the IT resources they use, which in turn provides a true reflection of IT demand and expenditures within the organisation.

Reducing Risk
Security breaches, breaks in service delivery and scope to fall-foul of IT governance and compliance criteria can occur in both centralized and distributed IT environment. The real issues are understanding what is contained within the IT estate and taking control over all these devices, users and applications. A virtualized IT environment provides these key benefits.

Improving IT service levels
A traditional IT environment often does not mirror the needs of the organizations varied users, leaving some users significantly under resourced in terms of access to critical IT resources. With a virtualized infrastructure, people, processes and technology are focused on meeting service levels, capacity is allocated dynamically, resources are optimized and the entire infrastructure is simplified and flexible.

Building flexible, adaptive IT infrastructures
A standardized, modular infrastructure can help you maximise the agility and cost benefits of virtualization via a holistic approach to standardization, encompassing industry-standard architectures, modular building blocks and consistent implementation. With a  flexible pool of modular, virtual resources, management solutions then provide the dynamic link between these IT resources, business processes and business priorities to allow organizations to fully achieve business agility.