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.

Click to see: Ulrich Seif of National Semiconductor

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.