Infrastructure Provisioning: Virtualization
The infrastructure of your business is a finely tuned, intricate system that has been fashioned to fit the needs of your employees and customers. As digital platforms continue to gain momentum and shift the landscape of how infrastructures are provisioned and managed, many businesses are adopting cloud computing as the foundation for their operations. Making large-scale changes to your infrastructure can seem daunting and as complex as the infrastructure itself, but Microsoft Azure helps make the transition to cloud computing as smooth as possible for your business.
Microsoft Azure is a collection of integrated services designed to help your business build, deploy, and manage applications and services virtually through Microsoft’s network of global data centers. We are now going to take a look at one of the most essential elements of cloud integration—virtualization—to discover how the infrastructure of your business can benefit from adding Microsoft Azure.
What is virtualization?
In the blockbuster sci-fi film series, The Matrix, protagonist Neo enters a simulated reality indistinguishable from the “real” world, and it is his ability to accept The Matrix as an illusion which allows him to ultimately realize his destiny as “The One” to lead humanity’s resistance against the machine uprising.
Now you might be asking yourself what a film series about war between man and machine has to do with Microsoft Azure’s cloud computing service. Imagine the Azure cloud as a simulated reality, comparable to The Matrix, which has the ability to tap into your conscious mind, also known as the infrastructure of your business, to perform services you never thought possible in the “real” world. The only difference is that Azure is not an illusion— it’s “The One” true cloud computing service that will take your business infrastructure to new heights—and it all starts with virtualization.
In the most basic sense of the word, virtualization is simply the creation of a virtual presence as opposed to one that has physical form. When it comes to cloud computing, virtualization’s main function is to convert various components of pre-established physical infrastructures into virtual form, which will then be separated into single or multiple environments. The separation of the environments gives your business the ability to simultaneously run multiple operating systems and applications. All of this is made possible by a virtual machine—technology designed to imitate the architecture of a physical computer. Virtual machines provide functionality without the need for a physical computer.
What can virtualization do for my business?
As if having the ability to seamlessly organize and move the infrastructure of your business to virtual form while maintaining the integrity of its physical form, but with more even capabilities, were not enough, Azure virtualization provides a number of benefits that will improve the way your business operates.
Azure’s virtual machines allow you to choose your language, workload, and operating systems. Whether you’re running on Windows Server, Linux, SAP, or something similar, Azure’s open-source software configuration lets you set the rules. This gives your business the flexibility it needs to virtualize resources such as development and testing, running applications, and expanding data centers. Azure also gives users the choice to run systems on-premises, in the cloud, or both, as well as options to customize or use pre-configured virtual machine imaging.
With Azure’s pay-per-minute billing, you never have to worry about wasting money on unused resources. By only paying for the time you compute, your business will significantly cut unnecessary IT costs. Another way Azure can help you save money on cost is through scaling—a feature which gives your business the ability to measure demand and adjust the number of operating virtual machine instances accordingly. Having access to world-class compute performance and cloud scalability allows your business to get more done—and in less time.
Last, but certainly not least, are the measures of security and compliance Azure upholds for the safely of your data. Azure offers users security features such as virus and malware protection for virtual machines, secure network traffic, and assistance with encrypting sensitive material. With Azure, you also never have to worry about manual system updates, as its service comes standard with maintaining necessary regulation and compliance requirements.
If you are interested in learning more about how virtualization can improve the configuration, deployment, and management of your system resources, let’s set up a time to chat about your needs, goals, and how Azure can help you get there faster.
