Virtualisation for better IT performance

Virtualisation is transforming the way that IT systems work - and for good reason. It makes it possible to run higher workloads on one physical server, reducing your hardware requirements with no compromise on performance.

Through the use of VMware and Microsoft’s virtualisation products we can bring these benefits to your system:

Lower server hardware costs

It’s now possible to have one piece of hardware achieve the same as several servers. This lowers your hardware and energy costs, reduces your physical space requirements and lowers both heat and noise output.

Lower desktop hardware costs

With desktops running on a central server each user has less complex hardware requirements, so instead of having full-size PCS they can have smaller ‘thin client’ computers on their desks. These are cheaper to buy and easier and cheaper to maintain as they have no moving parts. They also create less noise and heat, and hold no data so security is improved and disaster recovery made easier.

Lower application costs

Instead of installing applications on your users’ PCs, virtualisation allows you to install them centrally and stream them down to people’s desktops. This reduces your maintenance costs because you have just one package to maintain and upgrade.

More application options

Virtualisation also gives you the ability to run more than one version of an application at the same time. If for example a user requires Microsoft Access 97 and Access 2003 it is difficult to get them to run happily alongside each other if they are both installed on the desktop. Application virtualisation avoids that as the application isn’t installed locally.

Easier licensing compliance

You can control which people use each program, so it’s easier to make sure you don’t operate outside the licensing restrictions.

Easier remote working

When an application is installed on one central server users access it by either loading a full desktop or clicking on an icon on the desktop and running the application. It looks as if it is running locally, but it is actually running on a remote server. This means that applications can follow users when they move to a different PC or even a different office, giving people greater flexibility about where they work.

Easier access to files

Virtualisation is ideal if you have applications that access files on the network, but which would be too slow to run across a VPN. Using virtualisation you can run them as if they were local, but they run on a server inside your office.

Millions of computer users are already benefitting from virtualisation. Virtualisation also saves time for the IT team (whether in-house or outsourced) when carrying out maintenance tasks such as backup, configuration, monitoring and maintenance. It also means you often avoid the downtime that is typically encountered when performing significant systems maintenance tasks. Please contact us to discuss how virtualisation could benefit your organisation.