Virtualization Strategies News, Analysis, White Papers and Case Studies on Virtualization Software and Hardware Strategies

Microsoft announced the release of System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 (SC VMM 2008) which adds support for VMware ESX Infrastructure virtualization technology. The move by Microsoft is unprecedented as Microsoft usually let third parties manage non-Microsoft software. Now Microsoft can manage VMware virtualization technology.

A consistent theme from large and small companies is these groups are looking to aggressively manage costs and improve operational efficiency.  Microsoft’s new virtualization software addresses these areas.  First, IT managers can acquire Microsoft  virtualization offerings for about 1/3 the cost of what a comparable VMware installation would cost, helping them realize immediate cost reduction benefits.  The portfolio of technologies Microsoft offers spans the entire IT infrastructure from the desktop to the datacenter, while providing the tools for managing a customer’s infrastructure and apps regardless of whether it’s their physical or virtual assets. Read More…

Posted under Desktop Virtualization, Virtualization News, Virtualization Products / Reviews, Virtualization Software

In today’s business climate, the need to protect critical IT systems is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have. Providing a high level of data protection while keeping costs at a minimum can be a challenge for many organizations. Just ask Endocare,  an innovative medical device company, that lost their parent domain controller in July, 2007. The situation was a candid reminder that Endocare needed a real-time way to recover from a disaster.

Endocare solved their disaster recovery problems with two technology vendors, Double-Take Software and VMware, who provided virtualization solutions to consolidate and reduce hardware requirements to solve this exact business problem. VMware provides the virtualization platform while Double-Take Software provides the real-time data replication and recovery software. In this case, using virtualization with Double-Take Software allowed Endocare to implement a real-time disaster recovery solution that would otherwise be cost prohibitive in a non-virtual environment. Read More…

Posted under Storage Virtualization, Virtualization Case Studies

IBM announced it plans to acquire Transitive Corporation a leader in cross-platform virtualization and a pioneer in developing technologies that allow applications written for one type of microprocessor and operating system to run on multiple platforms — with little or no modification. As a result, the technology will enable customers to consolidate their Linux-based applications onto the IBM systems that make the most sense for their business needs.

This acquisition is part of IBM’s strategy to help clients optimize the efficiency and productivity of their computing infrastructure and improve the utilization of the servers that run them. With this translation technology, along with existing migration capabilities, IBM systems give businesses a faster, easier path for server consolidation to reduce operational expenses, floorspace and energy costs. Read More…

Posted under Server Virtualization, Virtualization News, Virtualization Strategies

IT organizations made server virtualization a top priority for 2008, according to research released by The Society for Information Management (SIM). SIM surveyed 300 member organizations in June and learned that the top five application and technology developments for the coming year include security, business intelligence, business process management (BPM), continuity planning and disaster recovery, and server virtualization.

Top Five Technology & Application Developments 2008:

1. Antivirus protection

2. Business Intelligence (BI)

3. Business Process Management (BPM)

3. Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery

5. Server Virtualization

The top two were the same top two from 2007.  The two items that tied for third both moved up from last year. Server Virtualization was new to the list. One item that was absent was Cloud Computing. Luftman said that it was way down on the list. Apparently, working CIOs aren’t biting on all of the excessive hype around Cloud Computing during 2008. Read More…

Posted under Hardware Virtualization, Server Virtualization, Virtualization News, Virtualization Strategies

Cisco announced it is collaborating with VMware to deliver a storage area networks (SANs) designed specifically to help businesses improve the security, scalability and management of storage networks attached to VMware environments. This solution is  in line with Cisco’s increasing focus on being a key vendors for companies building next generation data centers.  Cisco refers to this as “Data Center 3.0″ which  entails the real-time, dynamic orchestration of infrastructure services from shared pools of virtualized server, storage and network resources, while optimizing application performance, service levels, efficiency and collaboration.

