The cost savings, performance gains and efficiencies that virtualisation can offer can be eroded if companies fail to implement the necessary software tools, says IDC.
The right software tools will manage the process and decrease administrative complexities of a virtualised system, according to a recently released IDC white paper, which deals with the importance of management of the physical and virtual infrastructure.
“All too often, virtualisation is like a see-saw. As hardware costs are reduced, administrative costs rise. As workloads and compute resources become more efficient, the overarching infrastructure becomes more complex. Like other IT innovations, virtualisation brought its own patchwork of specialty management and configuration tools. This led to an explosion of new and disconnected management tools, creating silos within silos,” states the IDC white paper.
The solution is in the strategic emphasis on management, which accelerates and extends the benefits of virtualisation over the long-term, says the IDC. “IT organisations must better prepare for and invest in management for the growing problem of VM sprawl that spans server, storage, desktop and application environments. As virtualisation adoption continues to grow, IT executives must place a strategic emphasis on management to accelerate and extend the benefits of virtualisation over the long-term,” states the IDC paper.
While software solutions are key, there are other areas that companies need to examine before administering a virtualised system, says business technology optimisation solutions manager for HP, Bob Meyer. Companies must first overcome the lack of infrastructure visibility, incongruent tools and higher management costs that prevent the uniform administration of virtual and physical resources.
“Software solutions monitor, manage and automate key management functions seamlessly across physical and virtual worlds, directly addressing the unique challenges of virtualisation,” he says.
The IDC paper recommends that companies look to software solutions that enable IT teams to allocate technology spending and resources based on business priorities; automate key processes across IT strategy, applications and operations; and measure technology effectiveness and efficiency from a business perspective.
A solution that enables IT to transform virtualisation from a tool into a business technology and ensure organisations fully realise the benefits of virtualisation without increasing the cost or complexity of infrastructure management, will benefit companies, says Meyer.
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