Although today’s computer hardware is incredibly powerful, due to the complexities of application infrastructures, the majority of businesses suffer from a general under utilisation of equipment. Server virtualisation addresses this issue by removing the boundaries between hardware and software. By allowing multiple operating systems to run on a single device, greatly improved economies of scale are delivered and as a result, substantial cost savings can be seen.

One of the most costly aspects of any IT system is software application management, i.e. the packaging, deploying, upgrading and maintaining of software assets. Application virtualisation enables companies to deliver software which is isolated from both the operating system and from other applications, completely removing system conflicts. This improves the stability of systems, enhances productivity and dramatically reduces application upgrade times.

Used effectively, Virtualisation increases the flexibility and scalability of key business applications, consolidates hardware requirements and improves systems administration. By improving both the agility and stability of the infrastructure, reductions in hardware and application deployment costs of up to 50% are not unusual.