Opinion

posted on 31 March 2008 15:39

Virtualisation is currently one of the hottest topics in the technology industry. Many businesses and organisations have either started virtualisation projects or are at least considering their options in the virtualisation space. 

However, there are two key barriers for many organisations embarking on such projects: the perceived cost of server hardware and the resulting systems Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). It is generally understood that even though virtualisation allows a single server machine to run multiple virtual machines, the limiting factor can be the base hardware. It is not fair to expect an aging server machine to suddenly handle multiple virtual machines and applications effectively without consideration of upgrading at least one key element; system memory.

This is where the perceived cost barrier kicks in. A certain amount of server memory has to be in place if a company wants to have the optimum amount of virtual machines possible, and not having enough memory for this will obviously restrict the number that could be installed and the number of applications made available. This in turn would mean that the overall server performance would be affected if the server hardware is struggling. Although it could be said that a lack of memory for such projects can sometimes be down to improper planning, the real problem is related to cost. Or in fact, the perceived cost of implementation.

Upgrading a server with memory supplied by the server manufacturer can be very expensive. Due to the high cost of this OEM server memory, businesses often feel they are not able to purchase sufficient capacity to get the best from their virtualisation implementation – they ‘make do’ with what they have. We have certainly seen this trend among many of our customers, as well as the IT professionals and virtualisation industry partners we have spoken to.  These consultations have given us insight into the problems associated with implementing virtualisation projects. We estimate that memory is the limiting factor to adding more virtual machines into a host server in about 50 per cent of cases we have researched. The perception exists that memory for big brand servers is expensive; thankfully this is not necessarily the case.

For example, when looking at the differences between a leading server manufacturer and Kingston Technology memory prices this becomes immediately apparent. The distributor sales price (as of 03/03/08) for equivalent memory can have a price difference of as much as 32% in Kingston Technology’s favour. This could make a significant difference when it comes to a virtualisation project’s budget.  

It is no secret that well specified machines make for stable, highly efficient and productive servers. This same rule applies in the world of virtualisation. Also, ‘scalability’ is a word used often in the server world, but project leaders need to ensure it is used when considering virtualisation projects as well. Organisations still need to cater for future growth and change, and the systems TCO. It is inconvenient enough to have to take a production server off-line to upgrade. If a few systems are now running multiple virtual machines and applications,  that inconvenience is multiplied accordingly.
  
Memory is key to an efficient virtualisation platform and organisations should not be discouraged by a perceived cost.  They can easily benefit from the cost savings that can be achieved through using memory which is of the same standard, but is more affordable, therefore significantly reducing the total cost of virtualisation projects. This is particularly timely as heightened fears over the prospects of a recession are at the forefront of many businesses’ minds. CTOs and CIOs are looking to keep costs as low as possible while still trying to implement and upgrade key IT projects.  
 
Virtualisation can not only bring cost saving benefits to your business, but by upgrading your memory you can also utilise existing server hardware therefore maintaining a more environmentally and friendly IT infrastructure. The ability to keep costs down while increasing efficiency and reducing existing and future TCO continues to be of utmost importance in these changing times.

This opinion piece has been written by Steve Hall, Branded Product Marketing Manager EMEA, at Kingston Technology.

^{[Formatted by Chris Mellor.]}