Server virtualization is defined as the masking of server resources, including the number and identity of individual phys… Stop right there! Seriously, nobody expects you to know everything about such a complex field without devoting the majority of your day to it. Here’s what all the fuss is about. The number one draw to virtualization is cost reduction, the ability to fit multiple traditional physical servers onto one “virtual server” or being able to fit 10 lbs. of potatoes in a 1 lb. bag. However, what if you don’t have 10s or 20s of servers? Well then, the number one draw for SMBs is Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. Enterprise abilities such as Clustering, High-Availability and Live Server Migrations all take your Business Continuity Strategy to a whole new level. Ten years ago, what was only available to large data centers and Fortune 100 companies is now available to SMBs for a fraction of the cost, free in some cases! Oh, and what about Disaster Recovery? With Virtualization, it is already 75% finished right out of the box and ready for testing. Here is a quick test to find out if virtualization is the right path for you. Ask your current IT Vendor, “How long will it take to recover after a complete server failure in my current environment”? Then ask yourself, “Is that acceptable?” If you answered “no”, then virtualization might be a good path for you. You can even start “cheap” by using free packages such as VMWARE ESXI from VMWARE.com or Citrix Essentials from Citrix.com.
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