Typical utilisation levels for most server systems are, in practice, less than 20 percent. In other words, most of the time the servers are doing nothing which, in turn, means that much of the investment is being effectively wasted.

Virtualisation is a group of technologies that offer a number of different options, either individual or working together, that break the traditional cycle of the IT function needing at least one server to run one application, with each application being considered a complete and separate entity in its own right.

Virtualisation provides an alternative approach that can reduce the level of infrastructure investment required over the long haul, significantly increase the utilisation of the resources invested in, and greatly improve the flexibility and agility of a business in reacting to changes in the marketplace. It breaks the cycle of one server/one application by creating a resource pool of servers which, under the control of suitable management software, can be assigned to run applications as required.

These Guidelines looks at what Virtualisation is, the management and operational factors involved, the business issues surrounding it, understanding the limiting factors and the technical and operations key issues.

NCC Members have free access to these Guidelines on the NCC Membership website.