Once upon a time, IT management handled physical resources — servers in the server room and desktop workstations on customers' desks. But in many organizations today, there are more operating systems than machines. Thanks to the magic of virtualization, which adds an abstraction layer between the operating system and the physical machine, IT departments can enjoy. new efficiencies.
A single physical server can now do the work that used to require a handful of servers, thanks to using virtual machines to run multiple operating systems at the same time. And a desktop workstation can run an operating system that is hosted on a remote server, centralizing management and administration. But with new efficiencies come both new complications and new opportunities, both of which are influencing IT management as we enter the virtual machine era.
Virtual machine deployments are more likely to require IT managers to become facile with multiple operating systems. One of the great benefits of server virtualization is that you can stack the best tools available on shared hardware. For example, a server that is used to deliver Web content might need to support both Microsoft ASP and an open-source LAMP stack. Using virtualization, the one physical server can run both a copy of Windows Server and a copy of RedHat Linux at the same time, offering the best of both worlds. Supporting multiple operating systems will become a skillset increasingly valuable in IT management as virtualization hastens the deployment of heterogeneous environments.
Managing a strategy for backing up virtual machines also takes on new dimensions that will push IT managers to construct and deploy new backup solutions. For example, while it is possible to maintain the status quo of physical machines running backup jobs within each virtual machine, such a strategy could very well undermine the value of virtualization. Multiple simultaneous backup jobs could significantly reduce the idle time for each VM, impeding performance across the whole physical host. IT managers will need to learn new techniques and software for efficiently backing up virtual machines — like running host-based virtual machine image backups or building a dedicated backup server.
When virtual machines are used in the desktop environment, IT management can become significantly more centralized. Traditional desktop PCs with a locally installed OS (like Windows) and locally installed apps can consume a significant chunk of IT support resources. Everything from security patches to malware and software glitches demands individualized attention, often involving loss of productivity for both the IT support person and the workstation user. Desktop virtualization comes in several shapes and sizes, including:
- Local virtualization, where a canned virtual machine is run on a locally installed OS.
- Application streaming, where an application stored on a remote server is delivered on-demand to the workstation.
- Full-bore thin-client virtualization, where the entire OS and all applications run on a server whose GUI is transmitted to the remote workstation.
To varying degrees these all help centralize IT management, allowing IT to support, maintain and update one, many, or all workstations from a single location.
Any time centralization enters the picture, so does the potential for outsourcing. IT management itself will become more abstracted in the virtual machine era. For example, a midsized company whose resources run on virtual servers may not need its own IT department at all. Virtualization allows for the growth of remote IT departments, which may support the virtual resources for many different organizations. Likewise, in a larger enterprise, the IT department that is adept at virtualization could sell its own services to other organizations, becoming a revenue-generating arm of its parent company.
In sum, not only does virtualization allow more services to run on fewer physical hosts, but it also enables fewer IT managers to support more services.
For more information, see:
Is the IT Department as We Know It Obsolete?
How SaaS Is Changing the Face of Enterprise IT Support
Do You Know Where Your IT Assets Are?
        | 
 |
