virtualization

82 posts

Man moving a chess piece on a chessboard, illustrating cloud computing strategies

Cloud Computing Strategies

The use of cloud computing is growing, and by 2016 this growth will increase to become the bulk of new IT spend, according to Gartner. 2016 will be a defining year for cloud as private cloud begins to give way to hybrid cloud, and nearly half of large enterprises will have hybrid cloud deployments by the end of 2017. “Overall, there are very real trends toward cloud platforms, and also toward massively scalable processing. Virtualization, […]

Modern white office building, illustrating trends in enterprise virtualization

Trends In Virtualizing The Enterprise

Virtualization has become the key technology underpinning ‘cloud-era’ IT infrastructure because the ability to deploy virtual instances of servers, desktop PCs, storage devices and network resources allows existing hardware to be utilised efficiently, and makes for much better manageability, flexibility and scalability. The graphs below highlight adoption trends across various implementations and applications:

Balance scale with spheres on a marble pedestal, illustrating virtualization as the big equalizer

Virtualization Is The Big Equalizer

Infrastructure is expensive. So it’s no wonder that many businesses traditionally would often spend the bare minimum to get up and running without considering their long term needs. Fast forward to today, and virtualization infrastructure is not only cheap to set up, it doesn’t require any major specialized knowledge to get started. Even the smallest businesses (start-ups especially) generally have at least one or two servers that they use to host their services, but they’re […]

Hurricane seen from space, illustrating how cloud investments paid off after Hurricane Sandy

Cloud Investments Pay Off After Hurricane Sandy

Many design and construction companies affected by Hurricane Sandy harnessed the powers of technology to serve their clients and remain operational in the aftermath of the storm. Investments that paid off the best were virtualization tools and cloud-based private networks, say some firms. To communicate, most firms rerouted e-mail, sent out mass e-cards or used social media to alert clients and employees with key updates. Others went to much greater lengths and the difference showed. […]

Power plant cooling towers emitting steam at night, illustrating embedded virtualization securing industrial networks

Embedded Virtualization Can Secure Industrial Networks

Security issues in industrial markets have been receiving much attention in the media. The vast majority of devices that power infrastructures offer aging technology in many cases and are not well prepared for the latest cyber security threats. Taking the energy grid as an example: one does not have to be a scientist to find the holes when approximately 70% of the infrastructure is more than 30 years old. Devices that were never designed for […]

People riding a roller coaster, illustrating the Gartner hype cycle for cloud computing

Hype Cycle For Cloud Computing, 2012

Enterprises are beginning to change their buying behaviors based on the deployment speed, economics and customization that cloud-based technologies provide. Gartner cautions however that enterprises are far from abandoning their on-premise models and applications entirely for the cloud. Based on an analysis of the Gartner Hype Cycle for Cloud Computing, 2012, the best results are being attained by enterprises that focus on a very specific strategy and look to cloud-based technologies to accelerate their performance. […]

Two businessmen shaking hands across a table, illustrating business virtualization benefits

Realizing Business Virtualization Benefits

I think the enterprises of the future will look very different from those of today. Organizations will become leaner and more virtualized as their business processes grow more reliant on ecosystem partners. Process boundaries will transcend a specific entity. Many macroeconomists believe that real shareholder value (and, ultimately, economic growth) will be driven by the speed and quality of innovation. Historically, enterprises have been successful by capitalizing on a disruption (market transition) that plays into […]

A hand inserting a USB drive into a laptop, illustrating managing backups in virtual environments

Managing Backups In Virtual Environments

Virtualization has “virtually” changed the IT world in which we all work and play.   Why is virtualization so attractive to IT administrators?  The answer is easy — there are many uses and benefits that we gain through virtualization.  For starters, the thought of being able to have a single server’s physical footprint represent many servers on the network has been a boon to administrators looking to consolidate space and reduce operation costs.  Having the ability […]

A woman paying at a counter in a small shop, illustrating SMB IT spending growth

IT spending by SMBs up 15% in first quarter

Biggest spending is going towards tablets, cloud and virtualization, according to a new study. Small and medium-sized businesses are spending more money on IT, including adopting tablets, cloud services and virtualization to a greater extent, according to Spiceworks’ State of SMB IT survey. IT budgets at companies with fewer than 1,000 employees grew 6 percent in the first half of 2012 from the second half of 2011, and 15 percent year-over-year, according to the survey. […]

Woman working on laptop with charts and graphs, illustrating improving performance while lowering costs

Improve Performance While Lowering Costs

Expertly meshed information technology and voice technology services are the perfect combination of near term problem solving and long term competitive opportunities for organizations today.  Delivered across a redundant and highly performing mesh infrastructure, mesh services have proven to lower or completely eliminate technology ownership problems, while improving the customer experience and productivity gains.  Industry leading technologies and technology talent are available in any fraction or combination to fit your exact operational and budgetary expectations. […]