Virtualization Pros & Cons - Trusted Tech Team

If your business isn’t considering a cloud platform, virtualization product, or a hybrid, you may be behind the times. The virtualization industry has exploded over the past decade, marking a transition from the use of directly installed computer hardware and on-site storage to data storage by remote cloud servers performed by external hosting platforms. Efficiency, security, mobility, scalability, streamlined updates, easy integration, better storage — among other features — are all benefits. VMware has been called the “pioneer of the virtualization industry.” Oracle VM, vSphere, Hyper-V, AWS, and Microsoft Azure are also popular choices.

Is Your Company Ready for Virtualization?

Is virtualization right for your business? Is your company ready to make the jump? Spiceworks notes that 40% of organizations now use storage virtualization technology; an additional 12% intend to make the transition within the next two years. The top three reasons for which IT pros have either switched to this option or have considered switching include better storage infrastructure flexibility (47%), improved storage manageability (46%), and better storage performance (45%). We’ve put together some pros and cons of virtualization so that we can help you decide whether or not to take the plunge.

Benefits of Virtualization

For small- to medium-sized businesses, virtualization can make a lot of sense. Often, these companies are on limited budgets and may not have in-house IT professionals to perform updates, maintenance, and data management. Virtualization requires no hardware components, which takes physical installation (which can be daunting for some) out of the equation. Products are downloaded and managed online and are accessible to those with limited knowledge of internet technology; third parties are often not needed at all. Costs are predictable. There is no physical space needed to dedicate to on-site resources. Web hosting is also considerably less expensive than purchasing and maintaining tower servers. Virtualization improves uptime, energy savings, and disaster recovery due to up-to-date snapshots.

Cons of Virtualization

Just as with every decision made for your company’s infrastructure and data storage, there are virtualization disadvantages. Security is the top of every company’s concern (If not, it should be!). Shared resources and virtual instances that are hosted by third parties can mean that your data may be more vulnerable. This is especially true if you don’t opt for a tried-and-true trusted company or program. The transition to learning how to operate your system through virtualization can also be a hurdle, particularly in an industry that is resistant to change. Company-wide education becomes important, and familiarity with the system takes time to get used to. Furtheremore, additional costs can come into play: Is your hardware even ready to make this a viable choice? Does your company have sufficient RAM usage capacity or CPU utilization to accommodate virtualization? If not, virtualization could cause a performance lag. If your company has infrastructure that is over five years old, you need to take a look at initial costs.