Doing the laundry is men's work! No? Yes, it is!

Doing the laundry is men's work! No? Yes, it is! Since virtualisation allows various operating systems to be run on the same hardware, this is so. It is like putting all types of clothing into the same wash cycle, pressing the 'start' button, and receiving a perfect washing result for all the various fabrics and colours...

Well, what's still impossible in the wash-kitchen is already reality in IT. Virtualisation based on VMware or XEN today allows various operating systems to easily run side-by-side on one piece of hardware.  What's more, it is possible to run the same operating systems in different versions.

Every financial controller and every company director would like to achieve high utilisation of machines and equipment. Investments in production systems should be utilised to the best effect. A comprehensive study by IBM showed that  the CPU utilisation of most Windows servers ranges between 5 and 10%. Obviously, this is not in line with corporate goals.

Virtualising operating systems allows high utilisation and, at the same time, higher availability compared to traditional installations, making IT investments much more efficient. In practice, the number of servers could be reduced up to 10 fold using virtualisation. Operating costs are reduced while flexibility increases.
 

Since virtualisation allows various operating systems to be run on the same hardware, this is so. It is like putting all types of clothing into the same wash cycle, pressing the 'start' button, and receiving a perfect washing result for all the various fabrics and colours...

Well, what's still impossible in the wash-kitchen is already reality in IT. Virtualisation based on VMware or XEN today allows various operating systems to easily run side-by-side on one piece of hardware.  What's more, it is possible to run the same operating systems in different versions.
Every financial controller and every company director would like to achieve high utilisation of machines and equipment. Investments in production systems should be utilised to the best effect. A comprehensive study byIBM showed that  the CPU utilisation of most Windows servers ranges between 5 and 10%. Obviously, this is not in line with corporate goals.

Virtualising operating systems allows high utilisation and, at the same time, higher availability compared to traditional installations, making IT investments much more efficient. In practice, the number of servers could be reduced up to 10 fold using virtualisation. Operating costs are reduced while flexibility increases.

Flexibility

New technology requires rethinking. As soon as you realise that virtual servers, virtual network cards and virtual hard disks are just as secure and stable as their physical predecessors, a change in thought has taken place. The fact that this technology had its breakthrough three years ago is also beneficial. Announcements by Intel and AMD about upcoming CPUs with 80 or more cores confirm that IT cannot be employed without virtualisation.

Easy-care

Inside a running, virtualised environment, many things become a lot easier. It is possible to clone virtual machines for test purposes or to use them as templates. A server can now be installed for the production or test environment within minutes. As in a depot, the IT department  is able to operate the various operating systems.

Silk

Today, even sensitive issues can be solved extremely well. Using a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) on the workstation PC that runs on Windows XP or Windows 7 can lead to improved workplace convenience.  The individual XPs will be operated on server basis and have the same scope and function as a desktop system. Yet, using Ultra Thin Clients for displays allows a free choice of workplace (hotdesking) and enables secure home office operation.

Cotton

Robust systems often stand out in their simplicity.  The basis of virtualisation systems is formed by extremely stable kernels that allow the guest operating system to provide the shared resources. The assignment of CPUs and RAM, hard disk space and network adapters, is very easy and allows smooth adaptation of the virtual hardware to the requirements of operating systems and applications.

Synthetics

It may appear to some IT staff like something from a spaceship when it is suddenly possible to transfer a virtual machine from one physical server to another during operation. However, this is not the future but already a feature!  Following various criteria, it is possible to move virtual machines or to free a physical server during operation for maintenance purposes.