Server Virtualisation and the Benefits of "Going Virtual"

The world of technology is evolving faster than anyone could have predicted. Let's look at the advantages of Server Virtualisation or ‘going virtual’…

Rob Stevens



In fact, according to Klaus Schwab, we’re currently entering the fourth industrial revolution – an age identified by disruptive technology like IoT, AI, and more.

As the business and consumer environments grow increasingly complex, many companies have seen that if they want to stay ahead of the curve, they might not be able to rely exclusively on physical technology and servers anymore. Today’s most innovative organisations are leaving physical servers behind in exchange for virtualisation.

Switching to server virtualisation strategies means that the workloads that happen on your computers aren’t tied to a specific piece of hardware. You can access higher server utilisation rates, lower costs and better productivity, making virtual servers a revolution for IT management and technology teams.

Let’s look at the advantages of going virtual.

1.     Better Safety and Disaster Recovery

There are few things more important than keeping your assets safe in today’s digital world. Fortunately, server virtualisation can help with this. Almost every virtual machine application comes equipped with features that assist with recovery and system backups.

Since disasters and problems can happen at any time, in any environment, virtualisation software will give you a quick way to recover your damaged or lost information on any computer.

According to a well-known data hosting company called NetSource, it’s possible for a single virtual server to fail while you’re using it, and still, maintain your information on another machine. Similarly to keeping your data on the cloud, virtualisation gives you an extra layer of security when disaster strikes.

2.     Greater Cost efficiency

Cost efficiency is probably one of the major factors that any business needs to consider when they’re deciding whether to switch to virtualised servers. After all, we all have budgets to consider. The good news is that “going virtual” can provide you with cost savings in a range of different categories.

First, your capital expenditure costs will decrease, because there’s no need to buy as many physical servers and hardware resources to ensure that your business has the right amount of computing power. Virtual servers give you the scalability you need.

Additionally, operational expenditure and energy costs go down too, because you don’t have as much hardware to power and maintain. With virtualisation, you reduce everything from your energy consumption to your data centre square footage requirements.

3.     Automation Options and Higher Productivity

The fewer physical servers you have running in your company at any given time, the less work required to maintain and manage them. The applications that used to take weeks to provision can be handled in a matter of minutes, and your IT staff will be able to spend more of their valuable time on productive tasks that help your business to grow.

With virtual servers, you may also find that it’s possible to automate many of your day-to-day operations. This reduces the number of IT professionals that you’ll need to work with to spend time on tasks that your technology can handle for you. Simple solutions like OS patches require less time, and you can ensure that things get done with greater efficiency.

4.     Faster Provisioning and Deployment

With the help of server virtualisation solutions, it’s possible to provision and deploy new systems within minutes. You can even clone an entire virtual machine without having to install a new physical server from scratch. Many businesses that already have virtual environments in place appreciate the switch from a gruelling process of provisioning and deployment to a simple growth strategy.

In any company, the time and costs of provisioning can add up very quickly, particularly when you consider the growing number of cables and racks that may need to be purchased to accommodate an increasing number of physical servers. Datacentre virtualisation is often crucial to help businesses to keep up with the resources required to stay agile.

5.     Flexibility

At Nice Network, we know how important it is for our clients to grow and expand at their own pace. To evolve in this ever-changing environment, your IT strategy needs to be as flexible as possible. Virtualisation can help with this.

You can adapt and change your virtual machine to suit the alternating requirements in your business operations, and even access operating systems that wouldn’t be compatible with your business hardware in a typical environment.

Additionally, businesses that have been in the industry for a while can continue to use legacy applications while they migrate to a new operating system or technology strategy. This way, you can approach digital transformation in a way that suits your company and employees, keeping errors and downtime to a minimum.

Ready to Try Something New?

Server virtualisation delivers positive transformations to a business environment, ranging all the way from reduced costs for hardware to greater server provisioning and deployment. You can even make sure that you’re prepared for anything with the right disaster recovery solution.

Of course, it can be difficult to move to a virtual system without the right assistance. That’s why Nice Network is here to help. Contact us today to see how we can help you grow – the virtual way.