Networks today are central to business, and virtualizing your network represents an important opportunity to get a competitive edge. Enterprise applications, voice over IP, video conferencing, and other services can all be streamlined to operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. Virtualization is already here, and it’s breaking our technology free from physical devices.
What is a virtual network?
A virtual computer network utilizes virtual network links between computing devices rather than a physical connection. By relying on designations of logical rather than physical space, a virtual network can operate independently of the hardware it’s running on. Wikipedia helps explain network virtualization with a listing of the components that can be combined in a virtual system:
● Network hardware, such as switches and network adapters
● Elements such as firewalls and load balancers
● Networks, such as virtual LANs (VLANs), and containers such as virtual machines (VMs)
● Storage devices
● Machine-to-machine elements, such as telecommunications devices
● Mobile elements, such as laptop computers, tablet computers, and smart phones
● Media, such as Ethernet and Fibre Channel
Efficient Centralized Management
With a virtual network, geographically-distributed devices can be managed and coordinated from a single central interface. When systems are virtual instead of physical, there’s no need to travel for updates or system migrations. Dozens of physical servers or hundreds of physical desktops can be managed from a central location—all the more important where remote employees need to share a network even though they’re at different physical locations.
Simplified Disaster Recovery
Network virtualization also makes backup and recovery simpler than ever. Backup is quick and efficient with data snapshots, while virtualized networks can reroute or failover automatically to prevent disruptions in the case of crashes, breaches, or disasters. Without relying on a particular physical hardware, systems can be recovered and moved from one machine to another with ease.
Minimized Equipment Needs
The old model of networks consisted of one server per application. Today, however, multiple “virtual machines” can run on a single device. With fewer physical hosts, switches, and links, a company can save thousands of dollars each year in reduced administrative, maintenance, power, storage, and capital costs. As the Economist raves, “With virtualization, functions can still remain separate and separately managed, but operate on less hardware, with greater flexibility.”
Transitioning to a virtual network can substantially streamline operations in today’s globally-connected economy. To learn what virtualization can do for your company, contact Braden Business Systems today. We provide a range of IT Services for businesses throughout Central Indiana including Indianapolis, Beach Grove, Carmel, Fisher, Nobleville, Greenwood, Plainfield and More!