Virtualization and Small Business

There’s this small business. Trying to face the challenges and establish its name in the world. It’s getting there. Slowly and steadily. Do you know what it needs right now? Technological resolutions. Remember back when you had to invent new games to entertain yourself? You would just do things; You just ran around the playground; You built sand castles, played hide and seek, asked silly questions, searched for the brightest star and pretended to be a scientist. You need that curiosity and invention in your business also. Technological inventions are necessary, because they are what actually matter.

Virtualization is one such technological invention that can change the growth of your business for good.

Do you know the meaning of virtualization? It is the process of running multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine. These virtual machines can use the resources of a single physical computer. And, each virtual machine has its own environment. If you consider big companies, you get to know that they use server virtualization to combine the number of machines they are running while making them operate with more efficiency.

But, do you know what’s the role of virtualization when it comes to small businesses? A big one! It’s an advantage for small businesses as it empowers them to maintain less equipment, make backup and recovery more reliable and get better use from the equipment.

Let’s get into details:

1. One server, many operating systems:

Sounds good, right? Virtualizing your server gives you the freedom to run different Operating Systems, in different virtual servers on the same physical server. Operating Systems, such as Windows and Linux, can run simultaneously in a single physical server. With virtualization, your employees can develop a project in two different environments. Once you have one virtual server configured, you can use that same configuration to set up new virtual servers, with very less time. When configuring a new physical server takes hours, these virtual servers can be set up in a matter of minutes. That’s why server virtualization is the need of the hour for small businesses.

2. Reduced costs:

Desktop virtualization is the best way for smaller companies to use virtualization to save money. There are plenty of benefits from virtual desktops for small and medium businesses. In a 15-20-user network, you are going to have only a couple of servers. But, there will be 20 to 30 desktops in the same network. What’s more expensive? Clearly, the desktops. Also, it takes more resources to maintain the desktops. Setting up a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) is the perfect solution. VDIs use desktop virtualization and thin client workstations instead of desktop PCs. A thin client workstation costs just a few hundred dollars and you can get years of use from those. Based on the type of VDI deployed, this style can have many benefits. Actual computing that takes place at the endpoint is very less; thus, IT departments can extend the lifecycle of outdated PCs by recycling them as VDI clients. Also, in VDI, all the data is merged in the data centre, not on the endpoint, so there are significant security benefits. A robber who steals a laptop that uses VDI can’t take any data off the machine, because there is zero data on the machine.

3.  Minimum installation efforts:

With VDI, when you want to install a new program, you need to install it just once on the server. All the employees, who are connected through VDI, can access the application through their thin clients. This is a huge time and money saver, as you don’t have to install new software on many individual computers.

4. Disaster recovery:

With server virtualization, you can take regular snapshots of your server, as many as you want. When something goes wrong with your system, like a virus hits your network, you can use any one of those snapshots to return your server to a particular configuration from a particular point in time.

Fascinated?

Do you want your company to flourish? Are you ready to implement virtualization in your company? Where? On server or desktop? You should carefully pick and choose what you need to accomplish through virtualization and commit to it. At each subsequent stage of your business, virtualization can play a vital role and change the course of your company for the better.

Author: Krishnapriya OP

3

Leave a Comment