Virtualization and Cloud Management
– Deney Dentel is the CEO at Nordisk System, says:
IT professionals lately have been taking advantage of many virtualization technologies, including desktop virtualization, application virtualization, storage virtualization, presentation virtualization and a number of other technologies. But in the first place one needs to know what virtualization actually means. That said, this word is widely used by many companies and under different circumstances. Loosely defined, virtualization means isolating and abstracting computer software, Internet connection or hardware from other components. For example, in application virtualization the application is isolated from the operating systems and thus, from other applications and storage drives.
Now the interesting question is, how cloud technology is actually related to server virtualization and virtualization in general. What is being isolated and abstracted in this case? It may be a bit complex to answer this question. Primarily, many companies and people define cloud under their own circumstances. However, in most cases this technology comes in a form of hosting. This means, cloud computing represents renting shared computing infrastructure to their users who pay only for what they use, and thus, gain a financial advantage over permanent ownership of computer technology. Probably the main advantages of using cloud technology are no need to worry about servers, secure access to your data while on the go and data backups are handled by your vendor.
There are different kinds of virtualization. You may know that there are numerous types of virtualization. Here are two most popular.
Server virtualization
Server virtualization is the moving of physical servers into a virtual environment. This virtual environment is hosted on a physical server. That means that modern servers are able to host more than one server at the same time, which allows IT professionals to reduce computer and administrative expenditures. Additionally, servers can be virtualized and stored offsite by other service providers.
Storage virtualization
Storage virtualization is probably the most popular cloud computing technology nowadays. In short, this technology combines physical hard drives into a single, virtualized environment. For most users, this storage is simply known as cloud storage and it is usually public in the form of Dropbox and Google Drive services. The cloud storage technology is often pursued by companies who want to keep access to their files available anytime and anywhere.
However, it is important to mention that security matters as well. In today’s cloud world where companies have little control over where their data may travel, information should be encrypted in the first place. This means that encryption primarily should be applied to the data, not the storage disks. Applying cryptography directly to a file ensures there is no way for third party sides to access your data.
Finally, it is important to mention that service providers still have not fully committed to this type of technology. However, most service providers are committed to offering cloud services and service features in the cloud. Cloud technology offers more flexibility in matching varied user needs than traditional technologies. That means that the cloud is definitely more than just a buzzword. It can truly help your business to become more flexible and efficient.
Author Bio:
Deney Dentel is the CEO at Nordisk Systems, Inc., a unified storage and cloud computing service provider company in Portland, OR. Deney is the only localized and authorized IBM business partner in Pacific Northwest.
