Types of Virtualization in Cloud Computing

Companies of all sizes endorse virtualization as a means of cutting IT expenses, improving security and increasing operational efficiency. Even while people are already informed of the benefits, when it comes to the various types of virtualization, others are still in the dark.

While virtualization has its origins since the early 1960s, it gained enormous popularity between 2003-2010. It contributes to the evolution of the latest technologies trend, such as the cloud computing data centers. Moreover, virtualization technology has been responsible to a certain extent for planting the seeds for cloud technology.

Here are some prominent benefits of virtualization:

Flexible and efficient resource allocation.

Pay per IT infrastructure use on demand.

Improve development productivity.

Reduce IT infrastructure costs.

Allow multiple operating system processes.

Fast scalability and remote access.

Disaster recovery management

Now, we’ll show you some of the most popular types of virtualization and how they can be a game-changer for your business.

Application virtualization

This is a process where applications such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets are virtualized and delivered from a server to the end user’s device. So instead of logging into their workplace computers, users will be able to access the application directly from their device, provided there is an Internet connection. This is especially popular with businesses that need on-the-go use of their applications.

A remote application must run on a server, and some type of remote display protocol is used by the client to connect back to the client machine. Knowing that a vast number of system administrators and users have remote running experience, setting up remote displays for applications can be reasonably straightforward.

You may run one copy of the application on the server with a streaming application, and then have access to other client desktops, and run the streaming application locally. The update process becomes simpler while streaming the application, as you only set up another streaming application with the latest edition and have the end users refer to the application’s new version.

Server Virtualization

Virtualization of the server allows multiple virtual machines to function on one physical server. The virtual servers share the physical server resources, which contributes to optimal utilization of the resources of the physical servers. The resources the virtual machines share are CPU, storage, memory, and networking. All these tools are made available to the virtual machines via the physical hypervisor server.

The hypervisor is the physical box operating system and software. The virtual machine runs on the same box, independent of other virtual machines. Virtual machines can have differing modes of operation and are separated from one another.

The server virtualization is a means to combine applications that used to operate on separate physical servers, and now functions on the same physical server defined by virtual machines with the hypervisor software.

Desktop Virtualization

Desktop virtualization helps the operating environment of the users to be stored centrally in the data center on a server. It allows the user to access their desktop directly from different machines from any location. Those who use specific operating systems apart from Windows Server require a virtual desktop. Key benefits of desktop virtualization are device mobility, functionality, updates and patches and simple software installation management.

Storage Virtualization

The process of grouping physical storage using software to represent what appears to be a single storage unit in a virtual environment is Storage Virtualization. Variables can be generated between storage virtualization and standard virtual machines, as both take and abstract access to physical hardware and resources.

A traditional virtual machine and a virtual storage are different from each other. The virtual machine is a series of files, while on the storage controller, which is created using software, virtual storage usually runs in memory.

For several years, a form of virtualization of storage has been implemented into the storage features. Features including Snapshots and RAID take and display physical disks in a virtual format. Such features may include a format to help with the performance or add resilience to the storage that is provided as a volume to the host.

Vendors of the storage array also implemented storage virtualization of their respective arrays within the operating system. This kind of virtualization of storage is called virtualization of the internal storage. Additionally, Veritas and several other storage vendors implement the external storage virtualization.

Hardware Virtualization

It is probably the most common type of virtualization nowadays; a virtual machine manager (VM) called the “hypervisor” makes hardware virtualization viable. The hypervisor produces virtual versions of computers and operating systems and consolidates them into one massive physical server, allowing for more efficient utilization of all hardware resources. Also, it helps users to run multiple operating systems concurrently on the same machine.