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■SPECIAL REPORT: SERVERS
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core business applications, although process can even be automated by
the majority of virtualisation is still using tools such as CA’s WAN Sync Fran McNally, A&O Systems & Services
for test and development and for or a Microsoft geographically dis-
network server applications. Growth persed cluster,” says McNally.
of virtualisation as a strategy is still Virtualisation can also free compa-
strong, rising from 46pc of the base nies from dependency on legacy
to 54pc. hardware, whereby a particular
What is interesting is that virtual- application may be tied to a particu-
isation is growing as a data centre lar legacy OS (operating system),
strategy in itself, rather than as part that is in turn dependant on legacy
of other projects. This supports the hardware. “With virtualisation, you
view that virtualisation is increas- can break this underlying dependency,”
ingly seen as a standard for a wide McNally states.
range of workloads. And it’s some- To implement a virtualisation
thing that Fran McNally of A&O strategy, McNally recommends that
Systems & Services agrees with. He companies acquire a unified, end-
says businesses need to recognise to-end solution, based on a powerful,
that virtualisation technologies have reliable and scalable IT infrastruc-
uses outside of the traditional server ture. “Provisions need to be made for
and test environments. According to future growth of the virtual environ-
McNally, they can also be imple- ment, both for the individual sys-
mented in the desktop environment tems growth and for adding addi-
to centralise and therefore reduce tional systems. This growth could
desktop administration and further consist of additional storage, CPU
reduce costs by using dumb termi- power or bandwidth,” he says. In
nals or open source clients to access terms of boosting the power of an
centrally located processing power. organisation’s IT setup, by separat-
VMware’s VDI and ACE products ing the layers of the computing
are good examples of this, he says. stack, a virtualised IT environment
As a result of the reduced physical makes it possible to quickly deploy
footprint and lower power consump- new capabilities without having to
tion of a virtualised environment, it configure components. “In a virtu-
can often make financial sense for alised environment, testing require-
companies to have their virtualised ments and application compatibility
systems located in third-party hosted issues are reduced, processes are
facilities, rather than maintaining easier to automate and disaster
their own data centres. McNally recovery is easier to implement. In
points out that locating a company’s addition, new software releases can
virtual environment in a hosted data be tested and rolled out with greater
centre can provide savings because confidence than ever before.”
the company no longer has to physi- Fran Ryan, enterprise solutions
cally support its own server environ- manager for Commtech, says server
ment or support the equipment virtualisation will enhance the way
associated with it, which typically companies look at their computer
includes air conditioning units, fire infrastructure and will also reduce
suppression systems, UPS and also the server footprint, which will lead
comms equipment. to better use of the remaining
“Remotely hosted virtual environ- machines. “It’s a fundamental shift
ments can also be used as part of a for a lot of people on how they think
disaster recovery solution, where the about key application deployment
remote virtual environment can be and also in their purchasing habits
used as the failover system. This with their server vendor.”
50 Knowledge Ireland September 2008
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