Myths and Misconceptions About Virtualization

You can barely turn in data recovery and IT circles these days without hearing the “V” word: Virtualization. But according to one industry-watcher, while virtualization holds a lot of promise for the enterprise, the difference between the ideal and reality is a pretty big chasm.

In an article on the ComputerWorld website, Amrit Williams offers his opinion on the top “myths, misconceptions, half-truths and outright lies about virtualization.” There is a lot of misinformation and there are many shady vendors out there, so it is important to know exactly what virtualization can and can’t do.

One of those myths, he says, is that virtualization will reduce complexity. “The reality is that all the security and systems management requirements currently facing enterprises today do not disappear simply because an OS is a guest within a virtual environment, in fact they increase,” he says.

Virtualization also doesn’t necessarily increase security, he adds. What it actually does is add another layer that needs to be managed and secured. And if you think it doesn’t require a specialization, think again. Not only will IT managers “need to understand, at least conceptually, the dynamics of systems and security management, but one will also need to understand the technical implementations of the various controls, the use and administration of the management tools, and of course follow what is a very dynamic evolution of technology in a rapidly changing market.”

Williams also says you can’t expect virtualization to save you any money today. It still requires an initial investment in time, resources, and planning to truly see the benefits.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.computerworlduk.com/community/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=2262&blogid=33