So What's The Big Deal About Server Virtualisation In IT Services?

So Tell Me the News on "Server Virt"
It's the latest catchphrase to hit the IT services community. Server Virt just means server virtualisation. If you are not fed up with with all the latest jargon, let's discover what it means!

The Basics
Servers cost money. They need to be completely safe (or as near as makes no odds), and with all the information stored on them, they're not intended to be disposable. So they're built to a high spec rather than a low cost. Just like a vault is to a bank, servers for your business are not items you should skimp on (regardless of how great your IT support may be). Business owners acknowledge that fact, and so servers are usually acquired using a safety first attitude.

Servers also take up space. Not only are they substantial pieces of hardware, they usually need storing in a 19" rack, alongside supporting equipment

• monitors
• wiring
• keyboards

and kept isolated from fine grit, accidental spillages and little (or devious) fingers. This generally necessitates hiding them away in a special room or a safe area on the premises.

Servers get through vast amounts of energy. Not just the electricity it takes to run a dynamic computer that's live continuously, but also the airing and cooling they demand to keep them operating at the right heat (servers placed in tight spaces are likely to overheat).

All this would be fine if you only ever had need of one of them.

But that's the crunch: more than one server is frequently needed. Whether that's to achieve different tasks, to operate as a safe-guard, or to deal with alternating demands such as dramatic rises in website traffic or everybody checking their e-mails as they hit the office, companies are often subject to a 'peak server load' requirement that eclipses their normal use. It is not possible to turn a server on and off according to demand, so you are left with equipment that is unused a lot of the time.

Seeing the quandary? Loads of costly, electricity guzzling equipment taking up more and more space in-house, and a lot of it 'just in case'.

Surely there are better solutions! More and more businesses are discovering that virtualising server capacity has provided the answer.

'Server Virt' quite literally means separating and adapting a single physical piece of equipment into several discrete instances of a server. Each instance can either execute the same tasks, or be given over to alternative types of task.

So How's it Done?
The idea is simple enough, but implementing it in a robust manner is more complicated. You need a company similar to this IT services company in Bristol . But the benefits of having a single machine act as several virtual machines, therefore performing like multiple physical servers, are clear:

Less expense (on unused equipment)
More acreage for you (you don't need space for computer equipment)
Less expenditure on power (by huge amounts! … and a smaller carbon footprint)

Look into IT services in your area to find how much you can save by virtualising your servers.