Have you ever wondered how your computer or smartphone can juggle so many tasks at once? Virtualization is a key technology that makes this possible. Virtualization allows a single server to create multiple virtual machines, each of which can run its own operating system and applications. This allows businesses to get more out of their hardware, streamline IT management, and enhance performance.
Virtualization is essential to the tech world today, and it continues to evolve and shape the operational strategies of businesses and data centers alike. Here are some of the top virtualization trends to watch out for:
The rise of Kubernetes
Kubernetes, often abbreviated as K8s, is an open-source container orchestration platform designed to manage the deployment, scaling, and operation of application containers. It also offers remarkable advantages for virtualized environments, including the ability to optimize performance, improve resource management, and streamline operations. By abstracting the underlying infrastructure, Kubernetes ensures that applications run consistently across various contexts, including virtual machines (VMs). This uniformity is highly valuable in virtualization, where maintaining application performance and portability is crucial.
Running Kubernetes on physical servers can be faster than running it on VMs, but supply chain challenges in 2022 have made this approach challenging to adopt. Because of this, many organizations are now using cloud services such as AWS EKS Anywhere, Azure Arc, GCP's Anthos, and VMware Tanzu to manage Kubernetes clusters across different cloud providers and on-premises environments (i.e., hybrid environments). Despite the challenges, more and more organizations (94%) are using Kubernetes in virtualized environments.
Prioritizing security
Virtualization has traditionally been used to optimize performance among servers and CPUs, but cybersecurity has become increasingly important since 2022 due to the rise of remote and flexible work and the growing threat of cyberattacks.
Organizations are responding to these changes by implementing new security measures in server virtualization, such as extended detection and response, secure access service edge, and zero trust platforms. These innovative tools offer greater protection against data breaches and other cyberthreats.
Virtual data, desktops, and networks
Organizations are expanding their virtualization strategies beyond servers to include data, desktops, and networks. As businesses increasingly rely on data for growth and development, virtualization offers a powerful way to extract valuable insights from data while streamlining and consolidating one’s data resources. Desktop virtualization, on the other hand, allows organizations to manage their IT assets in a more secure, efficient, and cost-effective manner. It also helps to easily enforce regulatory policies per user.
Moreover, network virtualization has become increasingly popular as more companies adopt a cloud-first policy, which allows workers to access cloud-based services and applications from anywhere, at any time. This demand has led to the replication of legacy IT architectures in the cloud, which has given rise to network virtualization technologies such as network element virtualization, network function virtualization, and software-defined wide area networks. These solutions have enabled organizations to create more agile, efficient, and flexible network systems.
Data-driven application mobility
Traditionally, computers and data needed to be together in the same physical location to achieve optimal performance. This was a logistical challenge, compounded by the sheer volume of data and advancements in computing power. However, virtualization has enabled organizations to bring applications to data, giving them newfound control over data location and application agility. This means that instead of moving data to a separate location where an application is traditionally hosted, systems are designed and implemented to allow applications to run where the data is stored.
With data generation expanding by the day and the rising need for real-time processing and analytics, it can be much more efficient to move computing processes closer to the data source. This shift not only streamlines data accessibility but also revolutionizes the way companies orchestrate their storage and infrastructure strategies.
Looking to learn more about virtualization and its benefits? Consult one of our IT experts at Kortek Solutions for further details and discover flexible virtualization solutions best suited to your business needs.