6 hot technologies for 2006: virtualization
By
Jennifer Mears
,
Network World
, 01/09/2006
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The Matrix: Virtualization becomes a reality and spreads from software to hardware.
IT executives who have delayed virtualizing their x86-based servers for fear the technology remains unproved should put that
project at the top of their to-do lists for 2006, as the market for virtualizing the low-volume systems heats up.
It's a combination of factors - the increasing power and stability of the x86 platform, the maturing of virtualization software and a growing choice of software vendors - that is driving adoption at a surprisingly fast clip, analysts say.
"In 2005 I saw a lot of enterprises dabbling with virtualization in test and development environments, particularly for server
consolidation and cost savings," says Scott Donahue, an analyst at Tier 1 Research. "What has surprised me more recently when
I've talked to enterprise clients is the speed at which virtualization has actually moved into production environments."
IDC describes the shift to x86-based server virtualization as well underway and expects widespread adoption to take place
during the next couple of years, without "a five- to 10-year gradual market shift as in other technology areas." Companies
lacking a virtualization strategy for low-end systems will pay more in the long run, in hardware costs and management headaches,
analysts say.
Gartner, for example, estimates that most x86-based servers running a single application - the traditional deployment for
these low-end boxes - operate at about a 10% average utilization rate. Using virtualization to consolidate workloads into
a single box should increase utilization significantly.
In addition, as the x86 platform itself becomes more powerful, customers should find a growing list of applications appropriate
for a virtualized environment. In the last couple of years, systems vendors stepped up the performance of their low-end systems
with dual-core processors and 64-bit support. This year will bring servers with virtualization technology built into the silicon,
a huge step for the x86 platform, which today can only be virtualized with some fancy - and performance-draining - footwork
from such software vendors as VMware and Microsoft.
Having virtualization capabilities hard-wired into the chip means end users will get better performance out of virtual servers,
software files that contain an operating system and applications. It also means that VMware and its competitors likely will shift their focus to management tools, resulting in more advanced
management capabilities down the road.
Today's management tools enable end users to easily move and copy virtual servers, providing a simple approach to disaster
recovery and high availability. But advanced capabilities - such as a faster and more seamless migration of virtual servers
among physical systems - are likely to come in the months ahead. Analysts recommend that customers take a close look at management
strategies when they choose a virtualization partner.
"In the next year and a half to two years, the market will be flipping on its head completely. . . . It will shift from the
hypervisor [low-level virtualization technology] to management," says Tom Bittman, a Gartner vice president and fellow. "So
the focus should be on choosing management tools and automation, not on choosing a hypervisor. That will be a commodity."
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