Virtualization Isn’t for Everyone

It’s now been a week since CA came out with the news that 44 percent of companies attempting virtualization deployments were “unable to declare [them] a success.” So what’s a virtualization advocate to make of all this?

First off, many of the organizations that were “unable” to rule on the success of their projects simply couldn’t quantify their ROI or performance. That doesn’t mean the project failed; it means they couldn’t measure the results.

Second, many projects encounter trouble because they haven’t been adequately prepared for. Some teams buy loads of high-dollar equipment and software without first doing the research necessary to get the most out of the technology. Others get talked into major purchases by vendors who care less about satisfying individual customer demands than hitting their quarterly revenue goals. Bob Plankers at The Lone Sysadmin relates several instances in which teams got in too deep, too quickly, and were understandably struggling to salvage their virtualization projects. His advice: “Get it working well on a small scale, and then you’ll know what you need to be successful on a large one.”

Bill Ellmore at TechRepublic details some of the situations that are ripest for virtualization: software testing, of course; resource-light workstations; and disaster recovery.

ClearCube sees enormous opportunities in desktop virtualization. Here we’re not just talking about underutilized workstations. We’re talking about recreating the desktop on multiple access devices, including mobile devices, workforce-wide. We’re talking about delivering the traditional PC user experience on a fraction of the hardware while actually enhancing security and manageability.

So yes, virtualization isn’t for everyone. It requires a certain level of commitment — of time, money, and resources — that not every business can (or should) provide. But for those who do commit, the rewards can be great.