Here are some helpful server virtualization tips for saving money and increasing small business productivity
Virtualization has become a prerequisite for every business, regardless of size. Server virtualization facilitates organizations to make the best use of their technology investment and reduces the cost of business operations. Having proper knowledge of server virtualization is the best way to get things moving. This article lists the points you need to consider before virtualizing your server.
Justify The Virtualization Investment
Before executing server virtualization, assessing whether the technology will provide a decent return on investment is crucial. IT executives should evaluate the current usage of their servers and keep the following points in mind:
- Typical applications running on different servers.
- Presence of enough servers that can be consolidated.
- If the capacity required for applications is expanding
- Whether the number of servers required is expected to increase.
Justifying the virtualization investment by making a strong business case ensures executive management support. Additionally, ROI calculators from several vendors can help conduct a quick assessment.
Consider The Licensing Needs
- It is necessary to investigate the potential impact of virtualization on application licenses and support. For instance, the original licensing terms and conditions may no longer hold valid once the applications are migrated to the virtualized environment. However, this depends on the application under consideration. In addition, sometimes server virtualization is not supported by providers of the software applications, or they may be reluctant to provide technical support after migration.
Moreover, licensing adjustment may be required based on the type of software you will be running on the virtualized machines and their configurations. Sometimes the organization has to purchase additional licenses to cover new user bases.
Thorough Planning
- Implementation of any system requires a commitment of time, resources, and budget. The planning phase adds up to 90% of a virtualization implementation project. If the implementation stage is well-planned, the actual migration becomes relatively simple to undertake. Information that needs to be migrated should be assembled and backed up at least 6 months before initializing server virtualization.
IT experts should assess the amount of hardware needed by virtual machines to operate efficiently. In addition, it should be ensured that the virtual environments residing in single hardware do not sprawl out of control at any time. Otherwise, this could lead to severe consequences regarding the virtualized environment’s stability. A thorough implementation plan can minimize any potential hiccups.
Start Moving Your Servers
- Once you have planned and prepared, it’s time to move physical servers to virtual servers. Consider the use of the latest migration utilities that can save you hours of performing actual moves.
Here are a few other considerations:
- Use high-performance clusters. They provide higher availability and improve the performance of virtual machines.
- Keep tabs on management capabilities and determine how your staff will manage the virtual machine collection.
- You will require a fast disk subsystem to get maximum performance from your virtualized servers.
Monitoring And Evaluation
Just like with any ongoing process, keeping an eye on the virtualization project is critical as you begin the process. While transitioning users and services to the new platform, establish performance and usage guidelines and thresholds. It is also essential to evaluate future tweaks and enhancements that may be required. Consider increasing bandwidth, modification of hardware configurations, and network setups as needed.
Just like with any ongoing process, keeping an eye on the virtualization project is critical as you begin the process. While transitioning users and services to the new platform, establish performance and usage guidelines and thresholds. It is also essential to evaluate future tweaks and enhancements that may be required. Consider increasing bandwidth, modification of hardware configurations, and network setups as needed.As burgeoning virtualization technologies are removing cost and complexity barriers, many businesses are taking advantage of server virtualization. However, organizations must assess their needs before embarking on a virtualization project.
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