For all the hype of virtualization, it appears as though each IT vendor is carrying their virtualization wand and applying it to every prospective customer, promising cost savings and better performance. While I do believe strongly that virtualization is the answer, let’s look at a couple of the problem areas that could cause access to your data be slower than a toad.

I’ll take 1 more of everything. That’s the theory at work. Make sure your environment can survive while losing an entire server, a single drive, a processor, some memory and even a switch. If you design it correctly virtualization is the least expensive way to produce great redundancy. (N + 1, or better)

Start with a good platform. While prices continue to decline for virtualization software, the entry-point with Microsoft’s hyper-v is included with your Windows servers, Citrix and VMware both have low-costs to get started. Microsoft and Citrix seem to be chasing VMware’s lead in marketshare and functionality. Make sure when you chose your virtualization platform, you keep in mind the growth potential, features and ease-of management. Currently, it is tough to beat the scalability and ease of management with VMware.

Don’t forget my disks. One of the most common elements missed when implementing virtualization is faster storage.  4 years ago, when you bought that server with drives in it, you bought 4 drives at 10,000 rpm and it ran just fine. Now, you can run a lot more servers on the newer quad-cores and a bit more memory, but don’t forget that you will need some fast storage to handle this load. Depending on your size you will either need to build a SAN, or at least install more fast drives in your servers.

What’s this button do? Too often virtualization projects take place because of a short-term need and leads to more work down the road. 15 minutes with someone who’s done it before can help lead you to a better solution that will scale down the road.

Send in the backup. While you can create more redundancy with virtualization, don’t forget that you still need to back it up. Your current backup may still be viable, but new alternatives may suit your needs better.

While you don’t have to be Harry Potter to implement virtualization correctly, a few careful practices will keep you out of trouble. Once you have your environment setup, virtualization will simplify management and give you more flexibility long-term.

-Ben Pankonin

1. iPhone Competitors
   We won’t go as far as to say there are any killers in the bunch, but a new range of devices have smartphone users excited about new apps and better answers to mobility. True, the iPhone still remains dominant, but continued innovation by Palm’s webOS, Google’s Droid and better RIM devices are bringing new ideas to a larger mobile dinner table.
2. Windows 7
   No need to utter the words of Microsoft’s last OS, Windows 7 sheds a new light on the possibilities for desktops and laptops present in this new OS. With touch, cleaner operating system, better performance and the largest beta testing ever, Windows 7 trumps its predecessor. We can be appreciative that we finally have an operating system that provides new functionality without sacrificing stability.
3. Virtualization
   Perhaps a perfect storm for actualization partners in 2009, this year with companies looking to cut costs and gain better redundancy, both VMware and Microsoft are building better, less expensive ways to implement virtualization. Let’s be fair, part of what has allowed VMware to implement more virtualization over the last year is the fact that Microsoft now extensively supports virtualization on nearly all server platforms including Exchange and Domain Controllers. Whether a business looking for better disaster recovery, less hardware expense or more redundancy, we have reason to give thanks. Even hardware vendors have brought costly SAN storage into small business price ranges.
4. The Rise of the Netbook
   Lowering the cost for remote devices, Netbooks continue to allow for a successful end-user experience while keeping the processing in the cloud.  This important step allows many people to be grateful for greater processing and mobility per dollar.
5. The Cloud Gets Clearer
   More has been developed for cloud-computing in the last year. It’s hard to avoid the barrage of news about the future of cloud-computing. While still young, businesses are beginning to trust some computing elements in the cloud.  Both Microsoft and Google have announced and are rolling out extensive cloud-computing models and Amazon’s elastic cloud expands.  Businesses owe much thanks to the companies who are extending their computing infrastructures to support our processing and storage needs.