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Microsoft's Big Push Into Virtualization
By Bob Violino
Microsoft continues to push into the virtualization space in a big way.
In February, the company launched Windows Server 2008. The new operating system includes Windows Server Hyper-V, a server technology that lets organizations run more than one operating system at the same time on a single server.
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"Virtualization is a key enabler of making IT more dynamic, from the desktop to the data center," says Patrick O'Rourke, group product manager for the Redmond, Wash., company. "When we talk to customers about making IT more dynamic, it's about delivering the right computing resources to people anytime and anywhere, and creating an IT environment that is more efficient, flexible and cost-effective. Virtualization is one underlying technology that makes it easier to get computing resources to people and computers."
In January, Microsoft announced it had acquired Calista Technologies, a provider of graphics technologies for next-generation desktop and presentation virtualization systems, for an undisclosed amount. These virtualization systems allow companies to provide secure applications to remote desktop users as a service. They enable organizations to run applications in one facility and control them from a different, centralized location.
But new product such as Window Server Hyper-V and the takeover of Calista just top an ever-growing list of virtualization in a number of product areas, including applications, desktop computing, storage and networking. Those offerings include:
- Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2, an operating system that provides multiple virtual machines that can each support its own guest operating system, including Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000, Windows NT 4.0, and other Windows versions. Virtual Server features a browser-based tool to manage virtual machines.
- Windows Storage Server 2003 R2, a dedicated file and print server based on Windows Server 2003 that supports heterogeneous file serving as well as backup and replication of stored data. Microsoft says Storage Server can be used to consolidate multiple file servers onto a single system.
- Virtual PC, which allows organizations to run legacy applications and applications not compatible with the desktop operating system by executing multiple operating systems on a single desktop.
- Microsoft System Center, which enables organizations to manage entire virtual and physical infrastructures using a set of tools. These include System Center Virtual Machine Manager, software for virtualized data centers that enables fast server provisioning and centralized management of virtual machines; System Center Operations Manager, which provides monitoring of thousands of servers, applications and clients; System Center Configuration Manager, software that's designed to simplify system deployment, task automation, compliance management and policy-based security management; and System Center Data Protection Manager, which enables users to easily recover data by delivering continuous data protection for application and file servers.
Kroll Factual Data, a Loveland, Colo., provider of business information to mortgage lenders, consumer lenders and property management firms, began using Microsoft virtualization products early in their development and has been adopting new versions as they have come out, says Christopher Steffen, principal technical architect at Kroll.
The firm is now participating in the Hyper-V TAP Technology Adoption Program, and has about 1,500 virtual machines deployed using Virtual Server 2005 R2, Steffen says. Microsoft's virtualization pricing and deployment strategy, as well as its efforts to make products compatible with other vendor offerings, indicates its commitment to virtualization, Steffen says.
O'Rourke says there's room for growth in the virtualization business. "With approximately 10% of servers currently using virtualization technology, and less than 1% of desktops, virtualization is still very much an emerging technology," he says.
And Microsoft sees virtualization as a key technology for the next decade.
"Advances in software, devices and networks are transforming the way companies streamline communications, automate processes and enable employees to access the information and capabilities they need to respond to new opportunities," O'Rourke says. "Overall, we are taking a comprehensive approach to virtualization because it's fundamentally part of the desktop and data center infrastructure."
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