As virtualization gains steam, it’s becoming more confusing because different organizations and vendors use the term interchangeably. Can virtualization mean putting multiple application servers on a single piece of hardware? Can it mean virtualization for network devices like core switches? Is it delivering Software as a Service (SaaS) from an outside vendor to end users? Depending on who you talk to, the answer is yes, yes and yes.
Recently, Enterprise Management Associates highlighted the surge in end user virtualization with the release of the “The Real World Experiences of Endpoint Virtualization” study. The research highlights many of the key benefits for endpoint virtualization and some of the potential pitfalls with the deployment. However, one area that wasn’t addressed that impacts network managers and administrators every day: virtualization’s impact on the underlying infrastructure and its day-to-day management.
Often the application and/or server teams lead the endpoint virtualization project and focus on their key requirements such as control and cost savings but often overlook this critical aspect. When applications are stored on the physical PC or laptop, users typically do not require the WAN or the LAN to do daily tasks. However, now as users become more remote and applications are virtual, all of the sudden users will have much greater VPN and/or WAN requirements.
And as we all know, users will demand the same level of quality regardless if the application is on the PC, a SaaS or virtualized app.
For a network manager, the ability to monitor and pinpoint potential issues becomes even harder when a user and/or application “floats” around the network with different requirements. Then, layer on the addition burden of time-sensitive or bandwidth intensive applications, the challenges become exponentially greater. Virtualization provides many great benefits to the organization but puts more burden on the network. As a network manager, it becomes more important to keep the network devices and infrastructure fine tuned and consistent.
You can view a recorded webcast on “Virtualization and Data Center Consolidation and the Impact on the Network” to learn more about how the new technologies will affect your organization, network and IT infrastructure. The good news if you can take advantage of all of the great benefits of virtualization, you just need to take control of your network and its change, configuration and compliance requirements.