At one point or another, many small businesses need to upgrade their technology to operate as efficiently as possible. There comes a time when they may ask the questions “what is virtualization? Does my business need it? Is it different from cloud computing?” This blog will answer them.
What is Virtualization?
“What is virtualization?” is a question we hear often at TCI Technologies.
Virtualization refers to software that allows one physical piece of hardware to run multiple computing environments. In other words, virtualization basically allows your business to run several servers or networks for the price of one.
What is Cloud Computing?
As PCMag says, cloud computing means “storing and accessing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer’s hard drive.” In this case, “cloud” is just a fancy word for internet.
What’s the Difference?
Though the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, virtualization and cloud computing are not the same thing. Cloud computing is an umbrella term that envelopes all of the applications and computing resources available on the internet, virtualization being one of them.
5 Benefits of Virtualization for Small Businesses
1. Scalability
Growing businesses may need to expand beyond one server. Virtualization allows you to turn one server into several, or vice versa, without much effort.
2. Cost-Friendly
The simple scalability of virtualization also proves to be extremely cost-effective. Rather than spending a fortune on a new server every time your business hits a growth period, just virtualize additional servers with your existing hardware.
Migrating physical servers to virtual ones also saves energy. Even if you’re not an environmentalist, that’s still great news for you. More money saved!
3. Better Backup
Unfortunately for businesses, disasters happen. Whether it’s a malware infection that locks you out of your files or a force of nature that causes physical damage to your data center, you’ve got to be able to recover quickly.
A virtualized server is remarkably easy to back up in case of emergency. This increases the success rate of IT disaster recovery programs, and decreases the downtime of your servers.
4. Business Continuity
Your business’ employees may work remotely at times, whether from home or on a business trip. They’ll be able to access a virtualized server from anywhere in order to complete their work correctly.
5. Closer to the Cloud
More and more businesses are opting to go full-blown cloud with their technology operations for many reasons, including improved efficiency and better cybersecurity. Once you’re used to virtualized software, you’re on step closer to migrating all of your operations to the cloud.
Now that the question “what is virtualization?” has been answered, you can better determine if it’s right for your business. As the cloud grows increasingly popular, TCI Technologies strongly recommends you virtualize your operations as soon as possible.
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