An Introduction to Virtualization

Conclusion

Virtualization should never be seen as a simple solution to a specific problem; that is the main idea we have been trying to convey. It is a principle, a technology that is applicable in a very large range of different solutions. It is also a buzzword to get cash flowing nowadays, and is heralded by a lot of companies as "the next best thing in IT".

The purpose of this article is to make clear that we believe the current wave of virtualization will in fact make very big changes in datacenters as we know them, but also that it is not some new "holy grail of IT" and has always been a part of it in some way. It's important not to get carried away by all the recent hype surrounding the subject, but to understand each technology's purpose and how to make use of them in the most efficient way possible.

We hope our series of articles has helped or will help those readers who are looking into really understanding what virtualization is all about, giving them a solid base to fall back on in future decisions. It has certainly been a very interesting couple of months at our lab - learning and teaching about virtualization - and we don't doubt many more interesting virtualization technologies will grab our interest. Having spent quite some time focusing on the business side of virtualization, though, it will be interesting to check out the ways it is applicable in desktop situations, so look forward to either some blogs or an article on that in the future!