What are the advantages of virtualisation?

The steady advance of digitalisation and increasing demands on IT infrastructure have made efficiency a deciding factor in the success of any business. Server virtualisation is a groundbreaking technology that can help companies make optimal use of their IT resources and reduce costs. But many companies are still hesitant to implement it. In this article, we’ll lay out 10 advantages of virtualisation.

What is server virtualisation?

Server virtualisation is a technology that enables you to run several separate virtual servers on a single physical hardware platform. In the past, each application required its own physical server, which led to an inefficient use of resources. Virtualisation transforms those physical servers into virtual machines (VMs) that can each run their own operating system and applications but share physical hardware. That kind of virtual isolation enables a more flexible use of resources and more efficient use of hardware.

You can read about the different kinds of virtualisation and their pros and cons in our article ‘What is virtualisation?’. Below we’ll discuss 10 advantages of virtualisation to illustrate how companies can benefit from the technology.

How server virtualisation benefits businesses

Energy savings

Server virtualisation enables companies to save energy and reduce operating costs by consolidating more servers on less hardware. Fewer servers means less energy used for cooling, lighting and maintenance. Additionally, resources like CPU, RAM and storage can be spread out dynamically among virtual machines (VMs) using hypervisors. That helps with more optimal use of resources and less use of power.

Smaller data centres

Reducing physical server infrastructure not only lowers energy costs but also means smaller data centers. So one advantage of virtualisation is a significant reduction in the amount of physical space your company needs, since you can run the same amount of applications and services on fewer physical servers. That means you can make better use of space and use your existing data centres more efficiently or even switch to smaller ones. Having smaller data centres can help you optimise your operations and make them more flexible. Simpler, more efficient infrastructure enables you to launch services and applications more quickly, which increases the speed of innovation and gives you a competitive edge.

Space for your own lab

Another advantage of virtualisation is the chance to set up your own test centre, without having to acquire more physical hardware. You can use VMs on existing servers to create test and development environments at no additional cost. That allows you to test applications, operating systems and configurations in an isolated virtual environment.

Faster server provisioning

Virtual servers can be provisioned significantly faster than physical servers. In just a few minutes, you can create and configure new virtual machines, which increases the agility and responsiveness of your IT operations.

Reduced vendor lock in for hardware

Virtualisation reduces your dependence on certain hardware providers, which in turn reduces vendor lock in for hardware. That gives your company more flexibility in its choice of hardware and enables you to select the components that best suit your needs. You can then reduce costs, compare competing offers and choose the hardware that’s the best fit for your specifications, without being tied to a long-term contract with a single supplier.

Another big advantage of virtualisation is the flexibility that your company gains from less vendor lock in, which reduces costs and keeps you open to changing business conditions.

Increased availability

The ability to quickly migrate virtual machines between physical hosts can minimise downtime due to hardware failures. This increases the availability of applications and services. Clustering technologies can be used to replicate virtual machines on several physical servers, enabling automatic recovery on another available host in the event of a hardware failure.

Live migration technologies make it possible to move VMs from one physical host to another without interruption, so you can run maintenance or reallocate resources without impacting availability. Automated monitoring and fault detection with virtualisation management tools help you to identify and resolve potential problems early and thus avoid downtime. Additional advantages of virtualisation include an increase in productivity, higher customer satisfaction and cost savings.

Virtual disaster recovery

There are also a number of benefits of server virtualisation related to virtual disaster recovery. Your company can convert its physical servers into VMs and replicate them on backup servers, which comes with shorter recovery time than traditional methods. This solution is also more cost effective, as it doesn’t require expensive backup hardware and uses existing virtualisation environments.

Additionally, automating disaster recovery processes enables faster reactions to emergencies and minimises human error. The flexibility and scalability of virtual disaster recovery allows you to adapt your disaster recovery strategy to changing needs and ensure business continuity. Regular testing and validation will ensure that your recovery processes are working effectively.

Isolated applications

Providing a separate virtual environment for each application allows your company to use resources like CPU, RAM and storage more efficiently. It also ensures that each application has enough resources, without impacting other applications. Isolated environments increase security by reducing the risk of data leaks. In addition, they simplify the management and maintenance for applications, as updates and configuration changes can be made in isolated environments without affecting other applications.

Increased longevity for older applications

Virtualisation can extend the life of older applications by providing an environment that’s separate from physical hardware. That means you can keep using older applications once their underlying hardware is outdated or no longer supported. You can run older applications on modern servers or in the cloud, which improves the compatibility and availability of older software. That reduces the costs that come with migration to new platforms and the development of new applications.

Integration in the cloud

The integration of server virtualisation and cloud technologies offers your company flexible, high-performing infrastructure by seamlessly integrating virtualisation environments in the cloud – regardless of whether that’s a public cloud, hybrid cloud or private cloud. Using the cloud allows you to quickly scale resources without investing in expensive hardware. The cloud offers highly available and flexible infrastructure that stores applications and data securely.

Summary

The biggest advantages of virtualisation include increased scalability, agility, cost efficiency and security. Using flexible and highly available infrastructure can help your company increase its competitiveness, drive innovation and offer excellent service to customers.