Should Your Business Go Virtual?

The concept of virtual machines refers to the process of partitioning and providing various Operating System (OS) Technologies in a single Computer Processing Unit (CPU). For a business, this would mean that a single computer could run multiple OS platforms, allowing a company to run different types of computer programs that otherwise would not be compatible, and provide external access if an individual isn't in the office.

An example of a system's virtual machine in use would be a computer system that is running Windows 98 in one partition and UNIX and Windows 7 in others. This would allow the user to access older software products while staying current with leading technologies on the other partitions.

The VM environment

The environment within a virtual machine involves the CPU physical source, which includes the processor, memory and input/output (I/O) devices. This physical source allows users to allocate sources to create the abstract virtual machine. This virtual environment runs on the physical sources as a guest OS when selected. The system's virtual machine process splits the CPU into multiple OS systems.

Benefits

For business, virtual machines allow preferred but older software products to be used even though they are no longer compatible with newer OS systems. An example of this is the conversion from Windows XP to Vista. Many professional software products did not convert to Vista, so businesses were forced to purchase the same product again with Vista compatibility. In addition, certain peripherals, such as printers, had compatibility issues with Vista. With a virtual machine, a business could run Windows XP and Vista on the same CPU, eliminating this problem.

Another benefit of systems with virtual machines is the ability to work internationally without the compatibility issues inherent in the use of a domestic OS. This approach allows businesses to tune their work distribution to meet foreign delivery systems easily.

A virtual machine also offers users an extra line of defense against computer viruses. The current viruses can only affect the operating system that is running at the time of infection. The other operating systems remain undamaged. To assure protection against external threats, regular online backups should be maintained in order to protect computer data.

Virtual machines are excellent for traveling executives, telecommuters and salespeople in the field. With virtual machine desktops, workers can access sensitive information in a secure manner. Productivity is also affected by virtual machines since users can access their own familiar desktop anywhere.

Online backups

Virtual machines are an excellent and cost-effective way for businesses to expand the productivity of existing hardware into multiple environments. One aspect of using virtual machine technology that is often overlooked, however, is the need for efficient, regular and safe data backups. Online data backups are the most effective way to assure that data is backed up on a regular basis since many services offer various scheduling features, which allow businesses to perform backups at non-peak times.

In addition, when implementing virtual machines it is vital that existing CPU data is backed up prior to the implementation. This to insure that should the partitioning process fail, existing data is secure and can be reintroduced to the hardware.

References:

Virtual Machines and Pervasive Devices

White Paper: Distributed File System Support for Virtual Machines in Grid Computing

White Paper: Debugging operating systems with time-traveling virtual machines

White Paper: Distributed File System Support for Virtual Machines in Grid Computing