Cost Cutting Through Virtualization
By Ed Duncan, Consultant, SBSC, MCSE, MCSA
Hello, this month I want to discuss virtualization, a technology that is still relatively in its infancy, but is rapidly becoming a standard in the SMB market. It is no longer a technology employed by the large enterprises. Many companies in the SMB market across all industries are starting to see the value of utilizing this technology and are learning how to use it effectively to keep their IT costs down.
For those of you unfamiliar with virtualization, the name "virtual pc" or "virtual server" means exactly that. It is a server or pc that does not exist in the physical sense, but it operates and behaves as one. The technology was originally developed as a tool for programmers and software testers to allow them to build and test applications in various scenarios and on various platforms. Imagine you are a programmer and you have to write a program to run on Windows and Linux. In order to test your application you have to scrounge up two workstations and install the Windows and Linux OS's on both, then you have to install your program, and run your tests. Typically setting up a test environment like this can take a few hours to complete. Every time you make a major change to your application, you may have to tear down and rebuild both test computers again. (You can shave an hour or so by creating an image of both workstations, but imaging will be another topic for discussion at a later date.)
Now imagine the same scenario but this time we only need one computer. We are able to build 2 environments for Windows and Linux, and when we make a major change to the application, it doesn't take hours to rebuild the systems. We can rebuild them both in a few minutes and start testing our application again. Virtualization makes the second scenario possible. We are saving money by not having to buy another computer, and we are saving time by not spending hours rebuilding systems every time we make a change. So now we can test our application, work out the bugs, and get our product to market much quicker than before.
This is the same reasoning as to why virtualization is gaining ground in the business side. Let's take another practical example. You are the owner of a small printing company with about 30 employees. The company has several depts. for sales and marketing, art designers for projects, payroll and accounting, and hands to handle the printing presses. The sales team needs a CRM application. The art dept require a robust graphical art and design application. The press handlers need an application to handle orders and logistics, and accounting needs a payroll and accounting application. Before virtualization, your company would probably require four different servers to handle all of those tasks. Let's say a typical low end server costs about $1500. Multiply that by 4 and you're looking to spend about $6000. I haven't even factored in the costs for software licenses and hardware maintenance and support.
With virtualization, you're now looking at needing just one server to act as your host server (maybe two for redundancy). This server will need to be a little beefier since it will be running four production virtual servers, so it may cost you about $2500. You've just saved the company $3500 by implementing a virtual server solution, not to mention savings in your electric bill since you're not drawing as much power as you would from four separate servers.
Now I'm sure you're saying to yourself, "That sounds great, but what if there's a hardware problem with the host server? If the host goes down, all four of my virtual servers are down, so what good is that?" That's where the second redundant server comes in. Since the virtual server is actually a folder with configuration settings, you can move it to another host server of similar configuration. In fact VMWare, a market leader in virtual technology has a process called VMotion, where if an imminent problem is detected on one host server, and another host server is available, it can move the virtual servers from the problem host over to the second host server automatically, without users ever knowing that there is a problem. Microsoft is developing the same technology for their Hyper-V solution. Note: I did not discuss storage for the sake of keeping this article simple. How to use storage (Network Attached Storage (NAS) or Storage Area Network (SAN) with virtualization is another big discussion in itself and will not be covered here).
Virtualization is not just for servers. There are many uses for virtual desktops too. One use has to do with legacy and custom applications. As you are aware, when you purchase a new computer today it comes with a version of Windows Vista. (Although you can purchase XP downgrade from some vendors) If your company is using a business application that isn't supported on Vista, what are your options? They are limited at best. You can try running the application in Vista's Compatibility Mode which simulates and an older OS for the application. Your other option is to utilize a virtual desktop application like Virtual PC, which will allow you to build an older desktop OS within your Vista environment. Whenever you need to run that legacy or custom application, just start a virtual pc session and run the application within Vista. Virtual PC is a free download so you can't beat that for cost savings.
Another scenario may be one where computers are shared between many workers. Let's take for example a nurse working in a hospital. She is constantly on the move and may not have a dedicated computer, but she may be required to run certain applications during the day. Without an assigned workstation, how can she have access to all of her applications and files regardless where she happens to be in the hospital? Enterprise desktop virtualization solves this problem. An IT administrator builds a virtual desktop profile with all that applications she needs access to, saves it on a local server, and assigns her profile to it. Whenever she logs on to any computer on the network, her virtual desktop is loaded with all of her settings and applications, and she is able to work as if she is sitting in front of a dedicated workstation assigned to her. A company can save costs in this scenario by not having to purchase a computer for every individual employee. You can also cut costs by purchasing lower end desktop systems. Since the desktop environment is virtual you don't need to purchase a high end system to run it on. You can also save in support costs since the desktops are centralized in one location. If the nurse has a problem a tech does not have to be dispatched to her location (assuming it is not a hardware issue). The tech can resolve the problem by connecting to the server where the nurse's profile is located.
In this economy where companies are looking to save wherever possible, going virtual may be a great cost savings move.