Server Consolidation & Virtualization

One of the key wish list for any organization is to improve service levels, enhance flexibility, simplify management and yet keep costs low. The key mantra to achieve all of these is use of technologies around Consolidation and Virtualization.

Server Consolidation and Virtualization is an approach to the efficient usage of computer server resources in order to reduce the total number of servers, reduce complexity and make IT management simpler. You can also reduce electricity used to power and cool these systems and save on floor space in your data center. The practice developed in response to the problem of server sprawl, a situation in which multiple, under-utilized servers take up more space and consume more resources than can be justified by their workload.

One of the physical approaches to server consolidation is the use of blade servers to maximize the efficient use of space. Although consolidation can substantially increase the efficient use of server resources, it may also result in complex configurations of data, applications, and servers that can be confusing for the average user to contend with. To alleviate this problem, server virtualization may be used to mask the details of server resources from users while optimizing resource sharing.