The lowdown on virtualization and the cloud
Virtualization and cloud computing are sometimes used interchangeably, and it's easy to see why people confuse the two. To set the record straight, virtualization is NOT cloud computing. But these two revolutionary technologies often overlap.
Virtualization
Imagine a company with five servers, each assigned a single task such as storage, email, etc. If one day there were a spike in email traffic, the email server might become overwhelmed, causing it to slow down. Adding another server would remedy the issue, but it would be expensive and inefficient on days with less traffic.
With virtualization software, you can combine the resources of all five of the servers in our example. So if the email server got bogged down, it could borrow resources from any of the other servers with extra capacity. The process is not as simple as it sounds, and businesses often turn to an experienced IT service provider to set up a virtualized environment.
Because virtualization software can be installed on a server in your office, it is totally independent of cloud technology. Sometimes, people misunderstand the difference because the vast majority of cloud solutions use virtualization to improve their services.
Cloud Computing
With cloud computing, users can edit documents, save files, and interact with apps that aren't actually on their computer. Instead, they access these items by connecting to a server via a network or internet connection. If your organization can get the information you need when you need it, you already gain a competitive edge.
To carry out its purpose, a cloud platform sometimes uses several virtualized servers to provide users with a simple system that appears to be all their own, even though it's actually shared with several other users and servers. There's no need to purchase additional servers, and you can also save valuable office space by not having to deploy bulky equipment in-house.
Obviously, scalability is critical in today’s ever-changing business conditions. What cloud computing does is make it easier to manage business tasks to maximize productivity. What's more, it helps streamline operations as more cloud services are integrated. Businesses don't have to worry about infrastructure maintenance because it is covered by the cloud service provider.
Virtualization and cloud computing are both economical technologies that small businesses should take advantage of. If you want to see what they can do for you, give our team of experts a call today!