Virtualisation: Don't be fooled!

An influx of providers offering so called 'Virtualisation' services is leading to market confusion for many companies, according to managed IT services provider IT Lab.

Too many believe they are getting brilliant cost saving advantages by hosting virtually, but the reality is that most providers are still using dedicated physical hardware that ends up costing the customer far more!

Dom Monkhouse, managing director, IT Lab, explains: "Virtualisation is all about letting one server do the job of multiple servers, by sharing the resources of a single physical server across multiple environments. This reduces the need to buy more hardware, and enables one physical machine to run several different operating systems.

"Unfortunately, recent announcements in the press by ISPs and hosting providers are muddying the water. They are offering hardware redundancy and high availability for free as a result of virtualisation. The reality, in most cases, is that this 'virtualisation' is based on dedicated physical hardware. This is not virtualisation!

In fact, the customer will have to pay twice for two redundant servers to get one truly redundant virtual machine. Other ISP's are offering the choice between hybrid virtual and physical hosted environments. This, again, is not virtualisation! It's supposed to free clients from hardware, not mean they have to buy more!

"Virtualisation not only lets you host multiple operating systems, virtual servers and virtual desktops, it lets you host multiple applications both locally and further afield, freeing you from physical and geographical limitations. In the current economic climate, financial savings are essential. But, it's time ISP's stopped making up services in order to appear 'cutting edge' and actually developed a service that fits the exact needs of their customers.

Is Going Green Really More Cost Efficient?

Yes, is the answer. In a recent poll conducted by Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. and the only provider of Services Oriented Storage Solutions, an astounding 83% of the respondents stated that going green results in cost-savings, while 17% believed that that green measures are not necessarily cost efficient.

The online poll was conducted in conjunction with the ongoing Hitachi Data Systems IT Inspiration Awards that recognize and reward the best in technology deployment from across the Asia Pacific region. Open to all members of the public the awards website (www.hds.com/apac/itia) features snap polls on issues concerning the storage industry today, the results of which provide insights on the industry.

The frequently visited website has attracted the attention of a cross-section of IT professionals across the Asia-Pacific, and over 1000 votes have been received from them for the shortlisted nominations, so far. The award categories reflect the changes sweeping into technology industry today and also honours the best CIO in the region and in each participating country.

The issue of adopting green measures in the IT Industry is an ongoing topic of discussion. Hu Yoshida, VP and CTO, Hitachi Data Systems estimates that storage hardware accounts for approximately 25% of all power consumed in the data center. There is a clear environmental impact of the growing data burden and inefficient storage management and systems and cutting back on storage's power consumption can lower energy bills significantly resulting in cost savings.

"As environmental issues continue to escalate IT budget discussions, impact data center designs, and shape corporate social responsibility, there needs to be a closer linkage between the IT department and facilities planning. The IT manager has traditionally been focused on scalability and performance when making his purchasing decision leaving the facilities manager to worry about space and energy requirements. Organizations need to take a holistic approach and carefully examine how every facet of their data center can play a role in improving their environmental impact—and lowering escalating power consumption levels" said Natarajan Viswanathan, Vice President and Managing Director, India, Hitachi Data Systems.

Hitachi Data Systems, along with Hitachi, Ltd. has enjoyed a long history and proven track record for supplying environmentally friendly storage solutions to companies worldwide—a legacy that spans from the supply chain through to the manufacturing process. Hitachi Data Systems offers an eco-friendly and socially responsible approach to managing the explosive growth of data by providing customers with technologies and services that help them implement more environmentally friendly and cost effective storage solutions. For more information on Hitachi Data Systems green storage, please visit http://www.hds.com/green.

Hitachi Data Systems Asia Pacific IT Inspiration Awards 2008

The contest was initiated in August 2008 to recognize, honor and celebrate enterprises who have achieved outstanding success with Hitachi Data Systems solutions. Entries meeting the eligibility criteria will be judged by a panel of qualified judges from Hitachi Data Systems, IDC and Gartner. The award finalists are posted on the IT Inspiration Award Website and public voting for the winners in each category started on Tuesday, 9 September, 2008 and will close on October 17, 2008.

Based upon the results of public voting and the judging panel, the award recipients will be announced on November 6, 2008 at the IT Inspiration Awards Prize Presentation Ceremony at Cebu, Philippines held in conjunction with the Hitachi Data Systems APAC CIO Summit themed 'Inspire and Innovate – Best Practices for Managing the Explosive Growth of Data to Yield Business Results.