Support 
Benefits of Server Virtualisation
Server virtualisation has been around for decades. What was once a novel idea now is a highly popularised means of boosting efficiency in the modern workforce – from small or mid-sized businesses to international companies alike.
Server virtualisation made its grounding initially in the mid-1960s when IBM introduced what was known as ‘time-sharing’. Time-sharing involved running multiple virtual machines (VM) on a single server – with its hardware resources shared throughout. This paved the way for newer forms of virtualised servers to take hold; A few decades later in the early 2000s, VMWare created a virtualised server to run Windows Operating Systems and Linux side by side on the same server.
Fast forward to today, server virtualisation has grown immensely both in popularity and functionality – and for good reason.
As experts in cloud technology and virtualised servers, our team here at Cloud Servers Australia wanted to share a few of the key points and benefits of server virtualisation – helping you understand how it can benefit and bolster your business’ workflow and processes.
Find out below more about what server virtualisation involves and its wide array of useful benefits your business can take advantage of!
What is Server Virtualisation?
Server virtualisation involves creating a software-based or ‘virtual’ version of a physical server. This means the physical server’s resources can be shared virtually and even spread across multiple virtual machines (VM).
What is a Virtual Machine (VM)?
Take virtual machines as ‘virtual’ representations of physical computer systems. Each virtual machine has its own operating system and applications. A virtualised physical server can host multiple virtual machines – each with different operating systems and software running, giving you flexibility to buy one server and run many different operating systems.
Virtual machines are virtualised using software, these servers become known as a ‘hypervisor’.
What is a Hypervisor?
A hypervisor is a critical aspect of server virtualisation. A hypervisor is essentially a thin layer of software that allows different VMs (with various operating systems) to run on the same physical server and share resources online. Hypervisors are what allows a physical server’s resources be shared amongst other virtual machines.
Benefits of Server Virtualisation
The benefits and advantages of using virtualised servers extend far and wide. Here are just a few of the top benefits of server virtualisation below:
Reduced IT Expenses & Cost Savings
Server virtualisation allows a single server to be used more efficiently. Rather than having one server for one application, it can be used to satisfy a range of uses. Therefore, there’s less need to buy multiple physical servers – fewer physical servers allow you to cut down on hardware costs, cooling costs, money spent on hardware resources and more.
Boosted Efficiency & Productivity
Faster servers will inevitably enhance work productivity and efficiency. Employees and users will enjoy less downtime or idle time, and be able to quickly access and use their operating system or applications with ease. Server consolidation can also be done to allow all your applications to be used on a single server (if possible) rather than sprawled across multiple servers that are not needed.
Seamless DevOps Testing & Backups
Virtual servers are great for developers as they can be easily created, deployed, and taken down where needed. This is especially useful for creating development environments where testing may be required for a short amount of time. You can also easily duplicate environments for backups without any consequence in downtime or operations. For instance, if there is new software that you’d like to use, you can create a development environment to run the test with the software to check for smooth performance, then transfer it across when done.
Fast Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery
If you ever encounter a situation where a server may have been corrupted and needs to be restored, virtualised give you the flexibility to quickly restore your virtual machine to either the same or another hypervisor. This ensures that you experience little to no downtime even when disaster strikes.
Less Physical Space Needed
Often to run multiple operating systems in a non-virtualised environment, you would need many physical servers. However, in doing this the cost becomes exorbitant. Running one physical server with virtualised software will give you far more efficiency and the flexibility to scale and grow when needed.
Flexible Resources – Downgrading & Upscaling
Virtualised servers offer flexibility in down/upgrading resources. You can scale up or adjust resources such as CPU, storage, memory, and more depending on your business’ needs. Plus, this means you’re only needing to invest in the resources you absolutely need – no more and no less.
Isolation & Enhanced Security
Virtualised servers – whether in cloud computing or virtual private servers (VPS) – are partitioned and isolated in ways so that in the event of a cybersecurity breach on a certain virtual machine, it can be immediately isolated and won’t spread across to the rest of the network. Virtual servers also give you more flexibility to increase to a higher level of security and reliability.
Run Multiple OS Systems & Applications
From Windows OS to Mac, Linux and more, virtual servers allow multiple Operating Systems and applications to run under the same server(s). This means you and your employees can enjoy the best of a wide variety of OSes without limitation.
Green Friendly Benefits
Virtual servers help reduce energy costs by not having multiple, large and unnecessary amounts of physical servers onsite to manage. This not only cuts down on costs for your company but also reduces your data centre footprint.
Easier Management
Virtual servers allow a centralised point where all applications, server hardware, network resources, storage resources, can all be reviewed and managed efficiently. This simplifies the process and can save time and money all at once.
Virtualise Servers for Limitless Business Growth & Success
With the right cloud hosting provider, you can enjoy all the benefits of virtualised servers for your company. From virtual private servers (VPS) to dedicated and cloud computing technology, we can help virtualise your server for peak productivity, performance, and efficiency.
Cloud Servers Australia is a leading hosting provider in Australia & New Zealand, with reliable local onshore data centres. Just a few of our many proud partners include CISCO, Equinix, cPanel, Microsoft Azure, and more.
Find out how we can help your business thrive with our virtualised servers today! Call 1300 074 267 or Contact Us online.
