What To Ask Before You Begin A Virtualization Project

Ready to begin a server virtualization project for your small business? Here are ten questions to ask before you get started.IT consultant Brian Posey has compiled his list based on real-world experience working with businesses engaged in server virtualization and consolidation projects. According to Posey, the top issues to consider include:

- Does a virtualization plan rely upon a single point of failure? A project that places all of its virtualizaed domain controllers on a single physical machine, for example, could have "catastrophic consequences."

- Will all of your company's applications run properly in a virtualized environment? Posey cites Microsoft Exchange as a key example; some versions of Exchange Server will run only on physical servers, while others require the use of a particular virtualization product.

- Which servers are the best candidates for virtualization? If some of your applications make intensive use of CPU or memory resources, or if they have unique hardware requirements, then it makes sense either to keep them running on dedicated physical servers or at least to take a "wait and see" attitude towards virtualizing them.

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Some of Posey's other questions concern domain controller placement, selecting the most suitable virtualization platform, and capacity planning issues. You can check out the entire list of questions, along with more details about how to answer them, here.