Virtualization

Virtualization is one of the main techniques for the rationalization of operation and financing IT systems of a company. With the help of virtualization, companies can reduce their capital expenditures, abolish the need for hardware and reduce their energy consumption.

There are software-based computers that share resources of physical devices. Individual computing resources are abstracted from the physical equipment and pooled in a virtual environment, where they work independently from one another. The term computing resources refers to all physical and logical components of the information system (the devices, disks, data, networks, applications, storage space, etc.).

Virtualization allows for combining different hardware and using it in the most flexible and responsive way. Thanks to the pooling and virtualization of computing resources, different groups of users in different locations can share the same IT infrastructure, which increases the flexibility of their working methods and quality of mutual cooperation.

The traditional computer model is quite expensive. The main factors that contribute to the overall IT costs include the following:

• Server and storage infrastructure
• Desktop infrastructure
• Communications equipment (routers, LAN switches, firewalls, PBX)
• Office equipment (printers, faxes, photocopiers)
• Operating systems and applications
• Space, power, cooling
• IT personnel and/or external partners to support the myriad of devices and technologies

In the usual lifecycle of computers, desktops need to be refreshed regularly. Technical personnel who provide for support must be found and hired. IT experts often encounter complex problems as a result of the inevitable modifications and adjustments applied by individual users on their desktops. This loose structure can lead to security breaches and poor performance.

Traditional IT departments also have to deal with the obsolescence of systems on a regular basis, as the requirements of newly emerging applications and the expectations of users quickly surpass the capacities of existing classical computers. Even today, it is not unusual for companies to refresh and upgrade their IT, with several months of delay. The reason is high updating costs (due to the large number of hardware systems purchased), and the need for testing the compatibility of new applications and operating systems with the old ones.

Lower costs: A virtualized and centralized desktop allows for more than 50% decreased computer management costs.

Flexibility and mobility of employees: Users can access their centralized desktops anywhere, anytime and via any device with Internet access. The computer actually becomes only a window or user interface for access to the personal desktop that is no longer located on the user’s computer, but rather in a remote data centers.With the emergence of virtual offices, physical facilities are no longer required for the operation of a company. Physical offices are still the basic location for meetings and employee workplaces, but the work has become more flexible. Even if employees are not present at the physical location (or if the company has several offices in different locations), work can be done from any location with the use of the virtual office.

Easier management of the entire IT environment: With this integrated solution, the management of the entire environment is very simple. IT personnel can solve problems and handle upgrades in a centralizedlocation and a substantially shorter timeframe. Centralized backup is possible, at approximately half the cost of traditional data backup management.

In addition, virtualization solves problems with the interoperability of individual applications and the operating system. Different services can run on separate virtual devices, even though they are used on the same physical client.