Virtualization - like so many other technologies that have traveled the path from cutting-edge innovation to ubiquitous deployment - is now within reach for companies of almost any size. But small to medium-size businesses (SMBs) looking to adopt virtualization technologies still struggle in determining the proper approach. With so many virtualization options available, how should an SMB choose? And is it even necessary for SMBs to virtualize their infrastructures? There are, of course, benefits and drawbacks to any technology acquisition, but virtualization presents a level of flexibility, return on investment (ROI) and low risk that SMBs cannot afford to ignore.

The Many Benefits of Virtualization
By now, perhaps, many large companies can recite from memory the catalog of virtualization's benefits. These have certainly been discussed by sizable enterprises for some time. What has been less frequently discussed until recently is that these advantages are now in reach for smaller businesses, as well.

First, let's talk cost. Virtualization technologies increase the utilization of servers and storage, running the IT infrastructure more efficiently and at a lower cost. There is also a related spending reduction in the simplified management and maintenance requirements of the virtualized environment. Virtualization allows organizations to reduce (planned) downtime by relocating workloads before systems undergo planned maintenance or upgrades. Migrating virtual servers and desktops between physical platforms increases the speed of provisioning without impacting users.

In addition, virtualization improves availability and disaster recovery (DR), both essential to the SMB, but often mistakenly sacrificed due to cost concerns. In actuality, organizations can use virtualization to run fewer systems at the DR site. The virtual workloads and recovery can be done on dissimilar hardware, significantly reducing cost.

Virtualization Challenges for SMBs
Despite its many uncontested benefits, virtualization still presents a few challenges to SMBs. The first is the requirement of shared storage. Before virtual servers and virtual desktops can freely move between different hardware platforms, they must have common access to shared storage. They rely on shared storage to transfer the running state of workloads between physical servers. This is generally accomplished by replacing direct-attached disks with storage area networks (SANs) that interconnect to multiple servers.

SMBs also must consider the risks of putting all their eggs in one virtual basket. Whereas storage disruptions and slowdowns in physical servers are usually isolated to a single server or a single application, they are far more crippling in the virtual world. Any bottlenecks or single points of failure in a centralized SAN ripple across the entire set of interconnected servers and potentially hundreds of virtual servers and thousands of desktops.

Finally, SMBs, more than their larger counterparts, must remain vigilant about unforeseen project costs. When organizations launch server or desktop virtualization projects, they are often surprised to find that there is a significant upfront investment required in project management costs and in building the required shared storage infrastructure. Often, these additional costs stem from the higher availability and performance requirements of centralized operations, particularly when they entail replacing existing, direct-attach disks with new, high-end storage devices and separately priced SAN features.

Six Elements SMBs Should Look for When Considering Virtualization

1. Evaluate true cost of acquisition carefully: Some hardware vendors offer cheap versions of the different components used in comprehensive virtualization infrastructures. Building a virtualization solution by assembling low-end pieces of equipment only creates a complex infrastructure that is ultimately too expensive and not scalable.
2. Choose a solution specifically designed for SMBs: Modular virtualization solutions require the integration of many new technologies into the IT infrastructure. Those technologies are often designed for large datacenters and are simply overkill for a smaller organization's needs.
3. Seek out the ability to remove shared storage-related dependencies: Instead of ripping out and replacing hardware, the ability to repurpose existing hardware can save SMBs a large portion of their virtualization budgets. Select storage virtualization software that lets you construct virtual SANs using internal disks in each physical server. The software should be capable of turning a pair of existing servers into a dedicated, highly available and high-performance SAN.
4. SMBs need fully integrated and scalable virtualization solutions: Go with a virtualization solution that does not require any hardware other than standard servers and is based on the same operating system family as the virtualized servers (e.g., Microsoft Windows and Hyper-V). Select a solution that allows you to start small and scale easily as the organization grows (e.g., by enabling the addition of servers and storage to the infrastructure). The ideal solution for SMBs should be one that is quick to set up, easy to maintain, minimizes the number of heterogeneous, multi-vendor software and hardware required and should not necessitate a parallel environment to manage it.
5. A SMB-appropriate virtualization solution should simplify your environment: Not all virtualization solutions are the same, and not one virtualization solution fits all types of environments, so look at solutions that are easy to implement, require little training and optimize the use of resources already in place. When it comes to virtualization for the SMB, it is imperative to find a solution designed for the reality of the smaller environment.
6. High availability is a minimum requirement when implementing virtualization: No matter how fault tolerant your servers and storage subsystems may be, if you only have a single copy of the most current data, you are at risk for data loss. SMBs need to address the risk of data loss by looking at solutions that provide continuous real-time replication to ensure data is available at all times, regardless of the type of failure.

Finding the right virtualization solution, like buying any other technology, can be a bit overwhelming. With so many options available, SMBs must approach selection with a clear understanding of their own needs and environments, and a careful eye on what vendors offer. In today's market, SMBs can certainly reap the benefits of virtualization and avoid the drawbacks. The key is selecting a solution that directly addresses the specific needs of the SMB.