The age-old proverb “There’s more than one way to skin a cat” is especially relevant when budgeting for IT services. With the right technology consulting and support, any business can afford customised solutions that employ creative methods to achieve its end goals. As just one example, let’s review all the ways you can use virtualisation technology!
What is the core concept of virtualisation?
By virtualising any of the items below, you can trick software into recognising hardware when none actually exists. The easiest way to explain this is with examples from the most common type of this technology: hardware virtualisation.
- If you had one high-powered computer processor, virtualisation would allow you to split it up and run four separate operating systems (Windows, Apple OS, etc.), each seemingly running on a standalone, low-powered processor.
- Conversely, virtualisation could also be used to connect four high-powered processors to create what your operating system would recognise as one ultra-fast piece of hardware.
This technology can be applied in a number of ways to create opportunities for more efficient resource utilisation and cost savings.
Desktop virtualisation
Sometimes referred to as cloud desktops, this form of virtualisation grants you access to a fully functioning computer that you access via a local network or the internet. Somewhere, a server has allocated a portion of its hardware resources for your virtual desktop. With a keyboard, monitor, mouse, and extremely low-end computer, you can connect to this virtual desktop and utilise all the processing power and storage the server has set aside for it.
Application virtualisation
By installing a program on a server hard drive, your employee workstations can use their computing resources to run the program, but restrict data from being stored on their hard drives. The program and the documents it creates will never leave the server hard drive, making it much harder for hackers to compromise them.
With more advanced virtualisation solutions, your server can also allocate the computing resources necessary to run the program, meaning your workstations are merely a window to your server.
Storage virtualisation
Similar to hardware virtualisation, this strategy makes it easy to organise how your data is stored. In addition to combining hard drives across several computers into a massive virtual drive, storage virtualisation also stores data based on how important it is. Frequently used documents are saved to your fastest drives and can be automatically backed up to the cloud.
Network virtualisation
If your office has more than 10 workstations, it makes sense to consider network virtualisation, which allows you to separate vulnerable devices. For example, if you had one server that handles a lot of web traffic and another that stored sensitive documents, you might want to connect them to different networks to avoid a cross contamination. Network virtualisation would allow you to do that without buying any new hardware!
How can Diamond help?
Even with our simplified explanations, virtualisation is still a complicated subject. Rather than try to figure it out in a few hundred words, give us a call and we’ll show you in person. To contact us simply complete the form below or call us today on 1300 307 907.
Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org.
