Virtualization

Overview

Virtualization is a technique of running multiple virtual servers on a single physical server. This allows for better utilization of the hardware which lowers costs in many different ways. Virtualization also provides a better platform for creating backups and providing disaster recovery. Critical applications can easily be made redundant with virtualization. Virtual machines can even run legacy applications on new servers by having a virtual machine that runs an older version of an operating system (RedHat, 2008). Virtualization works by sharing the resources of the physical machine, known as the host, with the various virtual machines, known as the guests.