In our ongoing effort to make IT understandable and accessible to everyone, we’re going to give a brief but thorough rundown of virtual servers – what they are, how they work, why virtualization is beneficial and whether virtual servers are right for your business. Ready to get started? Let’s jump right in.
Whereas traditional servers were physical machines that ran one operating system, a virtual host is a physical machine that contains multiple separate “software containers”, each of which runs its own operating system. These software containers are the virtual servers. Each of these isolated virtual machines believes that it is a separate physical computer and behaves accordingly. Programs can’t tell the difference between physical and virtual machines, and neither can operating systems or other machines.
The main use of virtual servers for small businesses is to allow multiple owners (either business units within a company or different companies altogether) to have their own separate, secure server that they administer. Each business function (i.e. webserver, database server, application server, etc) can have a virtual server running on the physical machine with which to power their own domain name, IP address, applications and file directories. Larger businesses may use virtual servers to consolidate multiple physical machines to a single physical machine running virtual machines.
The main benefits of virtualization are resource allocation control, physical hardware redundancy, and better testing environments. These all combine to create a more efficient use of existing resources, whether in the physical infrastructure or the human resources managing the virtual pool, and therefore directly translate to a lower TCO. How many times have you had a server that was overbuilt due to the software vendor’s recommendations? With a virtual server, you can simply add or reduce the resources such as CPU, Ram, and/or disk space from a virtual server that doesn’t need those resources and have them available for where you do need them. With most virtual platforms, you can “move” a virtual server live from one “virtual host” to another. The virtual server doesn’t even know it was moved from one host to another. This allows you to manage hardware maintenance without suffering the typical required downtime. Also, virtual servers make great test environments. You can isolate a virtual server from the rest of your network and test new internal applications and software without the risk of a blind, company-wide rollout.
YES! Almost all businesses will benefit in one way or another by using virtual servers. There are some specific questions that need to be addressed with every business individually before making the move to virtual servers. Though there are benefits, it’s possible a virtual server isn’t right for your company. The best way to find to out is to talk with a certified IT professional who can advise you on the best server solution for your situation. Then you can make an educated, informed decision about whether virtual servers are right and the best implementation strategy for your company.
The average cost of a data breach in the United States is $8.64 million, which is the highest in the world, while the most expensive sector for data breach costs is the healthcare industry, with an average of $7.13 million (IBM).
40% of businesses will incorporate the anywhere operations model to accommodate the physical and digital experiences of both customers and employees (Techvera).
It takes an average of 287 days for security teams to identify and contain a data breach, according to the “Cost of a Data Breach 2021” report released by IBM and Ponemon Institute.
Forty-three percent of attacks are aimed at SMBs, but only 14% are prepared to defend themselves (Accenture).
The internal team was energized. With the Level 1 work off its plate, the team turned its attention to the work that fueled company growth and gave them job satisfaction.
The three sectors with the biggest spending on cybersecurity are banking, manufacturing, and the central/federal government, accounting for 30% of overall spending (IDC).
More than 33 billion records will be stolen by cybercriminals by 2023, an increase of 175% from 2018.
The cost of cybercrime is predicted to hit $10.5 trillion by 2025, according to the latest version of the Cisco/Cybersecurity Ventures “2022 Cybersecurity Almanac.”.
We did a proof of concept that met every requirement that our customer might have. In fact, we saw a substantial improvement.
We did everything that we needed to do, financially speaking. We got our invoices out to customers, we deposited checks, all the things we needed to do to keep our business running, and our customers had no idea about the tragedy. It didn’t impact them at all.
“We believe our success is due to the strength of our team, the breadth of our services, our flexibility in responding to clients, and our focus on strategic support.”