The deployment of virtualization software is gaining momentum, as IT organizations look for more ways to reduce costs and increase the agility of their infrastructure. However, virtual environments also can present management challenges. This article highlights key benchmarks that IT organizations should adopt to improve the performance of their virtualized infrastructures and maximize ROI.
Virtualizatio Virtualization:n: The B The Big Pictureig By Stephen Elliot Pictur The deployment of virtualization software is gaining momentum, e as IT organizations look for more ways to reduce costs and increase the agility of their infrastructure. However, virtual environments also can present management challenges. This article highlights key benchmarks that IT organizations should adopt to improve the performance of their virtualized infrastructures and maximize ROI.
12Vir ver the past three years, companies quickly reallocated among applications to tu across the board - from large support changing business requirements.aliz Global 2000 enterprises to small a Ot and midsize businesses - have been accel- Companies are also expanding the scope of ion erating their deployment of virtualization virtualization projects to include the virtualiza-: Th software. In fact, in North America and tion of desktops and storage. The virtualization e B Europe, most companies are using server of these elements improves their manageaig P virtualization in some way. And most IT bility by centralizing application and storage ict professionals don't need to be convinced resources, and companies thus achieve further ure of the importance of virtualization. The cost reductions. The result is a more resilient momentum of virtualization implementations infrastructure that costs much less to manage will continue for years to come. Going hand- and operate. in-hand with these initiatives will be the requirements to effectively manage a virtual- Virtualization promises to dramatically increase ized infrastructure and to employ benchmarks server utilization and, as a result, slash the that facilitate more efficient operations. number of servers a company needs.
A View of the Benefits The Virtualization Landscape The primary motivating force for virtualization The reality, however, is that while most is cost reduction through server consolida- companies today are using virtualization in tion. Virtualization promises to dramatically some way, most of them have virtualized increase server utilization and, as a result, only a small percentage of their servers. slash the number of servers a company Moreover, most virtualization projects today needs. The impact on the bottom line can are tactical, not strategic. For example, many be significant, as spending for hardware and companies are virtualizing production servers maintenance, power and cooling, and data for file and print services or for running center floor space can be substantially reduced. departmental applications and databases on virtual machines. Few, however, are bold Other factors driving virtualization include enough to trust virtualization technologies business continuity and disaster recovery for large-scale business-critical applications. requirements and the push to create a more They shy away from taking a more strategic efficient and agile IT infrastructure. Virtuali approach - where senior management treats zation literally unlocks unutilized capacity in virtualization as an architectural decision and today's server farms to create a virtual pool of mandates virtualization for new applications processing resources that can be easily and and resources going forward.
3Why are companies stopping short of adopt- to determine capacity requirements on ing a virtualized architecture for IT? Here are an ongoing basis.some key reasons: >> The learning curve - Although most IT >> The need for management solutions - professionals recognize the importance The requirement for effective management of virtualization, many are still familiarizing solutions is one of the biggest inhibitors. themselves with virtualization technologies, Many IT professionals worry that without how they work, and how virtualization as adequate tools to control and manage the an architecture can drive cost efficiencies infrastructure, they will end up with virtual across disparate silos. Without a clear machine sprawl that wipes out the antici- understanding of what the performance pated cost savings from virtualization. of virtual machines will be, IT organizations >> Concerns regarding quality of service - will tend to be cautious with respect to Many IT organizations are concerned about utilization. They will keep utilization rates how to virtualize their business-critical low - perhaps in the 30 to 50 percent app... [download for more]