Virtual machines allow IT  managers to run multiple applications and operating systems on a single physical machine. Virtualizing the data center improves resource use and provides a simpler and more efficient computing model to meet customer needs. The combined solution of Cisco MDS SANs with the VMware platform helps customers to more easily implement storage consolidation, disaster recovery, business continuity and storage backup solutions, as well as improve the visibility, security, and traffic isolation of applications. Read More…

Posted under Data Center Virtualization, Hardware Virtualization, Server Virtualization, Storage Virtualization, Virtualization News, Virtualization Products / Reviews, Virtualization Software

Performance management and capacity planning, once the domain of statisticians and technicians, is now inextricably linked to corporate competitiveness, agility, and revenue. Technology has invaded every corner of worldwide commerce and is a potent weapon when joined with critical information on how it is currently being used and deployed, and how it can be used and deployed. Through agility gained by clear and understandable IT performance and capacity data, a company can gain market share, neutralize a competitor and significantly improve revenue and profits. Analysis has shown how a 500-server environment can generate between $200,000 and multiple millions in savings and recovered revenue based on the use of PerfMan as a performance management and capacity planning tool.

The following white paper discusses the business Virtualization Performance Management & Capacity Planning.

Click here to down load the Virtualization Performance Management and Capacity Planning white paper

Posted under Virtualization Strategies, White Paper, virtualization

We’ve always viewed computer systems as a “necessary evil,” specially for small and medium businesses that have limited IT support.  No doubt computers are essential for our business, but there’s always something to be fixed or updated. And it seems that every month, we have to buy or install something new. Help is on the way. IBM announced plans to help free growing businesses from the headaches, limitations and costs of IT maintenance with a new appliance — called IBM Lotus Foundations Start — that offers buinesses an easy way to collaborate, as well as the option to reliably run Microsoft Windows on a virtual machine with VMware technology. The new “plug-and-play” appliance combines software and hardware and is designed to allow employees to begin working together within one hour of initially booting up.

The IBM Lotus Foundations appliance has everything a customer needs to quickly set up a reliable IT infrastructure. The software uses the IBM Lotus Notes/Domino collaboration platform to enable employees to create, share and print Lotus Symphony documents, and work with email and calendar functions. Its automated design — self-configuring, self-healing, and self-managing daily systems operations — eliminates the need for routine maintenance and helps to ensure that critical data is protected through an integrated disk backup technology. Read More…

Posted under Cloud Computing, IT for Growing Businesses, Virtualization Products / Reviews

IDC finds demand for Storage-as-a-Service has very strong commercial demand among small, mid-size, and large firms that are facing budgetary and IT staffing pressures. Companies are evaluating online services for backup/disaster recovery, long-term record retention, business continuity, and availability.

In both the commercial and consumer segments, the availability of storage-as-a-service is disrupting traditional storage software markets as it changes how individuals and firms access storage capacity and procure software functions. But, more importantly, storage-as-a-service is a precursor to the longer term cloud storage and cloud computing opportunity. Read More…

Posted under Cloud Computing, SaaS, Storage Virtualization, Virtualization Strategies

Why have only one server when you can have as many as you need, on demand? That’s the premise behind cloud computing, harnessing data centers of processor and storage power without actually having to provision them yourself. But if you’re without the right tools for the job, it’s that much harder to reap the full gamut of benefits from working in the cloud.John Foley at Information week does a great job exploring the tools you have at your disposal which are likely to be limited, if not dictated entirely, by the cloud computing service you’ve chosen. A good deal of this is due to cloud computing interfaces — the application programming interfaces mainly — not being interchangeable. The applications themselves that are run in the cloud, the stuff you provide, are only part of the picture. How you get it into the cloud, and deal with it from that point on, is also crucial. Read More…

Posted under Cloud Computing

There is a data explosion in business and many vendors are working hard to help IT Managers solve their data challenges. Today, HP today continued to do it’s part and announced a software and hardware storage virtualization solution that enables enterprises to improve productivity, simplify operations and achieve lower total cost of ownership for their storage-area network (SAN) environments.

HP has been growing its portfolio of storage virtualization solutions, and this new HP StorageWorks SAN Virtualization Services Platform (SVSP) promises to improves the efficiency and simplify the management of  midrange storage arrays.

HP SVSP is a network-based storage platform that pools capacity across HP and non-HP storage hardware. As a result, enterprise customers deploying Fibre Channel SANs are able to significantly simplify operations and improve overall productivity.

Read More…

Posted under Data Center Virtualization, Hardware Virtualization, Server Virtualization, Storage Virtualization, Virtualization Products / Reviews, Virtualization Software