Virtualization seems to be a forgotten technology with all the industry and trade buzz surrounding "cloud computing". While we try to grasp the significance of the "cloud", let's not forget how Virtualization can play a key role in recovering from server related failures.
Protecting servers with Virtualization provides what I call the "unexpected benefits" of disaster recover. Think about it. Most businesses rely on servers to perform the bulk of their business processing like accounting, customer relations and to run business specific software applications. Virtualization is generally thought of as a way to maximize the use of physical server resources rather than a way to improve business continuity options.
When a server fails, the traditional approach to restoring it goes something like this:
1. Fix the existing server or replace it with one that is the same
2. Install the same operating system
3. Install your backup software
4. Restore the operating system from the backup software to the point of your last backup
5. Restore applications
6. Restore application specific data
Even for the most experienced, this can be a daunting and time consuming task. What if you could simplify the restoration process and realize the "unintended benefits" through Virtualization.
Instead of following the 6 steps of traditional recovery as outlined above Virtualization allows you to perform a single restore of 1 file that encapsulates the entire process.
Virtualization eliminates your reliance on hardware and provides a single restoration point that in minutes replaces the failed system with a virtual replica that can be placed on any server in your organization --regardless of hardware manufacturer.
Virtualization simplify the restore process, eliminates hardware dependence and thorough technologies like block level replication allows you to virtually eliminate backup windows.
So the next time you think of Virtualization, don't just think about utilizing existing server resources more efficiently --think about the "unexpected benefits" of Virtualization.