Kansas City Virtual Servers for Dummies

When you have no experience with virtualization, you might struggle to understand what it is and how it can benefit you. As technology is constantly changing, it is important to be up to date with new advances like server virtualization and get involved so your business can experience the advantages.

Even though the concept of virtual servers is not new, it has only recently become actualized and is now being widely implemented for business and private use. Virtual servers resolve old technological problems and save people time, money and energy so that they can run their businesses more effectively.

What is a Virtual Server?

The term virtual server refers to a server that is usually located in an offsite data center and its resources are shared by multiple users who each have control over it. It means converting one physical server into multiple virtual machines that can each run their own operating system.
It is a way to take full advantage of a server’s processing power and allow a number of different users to share the cost of equipment. Before virtualization, servers would only use a fraction of their processing capability and computer networks could get large and complex.
Virtual servers are a more efficient use of power and can increase a server’s utilization from the typical 15 percent to as much as 80 percent.

What are the Advantages of Server Virtualization?

Once you understand what a virtual server is, then you can start to think about how it could be beneficial to you. The main reason most people start using virtual servers is to save money.
With virtualization, there is less expensive equipment to pay for and users do not have to spend money managing the hardware. Many people choose virtual servers as a way to use green technology. Virtual servers use less energy, which can also save money while being better for the environment.
Virtual servers are used for a variety of applications from remote file access to web design and development in Kansas City. Switching to virtualization can simplify tasks, like installing software, as many software vendors are pre-installing their products on virtual machines.

Implementing Virtualization

In order to take advantage of virtual servers, you need to figure out your current workload and what type of virtualization you will need.

There are three main forms of virtualization:

• Operating system virtualization
• Hardware emulation
• Paravirtualization.

Using operating system virtualization means that there are self-contained representations of the underlying operating system, and hardware emulation allows multiple operating systems to be installed on one computer.

Paravirtualization

Paravirtualization coordinates access from multiple operating systems to underlying hardware. When you choose the right type of virtualization, you will then need to migrate your existing servers to the new environment.

You can either do it manually or use migration products to help move your systems. The benefits of virtual servers can be enticing, but you need to understand how virtualization works and research the topic as well as your own network’s architecture to come up with a solution.

There are some cases where virtual servers might not be a good choice, and it depends on your workload and system structure. With some research and insights from the experts, you can determine whether some type of virtualization will have a positive impact on your business.

Have more questions about virtual servers? Contact NetStandard today at 913-428-4200 to see the impact virtual servers can have on your business.