According to VMware, there are five main reasons for companies to opt for virtualisation. The first is server consolidation and infrastructure optimisation. Virtualisation enables this by pooling common infrastructure resources and dispelling the "one application to one server" model.
The second reason is physical infrastructure cost reduction. Virtualisation leads to a reduction in the number of servers and related IT hardware in the data centre. This makes for energy and, therefore, cost savings.
Another of VMware's top five reasons to virtualise is improved operational flexibility and responsiveness. Virtualisation can help IT administrators save time on tasks such as provisioning, configuration, monitoring and maintenance.
The fourth reason for virtualising is increased application availability and improved business continuity. Virtualisation enables the company to recover more easily from unplanned outages and possibly remove planned downtime completely.
The fifth and final motivation for virtualisation is improved desktop manageability and security. It allows users to remotely access secure desktop environments.
Peter Armstrong, corporate strategist at BMC Software, notes the reasons for virtualisation in his experience include cost reduction, improved business continuity and business agility, and the green agenda.
Commenting on VMware's top five reasons, Armstrong maintains that reasons one to four are the most important right now, with the fifth growing in importance.
He goes on to explain the two phases of virtualisation. "Phase one, for me, is the whole consolidation area and getting the data centre back under control again," and phase two includes virtualising the desktop.
"That will take time, especially in South Africa, as it requires high bandwidth networks, which this country and many other countries don't have yet," says Armstrong.
He mentions the problems involved in implementing virtualisation: VM sprawl, determining candidates, optimising consolidation, identifying correct VM configurations, performing problem isolation and maintaining performance.
Armstrong also indicates that virtualisation adds an extra level of complexity, which some companies cannot handle.
"Done wrong it will cost more than it did before. The good news is that, done right, it saves lots and helps the planet."
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