by Eric Johnson

Network virtualization is more than just a technology – it’s becoming essential for anyone that manages large servers or data centers. Virtualization technologies have been around for quite some time, traditionally providing faster and more efficient processes for storage, servers and the desktop. However when it comes to complete network virtualization, the process and technology is a bit more complex. In fact, elements of the public sector have actually led innovative thinking around network virtualization for several years. It is only now that the private and commercial markets are starting to also show strategic interest and invest in the technologies.

During this adoption cycle, it is important to focus on providing guidance to those most impacted by these developments in networking technology – the IT department. Network virtualization along with methods such as software-defined networking (SDN) and protocols like OpenFlow are still misunderstood by most. By considering the basic tenets of network virtualization, it can be easy to sort out the realities of the technology versus the hype.

by Jim K. Thomas

According to a recently conducted survey of small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) by Aberdeen Research, 69 percent of the respondents are reported to have implemented virtualization technology into their server environments. As virtualization becomes a normal element of a networked environment, more administrators are using virtual machines for instant recovery. The use of virtualized servers is increasing for several reasons; the most significant being budgetary. Virtual servers are a cost-effective alternative to purchasing new hardware.

But exactly how does virtualization fit in with a disaster recovery plan? Virtualizing tier-1 applications amplifies the critical nature of building in quick recovery of virtual machines (VMs). With little tolerance for application downtime, businesses need assurance that their data will be quickly available in the event of hardware failure.

Interestingly enough, in a 2010 data protection survey performed by VMware, IT Administrators report backing up only 68 percent of their virtual environments. The biggest reasons given for this gap were costs of hardware, software and complexity of the process. There is software available in the marketplace that simplifies the backup process for virtual environments. By implementing image-based backup software for servers, backups can be scheduled for different configurations: physical-to-virtual (P2V), V2V and V2P, and P2P. By scheduling operations to be performed on a regular basis, your data is protected at all times. The benefit is that you can restore a server instantly to a VM and there is no need for fail-over hardware to sit idle gathering dust.