Practical experience sharing of virtualization technology

Based on a first-hand survey of virtualization Technology (virtualization) in the U.S. CIO Magazine, you may have actually used virtualization technology and are satisfied with the ROI that has been brought about so far. But this today's hottest it technology is also causing tricky technical and political challenges that make you a headache.

The biggest challenge-first of all, to figure out the actual number of physical servers you can dispense with using more virtual machines (application service levels) without lowering the "application services Level" (VM MACHINE,VM). Second, assemble experts from each IT department to plan and manage the virtualized environment together. "Even if there are other better ways to get the job done, people are habitual animals and it is difficult to change," said Stephen Elliot, research manager at IDC. We need to work hard and develop a mindset to reform it and ourselves. ”

The good news-virtualization does bring tangible returns. In particular, server virtualization (virtualization) has been widely loved by businesses, but so far, desktop-computer virtualization (virtualization) has not seen any concrete results.

The following survey visited nearly 300 CIOs to share their hands-on experience with the technology trend of virtualization, as well as forward-looking recommendations to help you use virtualization technology for maximum benefit over the next year (due to rounding, some statistics add up to not 100%).

　　Virtualization is no longer a server patent

Many businesses begin to experience virtualization, mostly in the data center's test and development servers. Today, advanced enterprises even use virtualized desktop PCs, such as installing virtual machines on servers in a room, then running personal computers on virtual machines, or operating systems installed in virtual machines on the "Guest Operating system" of the native computer. Execute the virtual machine above.

　　Virtualization Disaster Recovery Guru

In addition to the obvious benefits of cost-cutting, another reason to drive many CIOs to adopt virtualized servers is to develop a better disaster recovery plan (disaster Recovery plans).

For example, the CTO Vincent Biddlecombe, a logistics provider Transplace, uses virtual machines to replicate their production servers to disaster recovery devices. In terms of flexibility and speed, Biddlecombe now has a new server ready in less than 30 minutes, instead of spending one weeks in the past. When Transplace's business manager needs to showcase the environment for new customers, it can be ready within half an hour.

　　Now, take a cautious attack.

When CIOs deploy a new technology like virtualization, people often think of technical difficulties first. However, political problems are really a headache. Remember that the meaning behind virtualization is not just that some people are ceding control over their physical servers, but also that IT professionals in different fields work more closely together. Chris Wolf, senior analyst at Burton Group, said: "The success of virtualization relies on the close collaboration of servers, storage devices, networks and security teams." "It is a very difficult challenge to work with different departments that operate independently," Wolf said. In this case, strong administrative support will be crucial. ”

　　Be sure to ensure the speed of your application

If you place too many virtual machines on one physical server and cause important business programs to run too slowly, the effectiveness of virtualization technology will not save IT personnel from a serious "dark eye". CIOs are well aware of this risk: almost 2/3 of people will consider "balancing server workloads" or "maintaining application service levels" as one of the three major challenges to the success of a business.

However, those thorny political factors are serious problems lurking beneath the surface, just as the rate of return on investment, which is hard to assess, is generally difficult.

　　Caution: Neglect of Team integration

Almost half of people spend money on new tools to ensure that "application service levels" are maintained at a certain level, yet people are not paying enough attention to integrate the operational teams involved in the virtualized environment.

Chris Wolf, senior analyst at Burton Group, believes this is a problem: few IT teams are building a so-called "Center of Excellence" team, a team of experts from different it camps. "Some organizations still misunderstand that server virtualization is a problem for the server team," he said. But in fact, server virtualization is closely related to the integration of network and storage management. ”

Past experience has proved this. "Organizations that have been using virtualization technology online for more than a year have learned about the need for centres of excellence," Wolf said. ”

　　You don't need a counselor?

Virtualization is a valuable piece of it technology in this era: most CIOs are trying to find enough virtualization technology to use for their business. But while using this technology, the extent to which people use consultants is not as good as previous technological changes-the enterprise resource Planning Reform (Erpmakeover) and customer Relationship Management implementation (CRM implementation) are widespread. Why? "A CIO recently told me that he loved virtualization because ' it was operational, '" said Ellioit of IDC. The implication is that the use of this technology does not require the assistance of an expert advisor. However, when you continue to use virtualization technology, it's not easy to learn something deeper.

Chris Wolf, senior analyst at Burton Group, added: "Advisors can help you avoid bugs such as security breaches." ”

　　Desktop-based computer virtualization is progressing slowly

Many people now use virtual desktop computers, or plan to adopt the technology within a year, but there are a large number of people who do not intend to deploy the technology at all. Why do people have such bipolar reactions to the virtualization of desktop computers? Analysts point out that desktop-based computer virtualization technology has proven to be extremely complex to optimize, and that the planning process will take more time. "This technology does not have a single solution that is sufficient for everyone. It takes time to identify the user's needs and plan the implementation. "I don't think CIOs are worried about the user's rebound," said Natalielambert, a senior analyst at Forrester. One of the benefits of desktop computer virtualization is that it looks and uses it like a desktop computer. That's what it people love. ”

　　It's all for time and money

Today, managing desktop computers still costs a lot of money and time, so it's not surprising that "cutting the cost of managing and supporting it" is the main reason why companies choose to virtualize desktops. In addition, analysts say time will demonstrate the importance of virtualized desktop computers for system security advantages, although they are not currently a major consideration.

"If a company's business is tied to security and manageability, desktop-based computer virtualization will be the most significant help for these companies." Natalie Lambert, a senior analyst at Forrester, said. Read here, you still think desktop virtualization technology is not worth considering it? In 2007, Citrix made a bet for $500 million that you were wrong--Citrix acquired XenSource this year to combine Citrix in a thin computer (Thin Client) And the experience of Xen in virtualization technology.

　　The good times are coming again

Almost no IT application technology ROI can make 85% of CIOs happy, but the ROI on server virtualization is good. Today, virtualization technology helps many CIOs reduce costs dramatically while increasing enterprise agility. CIOs of both large and small businesses say the same: implementing virtualization technology makes it easy to get the business right with real returns. No wonder CIOs meet and smile.

　　The remuneration of desktop computers requires a longer-term assessment

60% of people are happy with the return on a virtualized desktop computer, but it's worth noting that 27% of people say they're not sure. Natalie Lambert, a senior analyst at Forrester Studies, argues that this may not be surprising, after all, the optimization of desktop-based computer virtualization is more complex than the virtualization of servers or storage devices. In addition, analysts say that to estimate the ROI of virtualized desktop computers, the cost of desktop computers must be calculated correctly before virtualization is used.

At the same time, desktop virtualization is the latest technology for most businesses, which means that it is too early to accurately assess the rate of return too early.

For more information, please contact Ding Feng Hu Jiashong
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Practical experience sharing of virtualization technology