Virtualization is a technology that has become the staple of the network industry. You could potentially be using virtualization and not even know it. Virtualization is the process of sharing the resources of one or more physical “host” servers across multiple virtual operating system installations. Most website hosting companies utilize virtualization to segregate client installations from one another. Due to the growing demand for more and more resources and less and less compatibility between various applications, virtualization has become a necessity for most network installations unless you want to purchase and maintain 6 to 10 separate physical servers for a typical small business network. With virtualization you can purchase one physical server with a lot of RAM, hard disk space and processor power and create those 6 to 10 servers as virtual servers. That means that you would only have one server’s hardware to maintain. This also means that when it is time to replace the hardware, you can just move your virtual servers to new hardware without the need to install the operating system again and migrate your applications to the new server. Once your environment is virtualized it is much easier to move a server from one physical server to another. The flexibility available to you in a virtual environment is incredible and we are here to make the miracle happen for you.
With virtualization you can improve the redundancy of your network by increasing the number of Active Directory servers available for authentication on your domain.
Virtualization enables you to increase the memory or processor power available to a server without opening the case.
When it is time to replace your physical server hardware, virtualization allows you to select any brand and any model for your new hardware and then you can move your virtual servers to the new hardware by just powering them off, moving them and powering them back on.
Virtualization is likely the best solution for replacing Small Business Server. We have utilized virtualization to replace an SBS box many times and we can do this for your business also.
There are multiple options available to implement virtualization in your business; however, in our experience VMware’s vSphere with vCenter is the best solution.
