What’s the Hype About The Big ‘V’?

Up until recently, the Technology team has always been the ‘mysterious’ force within clickTRUE. Now that we are given the go-ahead to start sharing our experience, I am raring to go about it

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The ‘in’ word nowadays is “Cloud Computing” (Think Google Services and Amazon EC2). Everyone is talking about it. Every vendor is preaching it. Every “industry expert” is advocating adoption. But what is it exactly?

For starters, Cloud Computing is just an operation model. What makes it click, is the technology behind it, which is Virtualization – and today I will be explaining what benefits does Virtualization brings to the table.

A YouTube Video explaining Virtualization: What is Server Virtualization

5 Significant Advantages of Virtualization

1. Operational Flexibility

   Traditionally, IT support plays a key role in maintaining the uptime of services, through the monitoring of the server(s) health and resources. When a machine goes down, it is a race against time to bring the machine “back to live”. Or when there’s a last minute request by the Project Manager for a certain service, which requires new hardware, the challenge would be to get the Purchase Order out in time to meet the stipulated deadline.

   Virtualization solves these problems by giving you the capability to create “new server” instances within a few clicks. What used to take a couple of weeks, now may just take a few minutes! Virtualization technologies today also provide monitoring on the Virtual Machines (VMs). Once a VM is detected to be “down”, or if you feel the VM is maxing out its own resources, no problem! A few clicks and your VM will be running in a healthier state almost immediately.

2. Consolidation 

   With services running off individual physical servers, there are always a substantial amount of unused computing time within the environment. Some services used more resources, some don’t; But generally, you will hardly  have a physical server maxing out its own resources 100% (in a healthy environment). That amounts to some kind of wastage.

   With Virtualization, you can now run more services and “servers” by having more VMs in each physical server. This consolidates your requirements and reduces the number of physical servers needed.

3. Ease of Manageability

   With lesser physical equipment, easier mode of deployment and maintenance (VMs), IT support now spend lesser time doing routine, repetitive and time consuming duties like monitoring, provisioning and configuration.

   Time can be better spent on doing research on new solutions to better value-add the company. Ain’t it great?

   

4. Lower Operational Costs

   Now, with everything cut down, from lesser time spent for routine IT support (lesser manpower needed) and lesser equipments  needed (less power consumption and physical maintenance required) and less equipments to cool, these amount to a substantial amount of $aving$ in your hard earn dollars!

5. It is Green! 

   Last, but definitely not the least of the many other advantages, achieving the above mentioned means you are contributing to the protection of our frail Mother Nature. Google is an active advocate of Green Computing, so you’re up there with the big boys doing the same thing (heh). Every small part counts, and it starts with each of us, even at work.

Virtualization naturally brings about a need for complex and sturdy infrastructures (and well trained staff), but with proper planning and provisioning, the advantages outweigh the initial efforts in the long run down the road.

So, are you virtualized yet?