Virtualization is the use of software to create a system that behaves like hardware. It can be performed by host software, creating a simulated computing environment. Virtualization platforms are becoming a major part of IT infrastructure, with companies like VMWare, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and Hewlett Packard leading the way. Virtualization offers a strategy to reduce infrastructure costs and manage risk. It is making headway in network, storage, and server virtualization, but only 12-15% of global servers are virtualized.
A virtualization platform is a virtual, user-friendly computer that runs on top of a more complex platform, hiding the complicated and often intimidating physical traits of computing resources from the user. The term virtualization, which has been in widespread use since the 1960s, is used in this context to mean the use of software to create a system that behaves as if it were a piece of hardware. While it functions like its physical computer counterpart, it is simply a program on a much more complex machine.
Virtualization can be performed on a given hardware platform by host software, a controller program, which produces a simulated computing environment, or a virtual machine for the host software. Guest software runs as if it were installed on a standalone hardware platform and often requires access to specific peripheral devices to function. The most common form of a virtualization platform today is a virtual operating system, which is becoming a major part of IT infrastructure.
Using a virtualization platform is one way to quickly and easily transform the way businesses deploy and manage their IT resources. Recent analyst estimates indicate that there will be 132 times more computers virtualized in 2011 than in 2007. Virtualization offers a strategy that goes beyond physical boundaries to reduce infrastructure costs and help manage risk, clarifying the challenge of simplify and optimize the infrastructure.
Companies leading the way in breaking the physical relationship between an operating system and its native hardware include VMWare, Force.com, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, and Hewlett Packard. VMWare, for example, is one of the most active companies in the sector and holds the lion’s share of the overall virtualization technology market. Microsoft, which incorporates virtualization technology into its operating system products, isn’t as strong a player as VMWare, but it’s getting stronger.
Oracle combines the benefits of server clustering and Oracle VM server virtualization software to provide integrated clustering, virtualization, storage, and management solutions. Oracle VM supports Oracle and non-Oracle applications. With decades of IT experience, IBM virtualization helps businesses do more with fewer physical resources, expanding capacity and providing greater flexibility.
There are several areas where virtualization platforms are making headway. Some of these include network virtualization, storage virtualization, and server virtualization. Many analysts report that while using a virtualization platform may be very popular in the IT arena, only about 12-15 percent of global servers are virtualized.
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