In a bid to increase the uptake of virtualisation software, Microsoft has recently relaxed their licensing rules.
Virtualisation is designed to consolidate a company’s existing servers into one larger server, saving money on power costs and reducing work load for technical staff. For larger companies the process should offer a fairly quick return on investment, yet uptake so far has been slower than some people think.
Microsoft expects that to change in the very near future and the relaxation of licensing laws is the first part of their strategy. “Virtualisation is moving out of the early adoption stage, and into the stage when implementation will take off,” explained Neil Sanderson, product manager at Microsoft.So how much could you save from this technology? Well that really depends on the size of your business. For any large business the long terms benefits are likely to make virtualisation a cost effective solution. However smaller businesses will need to undertake a cost benefit analysis to establish when they should make the transition. Those companies that are already considering an upgrade in technology would be prime candidates, but in theory nearly all companies should benefit in the long run.
Quorum have recently completed a virtualisation upgrade for a major client in the UK, who quickly recognised the benefits. Charles Scott, technical director at Quorum noted, “The decision to take our client down the virtualisation route was very straightforward. The savings our client will realise could be significant”. It seems virtualisation is here to stay. The question now appears to be, when should you make the transition?
