Virtualization has become a popular topic in the business world. It makes sense on so many levels, and, therefore, it has been on the mind of many people in the IT industry. Servers are perhaps the most popular piece of the IT puzzle to virtualize. Furthermore, they usually make the most sense to virtualize. If you are looking to get more out of servers, then here are five things you need to consider for your business.
Keep Things Real
Many people get caught up in the latest tech crazes and want to go all in whenthey hear how great something is. Virtualization is no exception to this. It is easy for a business to hear all the benefits of virtualization and want to convert everything at once. However, sometimes this is not practical. This can be due to budget reasons or infrastructure.
It is a better idea to evaluate all the servers and see which ones are best to start with. You may want to see which servers are running towards end of life or ones that could benefit from more resources. Then as time goes by more can be added to the project.
Make Sure Things Are Compatible
There is a chance that some of the software you have on critical servers is not compatible with virtualization software. Therefore, it is a good idea to go through the servers on your conversion list to make sure everything is compatible. If you do find that certain software is not compatible, then you will need to come up with an alternate solution or upgrade the software. It is important not to go forward despite this hurdle because it could result in more issues.
The server itself will also need to be checked. You need to make sure the hardware hosting the virtualization software and guests is capable of handling the load. Also, make sure that it can allow for future growth if that is your intended plan.
Don’t Ignore Backups
You will want to make sure your current backup solution is compatible with virtualization. There are technical and licensing considerations with this. Some backup solutions license for physical devices or virtual machines, for example. If you are licensed for physical hardware, you may need to get different licenses to backup virtual guests.
Reduce Hardware Footprint
One of the main benefits of virtualization is it allows you to run many servers and roles on one piece of hardware. The one piece of hardware provides virtual hardware to many different servers. Therefore, you need to have a plan to dispose of the extra hardware, or a plan to allocate it. Will the hardware be disposed of, or will you use the hardware for different goals and tasks.
Consult with an IT Pro
Virtualization is a complex project. It can be tricky even for people that deal with it every day. It is best to leave this type of project up to a professional that deals with it so business owners can focus on their day to day operations. An IT professional will be able to you make sure that you are compatible, your backup solutions are ready and you are ready for this type of project.