Virtualization Simplified

Controlling and managing a big network with multiple servers is no small endeavor, especially keeping them maintained. On top of that, software licenses, warranties, user permissions, and security all need to be managed and controlled. As your business expands, you may need more servers in order to perform certain tasks ranging from email, file distribution, specialized software, and security management of various levels. Pretty soon your server room is beginning to look like a cramped mini data center and you need to worry about controlling the heat and maintaining multiple high-priority, mission critical machines. There's got to be a better way, right?

There is a better way, and it's called Virtualization. Let's take a fairly standard small business example. World Wide Wickets has a file server that also controls domain permissions and users and who can do and access what. They use a separate application for the Wicket industry that helps them manage inventory, sales, and track their customers which is hosted on its own server. Finally, they just moved their email solution in-house and rolled out a third server specifically for Exchange. That's three servers sitting in the server room, consuming electricity and pumping out heat like it's a boiler room. World Wide Wickets needs to pay to have all three servers managed, maintained, and kept up to date. On top of that, those three servers are underutilized, never fully taking advantage of their hardware. Thanks to virtualization, you can take one of those powerful servers and allocate all of the hardware out to multiple virtual devices. Each virtual device acts on its own but shares a single set of hardware. This means it is easier to manage, maintain, and control, which means lower IT costs, and a much lower upfront cost when expanding. On top of that, a single server consumes less energy, produces less heat and takes up less space than multiple servers, which also saves money in the long run. Looking to optimize your server configurations and move into a virtualized server environment? It's simpler than it sounds! Give Directive a call at 607.433.2200 to learn how your business can benefit from server virtualization.