The concept of server virtualization explained

Over the last few years server virtualization has become a major talking point in the world of information technology. The reason is that it offers a lot of advantages to companies who are running their own server. Nevertheless there are still a lot of people who are not really sure what a virtual server is. It is important to learn this if you are running a business so that you can make an informed decision about whether it is a good option.

The basic idea behind server virtualization is relatively straightforward; you are creating a series of virtual machines that are run off of one server. In this case what you would do is have several gues computers that are connected to a host computer. The reason that you would want to do this is that allows all of the guest computers to behave like they are connected to their own server when in reality they are all being run off of the same server. The concept itself is fairly simple but it has some major benefits.

The biggest benefit that you get by far from server virtualization is that it allows you to get the most efficient use out of the server. Rather than having a series of servers running at less than full capacity you can have a one server that is being used to the maximum close to the maximum [update: thanks Jan De Laat]. Obviously this allows a lot of scope for saving money. Building and maintaining a server can be pretty expensive so you are going to want to get the maximum use out of it. Most businesses don't actually do this which is why they could benefit from using a virtual server.

Not only do you get the benefit of cost savings from running a virtual server you also get a number of other benefits. These would include the portability of all of the guest machines, which you will now be able to connect to any host computer if you need to make a change. It also greatly simplifies your disaster recovery plans which all companies should have. Since everything is being run off of one host computer you only have to worry about recovering that one computer in the event of a disaster.

While there are a lot of benefits to server virtualization there are still a lot of businesses that have not adopted it. The main reason for that is that the initial cost of doing so is pretty high. You will need to new equipment but more importantly you will likely need extra staff while you are getting the system set up. Over the long term you should find that the savings outweigh the initial costs but there are still a lot of companies that don't see it that way. Over time virtual servers will almost certainly be more widely used but for now getting companies to change over to them is a slow process.