The Virtualization Current

Virtualization isn’t new. You’re no longer cutting edge if you’ve virtualized your servers. In fact, even the smallest clients are now virtualizing their 3-4 servers to gain quick benefits in terms of redundancy, disaster recovery, and reduced hardware costs. And while server virtualization is the most common initiative, a quick review of a recent InfoWeek survey gives some insight into the different types of virtualization underway in organizations:

(InfoWeek survey of 500 IT professionals)

None of these results are particularly surprising, but what we did find interesting was that in a follow up question, “How many of you have actually gotten to where you want to be with virtualization?”, the answer was 0%.

Virtualization is a disruptive technology on many levels; not only can it dramatically reduce your overall cost of computing, but it also forces organizations to reassess how they operate and view the technology lifecycle.

For example, the traditional server always had a lifecycle that was tied to the hardware itself. When a server was up for replacement, or unexpectedly died, the organization would typically reassess its role and the specific applications and services it provided. Virtualized servers never die, often perpetuating bad applications or systems that would leverage the machine’s age to force a review. We expect products that help manage these types of operational impacts to be a major focus this year.

Desktop Virtualization Gains Major Traction

This will also be the year for more mainstream review (if not adoption) of desktop virtualization. Much of this impetus revolves around the upcoming release of the next version of ESX from VMware. The targeted improvements in storage, offline activity, and multimedia support may be the major breakthroughs needed to move desktop virtualization forward.

Regardless of the final features released, we see application virtualization continuing its strong growth this year. Last year we saw a wide range of organizations look at this technology as a way to control costs and make the “more difficult” applications easier to manage; basically packaging up a complex application and turning it into a single executable which can be streamed out with a virtual infrastructure. This is a core pain point of IT—the application can be poorly written or a bear, it doesn’t matter—if it’s central to your business, you still have to get it up and running and keep it running.

The Green IT Movement

When you look at “going green” you need to mix equal parts of optimism and skepticism. Is Green really just an environmentally friendly way to justify ROI investment, or is it truly rethinking technology’s impact on the environment. It’s actually a little bit of both.

We just finished up working on a Green IT survey for InformationWeek which found that Green IT initiatives were largely ROI-driven. (Technical benefit was #2, environment #3, and compliance mandates following at #4.) But the survey also found that by and large people (a full 72%) believe that the importance we place on Green IT will continue to strengthen over next couple of years. This strengthening will be bolstered by a growing trend of government regulations and mandates, particularly when it comes to e-waste, energy efficiency, and sustainable manufacturing of technology gear.

E-Waste is the term applied to any old technology gear that’s thrown out. While it only accounts for <2% of the U.S. trash, it accounts for 20% of the mercury in U.S. landfills. Most states have implemented regulations and expect this to expand and become stricter this year.

Energy Efficiency has been one of the core focuses for the Green IT movement. In fact, almost all green initiatives have some level of energy savings as its root ROI, whether it’s virtualization or printer management. The government has been working for several years to try and create some standardized ratings for servers and data centers, giving organizations a reference point for improvement and (potentially) a measuring point for taxes, fines, or additional charges.

Lastly, you can expect the government to continue its focus on purchasing more environmentally friendly technology products. As one of the largest purchasers of technology in the U.S., it has a very powerful influence over manufacturers.

In 2008, the Bush administration mandated that all federal purchases be EPEAT rated. Surprisingly this requirement was rapidly implemented throughout the federal government, setting the stage for them to require additional controls (such as sustainable manufacturing processes) from vendors. This will present a challenge to technology manufacturers who are already working with tight margins in a down economy.

Cloud Computing Breaks Out

Cloud computing has been around for a long time. In fact, the airline industry has worked on a Seas/Cloud model for more than 35 years. The advances in web technologies as well as in the maturity of the products and services offered have made this an option almost every organization should consider.

This year, cloud computing will no longer be an either/or issue. Anytime you’re looking at a new application, the option for using a cloud vendor should be an integral part of the review. Make sure to include questions on their security model, the integration tools available, and the support process.

We see cloud storage having a break out year in 2009. Cloud storage is very viable as a tier 3, rough storage, or for back up archiving. You can expect to see some major releases from traditional storage vendors this year creating direct links to the various cloud storage vendors.

Conclusion

This will be a very interesting year for technology development. There’s definitely some great new wow products coming out, like more SSD drives. However, any new investment will be put within the context of the broader budget. When you look at investments in technology, a wise investment can provide a boost to your organization’s productivity and mission, helping to drive your group forward.

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