Have you heard the term “virtualization”? In the IT industry, it can refer to many things. For companies in the market for managed IT services in Atlanta, the lack of a clear definition can be extremely confusing, especially if the term is used to talk about multiple services. Let’s look at the term more in depth and how it used when talking about IT services:
What Does the Term Virtualization Mean?
When someone inside of IT talks about virtualization, they are referring to the act of creating a virtual version of a real thing. For example, a virtual server is a virtual version of a real one.
From a user’s perspective, a virtual server is no different from an actual one. Users access it in the same way. The virtual server runs an operating system and programs. However, unlike an actual server, it does not run on a dedicated piece of hardware with its own power supply and hard drives.
What is a virtual server then? It starts with an actual server with an abundance of hard drives and processors. Operators install a special piece of software that has the ability to separate out a specific portion of the actual server’s capacity and defines it as its own “virtual” server. This virtual version comes complete with an operating system, dedicated programs, processor power, and specific hard drive capacity.
Virtualization Goes Beyond Servers
Virtualization can be implemented on other IT services in Atlanta, such as the network and storage devices.
A virtualized network allows Atlanta IT support experts to portion out parts of the network bandwidth as dedicated channels. Each channel can be assigned to a particular server, thus ensuring your most important network traffic can get through no matter how busy things get.
Virtualized storage allows for a central back of storage to be used throughout your enterprise. The centralization makes backups and recovery easier to manage.
Why Is Virtualization So Popular?
With so many versions of virtualization, you might wonder why it’s so popular.
- It maximizes server use. Servers aren’t sitting idle.
- It increases business continuity. Routine maintenance doesn’t require downtime.
- It increases security. Virtualization is usually handled by security experts.
- It improves disaster recovery. If the actual server goes down, the virtual server can come back up on another piece of hardware.
- It decreases hardware costs. You don’t need to outlay capital just to add a new server.
Conclusion
Virtualization offers your company benefits that can change how you use your IT assets now and in the future. If you want to learn more about IT services in Atlanta or how we can help you virtualize your technology, contact us at MIS Solutions today.