So What’s The Big Deal About Server Virtualisation In IT Services?
So What’s All the Fuss about Server Virt?
It’s the latest catchphrase to hit the IT services community. ‘Server Virt’ is a syllable-saving way of saying server virtualisation. If you’re not annoyed by this curt truncation of a perfectly innocent word, let’s find out what it has to offer!
The Nuts and Bolts
Servers are expensive. They need to be 100% reliable (or as close as possible to that), and with all the information stored on them, they are made to last. So they’re built to a high spec rather than a low cost. A bit like a vault is to a bank, servers for your business are not bits of kit to penny pinch over (regardless of how expert your IT support might be). Business owners may gasp but generally accept that, and so servers are often purchased with a ‘belt and braces’ approach.
Servers also take up space. Not only are they substantial pieces of hardware, they usually need storing in a 19″ rack, alongside supporting equipment
- keyboards
- power supplies
- monitors
and kept away from dust, liquids and curious (or malicious) fingers. This generally necessitates hiding them away in a dedicated room or at least a partitioned area on site.
Servers consume quantities of energy. Not just the electricity required to run a dynamic computer that’s on 24/7, but also the airing and cooling they demand to keep them operating at the correct heat levels (a server in a small space can produce excess heat).
All this would be fine if you only ever needed a single server.
But that’s the thing: more than one server is frequently needed. Whether that’s to accomplish multiple functions, to operate as failover, or to cope with alternating demands : for example, peaks in internet visits or lots of people reading their e-mails first thing, companies are often subject to a ‘peak server load’ requirement which outstrips their average use. It is not possible to turn a server on and off according to demand, so that’s a lot of equipment on standby.
Seeing the quandary? Lots of pricey equipment, using loads of space in your buildings, getting through quantities of energy, and mostly there in case of emergencies.
Surely there are better solutions! More and more businesses are discovering that virtualising servers has provided the answer.
‘Server Virt’ quite literally means partitioning and adapting one physical piece of kit into several different instances of a server. Every instance can either execute similar tasks, or be given over to alternative sorts of task.
Why Is It Effective?
The concept is relatively easy to grasp but putting it into practice requires something like this IT services company in Bristol. But the advantages of having one piece of equipment do the job of several virtual machines, therefore performing like multiple physical servers, are obvious:
Less cost (on items that are not needed full-time)
More space (less of it taken up by computer equipment)
Lower utility bills (by far! … and better for the environment)
Look into IT services in your area to find how much you can save by virtualising your servers.
