By Nick Brown – Accelerate Agency
Virtualization has transformed the way some companies operate, much to their advantage. With developments both recent and upcoming, virtualization advantages are set to be more widespread than ever. During the pandemic we saw some forms of virtualization such as live shopping via live streaming. Although in this article the emphasis is more on creating a virtual working environment, which is a great option for remote workers.
What can virtualization do for your business? Does ‘revolutionize it’ sound a bit extreme? Well, read on and see.
So, what’s virtualization?
It can be defined as the creation of a virtualized environment, in which a virtual copy is made from a physical computer, so that a remote user can utilize its features. This means that there are benefits to be had in terms of being able to access that virtual computer’s operating system from just about any location, using your current machine, without having to actually shell out for new physical hardware.
For a machine to switch between operating systems, a layer of software known as a hypervisor is necessary. The hypervisor (or virtual machine monitor) allocates virtual resources so that each OS is as fully operable as need be.
As with any major organizational transition, this requires careful planning and project management to make sure that your new virtual environment is as effective as possible.
The final factor to be aware of is that there are several different types of virtualization, including server, software, storage, and desktop virtualization.
Let’s turn now to the chief benefits of virtualization.
Virtualization advantages
1. Productivity improvement
If a company’s employees can access features that assist them in completing their work from anywhere in the world, that’s going to help increase productivity. One virtual server’s computing resources can be used by all in the team, to collaborate remotely or just to get on with their own tasks.
2. Downtime reduction
Physical servers can be pretty sensitive to attack or malfunction. Moreover, they can take significant time to repair. On the other hand, virtual servers can be up and running once again in far less time. Crucial virtual machine data can be retrieved, and a virtual machine can be transferred from one hypervisor to another in seconds. This can assist disaster recovery and business continuity considerably.
3. Greater segmentation
Because a single PC can be split into several different VMs, different work areas can be more clearly segmented by being apportioned to different virtual machines. This can be a crucial benefit, helping to alleviate confusion and giving greater transparency to work progress, allowing for greater input from other parties and for succession smoothing.
4. Easier
One of the biggest advantages of virtualization is that no arcane knowledge is required. Virtualization is built around giving businesspeople the computing power they need and high levels of SAP integration without requiring an MIT doctorate.
5. Speed
When you’re using virtual machines, you don’t have to wait around for an age while installations take place. The features you need are already there and instantly accessible to you and your team. Same with setting up machines or creating networks or any of the admin that can take forever to do in the traditional fashion.
6. Better legacy management
Older systems can be run alongside newer ones with no major inconvenience or incompatibility.
7. Great scalability
As a business’s size increases, its computing needs grow. With physical equipment, a business owner would have to invest in equipment with ever more sophistication (and expense) as well as manage the transfer between the old and new systems. With virtualization, as the business grows, it simply uses more virtual service for an increased monthly fee. Easy.
8. Better security
Using virtual firewalls can transform your business from a limping weak link in the pack, just waiting to be taken down by vicious predators, into a fighting fit pack leader, ready to shrug off any predatory interest with the utmost confidence. Virtual firewalls are cheaper than traditional firewalls and are isolated, giving them excellent resilience to viruses, etc.
9. Cheaper
The big one. IT has for a long been a byword for massive expense, as businesses have had to plow huge amounts of capital into piles of exorbitant physical equipment, as well as finding a suitable physical environment for it all and paying pricey IT staff to maintain it.
No longer. Using virtualization, business owners can enjoy all the features of a particular server without having to shell out such a planet-sized chunk of change on it. With an inexpensive laptop and a license to use a virtual server, a business can get up to speed with all the computing power it needs while benefiting from significant cost savings that could potentially be invested into advertising or Email Marketing.
10. Eco-friendly
Perhaps an even bigger one. Having massive numbers of physical devices being manufactured, physically transported, powered, and cooled is a massive contribution to an operation’s carbon footprint. Cutting the number of physical machines and having them available for access by remotely situated staff is as good for the Earth as it is for your business.
There are other smaller ways that virtualization can help the environment, such as using e-signature software, which will result in less paper usage and reduces the need for travel in order to sign contracts in person. Also being able to work remotely reduces the amount of travel required for work.
Even if ecology’s not your bag, to be on the right side of the environmental debate is, at the very least, a great marketing tool.
Conclusion
So, the list of virtualization advantages is lengthy. There is something in virtualization for every business, but only as long as that business is into saving money, time and headaches. Oh, and the planet. So, what are you waiting for?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Brown – Accelerate Agency
Nick Brown is the founder & CEO of accelerate, a SaaS SEO agency. Nick has launched several successful online businesses, writes for Forbes, published a book and has grown accelerate from a UK based agency to a company that now operates across US, APAC and EMEA.
