We're at a point where
server virtualization is really becoming pervasive. I've seen very few technologies have the kind of impact that server virtualization is having on the market today, and I see no end in sight. Everybody is adopting server virtualization regardless of geography or company size, so it's a very important issue. And server virtualization actually drives people to take storage that was otherwise internal or direct attached and network it. It doesn't make much sense to keep storage inside servers with a lot of virtual servers on them. It's like owning a TV but only watching DVDs and foregoing cable, you just lose a lot of the value.
Server virtualization allows users to put every server on the
SAN [storage area network]. For example, you can move images around to any server platform, you can replicate and load balance between servers, do upgrades and so on. We're hearing more users talk about server virtualization with
NAS [network attached storage], and if you're a NAS shop, it makes tremendous sense. We see the adoption of server virtualization expanding in NAS environments.
Check out the entire NAS FAQ guide.
18 Jul 2007