Storage Technology Research Library

Enterprise virtualization has reached an inflection point. Capital investment savings from server consolidation are leveling off, and early gains in IT operational efficiency are increasingly at risk in rapidly growing and increasingly complex virtual infrastructures. Moreover, mission-critical business applications - the next virtualization frontier and the focus of most current initiatives - demand more predictable service levels and faster response times, further increasing the pressures on IT operations.

In order to maximize future investment returns, enterprises have no choice but to optimize the operating costs of virtualization. Taneja Group has identified a new category of management solutions now emerging to address this demand, which we have labeled Virtual Infrastructure Optimization (VIO). VIO solutions address multiple challenges created by virtualization,including rising data volumes and complexity, a lack of cross-domain visibility, shifting datacenter roles and responsibilities, and an accelerated rate of change.

In this profile we explore these challenges in more detail and review the key requirements for optimization solutions. We then introduce the Virtualization Management Maturity Model, an assessment and planning guide for achieving greater operational efficiency at any stage of virtualization. In this context, we examine in depth the features and benefits of Hyper9’s Virtualization Optimization Suite.