As server and storage capacities continue to grow, one tool that is frequently utilized in consolidation projects is Virtualization. Most simply put, virtualization allows you to optimize a virtual machine resource allocation by sharing for CPU, memory, disk and network bandwidth.

There are a variety of technologies and manufacturers in the market and each offers a unique approach to the issue of virtualizing some aspect of the system hardware.

The most common products for optimizing a virtual server are VMware, Microsoft Virtual Server, Xen, and for some higher end servers the hardware itself can allow for some sort of partitioning to produce virtualized servers. Each takes a different approach to the concept of dividing up shared resources within a system to address a slightly different capability.

There are as many storage products to virtualize the presentation of disk partitions as there are manufacturers of storage products. In many cases, a given solution will work with more than one brand of hardware.

All of the options available share a common goal – get more utilization out of the hardware, allowing for better exploitation of money, space, power and personnel time.

ITX Solutions can help determine which mix of technologies makes the most sense for your organization’s needs, as well as help to plan and implement a deployment of those technologies.