6/16/2551

VMware and Total Cost of Server Ownership

Today, most IT departments are required to reduce expenses and run with greater efficiency, even while managing a multitude of servers, keeping end users content, and administering a full network daily. For companies that need to control the cost of administration and reduce server sprawl, virtualization is rapidly becoming a key resource. Additionally, opportunities to leverage hardware for redundancy exist, maximizing system uptime. When consolidating physical systems within the data center using a virtual infrastructure, enterprises experience higher server utilization, increased operational efficiency, and a lower total cost of ownership.

VMware can reduce the total cost of server ownership by consolidating workloads. As today's servers tend to be powerful but underutilized, a typical server runs at 15% processor utilization and 30% memory. VMware is able to leverage available resources to let multiple operating systems run on a single server. Businesses can now install new, virtual servers to existing hardware instead of adding new servers to an environment. This helps to maximize your hardware investment.

Virtualization changes the total cost of ownership with quick installation and provisioning. Since several virtual servers can run on one piece of hardware, adding an additional server doesn't require provisioning, which eliminates the need to spend time ordering, scoping and configuring a new one. In just a few hours, a new virtual server can be fully installed, as compared to the two weeks estimated for a standard server.

Total cost of ownership is also impacted via a reduction in server administration workload. A regular server administrator needs to check the server logs and hardware status consistently. With VMware, about 60-90% of this work is eliminated, reducing the time necessary to support server infrastructure properly. The time saved can be valuable, particularly at a business with a large number of servers.

VMware helps reduce downtime, lower disaster planning recovery costs, and allow a quick recovery from failure. VMware is essential for companies that rely on data availability, as this tool manages risk and ensures that required resources are ready. In a regular data disaster, long or failed recovery efforts are common, and equipment often needs to be replaced or repaired. Similarly, the systems then need to be reinstalled and reconfigured. A VMware system can help with a fast recovery and assist long-term survival, as the virtual servers can be backed up on yet another server. If these servers are physically damaged, the virtual servers can be restored from backups and placed onto other hardware with sufficient speed and power. VMware is able to reduce the cost of data disaster recovery planning, as recovery sites can be made virtual, reducing the capital expense. Hardware agnosticism and VMware's single-step file recovery lower the amount of time needed to recover from a disaster scenario.

VMware is able to greatly reduce the overall cost of server ownership, reducing business risks - particularly when leveraged properly in a particular server environment.

Nick Pegley is a marketing expert with All Covered: Technology Services Partner for Small Business, providing information technology consulting and IT services in 20 major U.S. metro areas. Outsource your procurement, installation and technical headaches.

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