Alex Givens

Enterprises committed to a virtualization strategy need to ensure that management and automation of mission-critical IT systems and applications are included in their planning. Enterprises also need to establish procedures that allow them to maximize the benefits of consolidating to a virtualized platform and mitigate potential business risk across a landscape that has become abstract. Failure to do so will impact the success of projects and dilute the value of a virtualization strategy. Spiraling energy costs, squeezing extra IT power out of fixed data center real estate footprints and environmental concerns, have shifted virtualization from a commodity tool to a center-stage role in the IT strategy of many organizations. The history of virtualization can be tracked back to the 1970s when mainframe computers could be virtually partitioned to host multiple guest mac... (more)