A virtual server provides easier server management for fast-paced workloads for IT teams. Gone are the days of only having the option to run physical servers, limited floorspace, and difficult disaster recovery. Virtual servers now offer companies various options to manage their infrastructure, thanks to 21st-century innovations.
Dive deeper into what a virtual server is, how it works, the differences between physical machines and virtual, and the benefits of virtual servers for your business.
What is a Virtual Server for Business Exactly?
A virtual server provides more control over computing resources and a cost-effective alternative to historic infrastructure. They’re located in an off-site data center or cloud environment. Once housed in a single physical server, information becomes multiple virtual machines (VMs). Virtual servers share processing power among several users and share server resources.
Examples of virtual machines include Linux, VMware Workstation, Windows Virtual PC, Oracle VM Server, and Microsoft Azure.
What is a Virtual Server Used For?
Virtual servers have several use cases to support organizations running different operating systems and applications with the right resources and processing power. They use the internet to make data and files accessible for business functions remotely.
How Does a Virtual Server Work?
A virtual server recreates a physical server’s functionality and sits as a partitioned space inside it. They are also virtual CPUs (vCPU) or virtual processors. A physical central processing unit (CPU) pairs with each virtual machine (VM).
More site owners can take advantage of complete control with different web service configurations, and software developers can test new apps without taking processing power from others.
What is Server Virtualization?
Virtual servers process requests coming from computers within a specific network. They are dedicated servers focusing on several tasks and applications from a single cloud. Physical servers can be split among multiple virtual servers. Virtualization technology replaces the need to use one server per task.
Three Types of Server Virtualization
Full virtualization: Uses a hypervisor to monitor a physical server’s resources and separate virtual servers according to the apps they are running so that they aren’t aware of what’s happening in other virtual servers and can increase focus and processing power.
Paravirtualization: The entire network of servers works together cohesively and knows what other servers are doing. The hypervisor doesn’t need the same processing power to manage it all.
OS-level virtualization: There is no hypervisor in use; virtual capabilities are part of a physical server and complete similar functions but require all virtual servers to run on the same operating system.
What is the Difference Between a Physical Server and a Virtual Server?
We’ve talked quite a bit about how virtual servers replace physical servers, but what’s the most significant difference? Below, you’ll get clarity on why businesses turn to virtual servers to keep their operations growing with long-term goals.
Cost: Virtual servers prevent the costly on-premise infrastructure costs that physical servers can cause organizations to pay, and their lower energy use can support further savings from electric bills.
Environmental impact: Virtual servers require little space in the data centers that house them as opposed to physical servers that take up a fair amount of real estate on-premise and need server hardware installation and disposal that can damage the server environment.
Portability: Virtual servers make moving hardware around simple and complete in minutes, unlike physical hardware that can’t be done online and often requires workloads to be moved one at a time and with hands-on labor.
Scalability: Virtual servers have fewer servers and much more flexibility to expand capabilities as a business scales. Physical servers require you to purchase and install a new server for every operating system you need.
Security: Virtual servers take advantage of their hypervisor layer, which centralizes security and data management online. Physical servers make it challenging to manage security and implement a protocol to keep everything safe.
Recovery: Virtual servers can recover data in emergencies entirely online with a much shorter downtime than physical servers that require hardware replacement to retrieve information and are not as reliable because of that.
What’s the Difference Between Virtual Servers and the Cloud?
Cloud services are similar to virtual servers but aren’t the same. Cloud computing is characterized by on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. The cloud model comprises of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).
Virtual servers are one aspect of technology that enable cloud computing and rely on some of the same principles and models. They extract many uses from a single resource, while cloud computing makes a single group of resources available to admins. Virtual servers use hypervisors to separate physical resources from virtual environments and can independently run off a web hosting machine.
Virtual Servers for Business Success
The benefits of virtual servers help businesses extend their existing infrastructure capabilities, which can lead to more efficient automation and technology optimization for long-term planning. Primarily when operations rely on a complex system of applications and IT infrastructure, virtual servers add a layer of peace of mind for leaders and executives.
It also helps bolster trust and transparency with customers who want to know their information is safe, and they can rely on applications to deliver despite emergencies, breaches, or disasters. Business continuity depends on virtualization software in today’s modern age of technology-based businesses.
Virtual Server Hosting with STEADfast IT
Choosing the best virtual server provider for your business can give you a long runway of possibility and establish a strong foundation for your growth trajectory. STEADfast IT is a full-service technology management and support company specializing in supporting enterprises with distributed offices and remote workforces.
Our virtual server hosting helps to reduce your physical infrastructure costs, develop VPN connections and virtual desktops, streamline servers and optimize IT infrastructure, improve operational flexibility and responsiveness, increase application availability, improve business continuity, and enhance manageability and security.
Services we Provide:
Similar Posts:
What Does IT Support Service Mean?
Why Do you Need a Business Phone System?
What is the Difference Between Speed and Bandwidth?
Why Should Your Business Move to the Cloud?
What is Spear Phishing in Cyber Security?
In-House vs Managed It Support
What is Cloud Service for Business?
Why is Data Security Important for Business?