Virtualization: Try It, You May Like It

Companies invest in virtualization technology for a variety of reasons: it makes it possible to support different applications and operating systems on a single server, dynamically allocate resources where they're needed most, and reduce server head count in the process. It can free companies from having to migrate existing applications every time a new operating system is deployed, and vvirtual machines also can be used to develop and test software before deployment and provide a less-expensive way of backing up computers in emergencies. I recently spoke with Lukas Loesche, Director of IT Operations, at arvato mobile GmbH (a Bertelsmann company), Europe's leading mobile entertainment provider. The company began exploring server virtualization a couple of years ago, moving from an open source solution to a commercial offering, SWSoft's Virtuozzo; the demands of development and maintenance for the company's growing virtualized environment dictated the switch, as arvato required a clear road map and support. What's the verdict now? "Virtualization is better than we expected it to be," says Loesche. To find out more about arvato's implementation, and what lessons you might draw from it, give a listen to this podcast.

Music "Over The Open Ocean," Courtesy Digital Riffs Music, under Creative Commons License.