Despite virtualization technology being one of the popular managed services availed by various businesses right now, decision-makers need to be more informed before they decide on getting it as well. Much like any other technology, it has its strengths but also its weaknesses that each head must consider. In this article, we’ll be laying a brief overview of the benefits of virtualization technology, as well as its disadvantages and what it entails for your business.
Benefits
The first benefit of getting this type of solution for your business is that you can save up on several fronts, namely: costs, energy, and space. The system of a virtualized business involves minimal hardware used so this means you don’t have to spend on buying a lot of devices for it to work. This in turn saves you energy as there are fewer machines running. And of course, with less machines, space is freed up in your office which means less hassle roaming around your workplace. You also don’t need to spend more on extra space as you can house the physical network in one place.
The next benefit is that with virtualization technology, you’ll have more agile and efficient business operations. This means that you can move virtual environments from server to server with ease which helps for quicker data transfer. There’s also the fact that in one server, you can host different environments so work can happen simultaneously without risk of unexpected shutdowns. Lastly, it makes sure that with lesser hardware in place, it utilizes all of them to their maximum potential so no device is wasted. Essentially, you get what you pay for.
Lastly, with regards to recovering data after a crisis or disaster, this type of solution makes that a whole lot easier. Through regular snapshots, unexpected data loss can be alleviated by duplicating said snapshots to access the files that were lost.
Drawbacks
That being said, virtualization isn’t without its problems. It was mentioned earlier that it has lesser expenses due to a more lean system with less excess hardware. In order to achieve this, however, said hardware has to be updated to handle the shift to virtualization. If your existing devices don’t cut it, you’re going to have to pay higher upfront costs for the upgrade. Once this is set up, however, it does mean you’ll save more in the long run.
Another possible hiccup is that with this technology fairly new and still evolving, not every in-house IT personnel will be aware of how to use it at first. Sure, they can be trained, but that may take time and cost more money. To address this, it’s recommended that you get a managed services provider to do all the work for your business while your in-house IT can focus on their own expertise.
Overall, getting virtualization services for your enterprise is a good thing, but it can be a heavy investment. Still, if you have the capacity and funds to upgrade, then why not do it? Your business will definitely be better long-term. Aside from that, if you feel unequipped to handle it, having a third-party running your virtual infrastructure can guarantee you the expertise needed to make it work.
If you’re interested in virtualization technology solutions, get in touch with us here at Sandz!