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Virtualization costs licensing and support issues

• 5 common virtualization problems and how to solve them

  Organizations can correct common problems with virtualization, such as VM sprawl and network congestion, through business policies rather than purchasing additional technology. Continue Reading

• Compare the top 5 bare-metal hypervisors

  Hypervisors such as VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix Hypervisor, RHV and Oracle VM Server for x86 provide value to enterprise-level data centers in different ways. Continue Reading

• When legacy Windows OS won't play nice with your hypervisor

  Try these troubleshooting options if you need to run an unsupported version of Windows as a guest OS on your VM. Continue Reading

• More than just a bill: Chargeback policy politics

  Attaching real costs to computing may reduce VM sprawl and yield cost savings for businesses, but can be unpopular among business units. Continue Reading

• Do more with less using these virtualization cost-saving approaches

  There are a lot of benefits virtualization provides, but taking a closer look at licensing, hardware and electricity could save you money. Continue Reading

• Three tips for negotiating the best hypervisor software deal

  Don't simply renew your hypervisor software licenses without shopping around. Use these negotiation tips to save money and get some on your next deal.Continue Reading

• Even a small business can take advantage of virtualization

  There are many virtualization success stories among large companies, but with more low cost options, even an SMB can take advantage of virtualization.Continue Reading

• The smart shopper's guide to virtualization and cloud management tools

  Choosing virtualization and cloud management tools should not be taken lightly. So, what's the most important factor to consider?Continue Reading

• Meeting long-term business goals, avoiding seagull consultants

  Many customers see consultants as greedy salespeople, but it's still possible to work together toward your long-term business goals.Continue Reading

• IT budget planning in the face of an eventual cloud migration

  A lot goes into a cloud migration strategy. IT budget planning -- for today's infrastructure as well as for cloud computing -- has to be part of it.Continue Reading

• How to calculate proper Windows Server 2012 virtualization licensing

  Licensing virtual servers can get confusing and expensive. Brien Posey shares the ins and outs of server licensing with a Windows Server 2012 example.Continue Reading

• Is a fully virtualized infrastructure a good idea for your business?

  Years ago, experts asked whether a fully virtualized infrastructure was even possible. That debate is settled, but is 100% virtualization a good idea?Continue Reading

• Was it smart for VMware to undo vSphere pricing changes and kill vRAM?

  VMware changed vSphere pricing again, but was that the right move? Our Advisory Board dissects the controversial vRAM pricing model.Continue Reading

• Putting the hypervisor market into perspective

  The hypervisor market constantly grows and changes, but don’t let that overwhelm you. Knowledge is power when it comes to virtualization decisions.Continue Reading

• What are your biggest virtualization challenges?

  Virtualization challenges are inherent to any deployment. If licensing, capacity planning and vendor bashing really grinds your gears, you’re not alone.Continue Reading

• Virtualization power management: How to save money and the Earth

  Virtualization power management is yet another way a hypervisor can help cut costs to achieve maximum ROI, with the added bonus of saving the Earth.Continue Reading

• Virtual data center decisions: Should you go 100% virtual?

  Our advisory board members offer their opinions on going 100% virtual, a pressing virtual data center decision now that hypervisors are more powerful.Continue Reading

• Ten easy ways to extend virtual host resources on the cheap

  Virtual host resources are the lifeblood a virtualization project. Finding ways to extend them will promote growth, even during lean budgetary times.Continue Reading

• Debunking virtualization and ROI calculation myths

  Contrary to popular belief, virtualization does not always guarantee a positive ROI calculation. Deconstructing common myths will help organizations separate fact from fiction.Continue Reading

• Calculating virtualization ROI using unconventional factors

  Calculating ROI for a virtual data center is a tricky endeavor. For a true assessment, you’ll need to include several, unconventional metrics.Continue Reading

• Shops seeking VMware alternatives face management problems

  As the search for cost savings leads more VMware shops to Hyper-V and XenServer, IT pros learn that multi-hypervisor management is a tough nut to crack.Continue Reading

• Virtualization technology licensing FAQ: Hyper-V, VMware licensing

  When you virtualize, don’t forget to follow the rules. Understand the virtualization technology licensing requirements for your platform and more.Continue Reading

• Virtualization platform pioneering: Hyper-V licensing for VMware admins

  If you're a VMware admin who wants to use Microsoft's virtualization platform, you need to understand Hyper-V licensing first.Continue Reading

• Virtualization moving to cloud computing pricing models: Is IT ready?

  With vSphere 5, VMware adopted usage-based, cloud computing pricing models. But these new virtualization licensing models may not fit in all IT shops.Continue Reading

• VSphere 5 licensing furor calms down, but problems remain

  Most users now realize that the new VMware vSphere 5 licensing model will be about the same price-wise, but it will affect how they use some beneficial features in vSphere.Continue Reading

• Storage space savers: Tiered storage, consolidation, data deduplication

  Sometimes, virtualization storage just needs its space. You can save space with tiered storage, data deduplication and storage consolidation.Continue Reading

• Pros and cons of iSCSI storage networking in virtual infrastructures

  ISCSI provides simplicity for virtualization storage networking, but iSCSI performance, network design, security and cost can present challenges.Continue Reading

• Business application development through the crystal ball

  The future of application development in virtual infrastructures may not bring standardization, but it’s never too early for business application updates.Continue Reading

• Software licensing models need to get with the times

  Our advisory board has a message for application vendors: Your software licensing models aren’t good for virtualization, and they need to change.Continue Reading

• Business application development in a virtual infrastructure

  Virtualization may increase your need for business application updates, but it can also make application development easier. First, decide whether to use third-party development.Continue Reading

• The future of software licenses in a virtual world

  Software licenses just want to fit in. But in virtual infrastructures, software licensing has an increasingly confusing role to play as vendors come out with new licensing methods.Continue Reading

• Software license agreements aren’t made to be broken

  Software license agreements get foggy when virtualization enters the picture. Many violations are only discovered by accident, but that can be avoided if departments work together.Continue Reading

• Software licensing challenges: How virtualization obscures CPU usage

  When it comes to software licensing, virtualization changes the game. It’s more difficult to pinpoint processors and ensure that you purchase the right number of software licenses.Continue Reading

• Four ways to reap the benefits of virtualization through budgeting

  Budgeting is critical to virtualization success. To get the best cost savings and enjoy the benefits of virtualization, plan your budget for the hypervisor, hardware and more.Continue Reading

• Virtualization storage pros and cons: Shared storage and beyond

  Storage takes on a whole new meaning when virtualization comes into the picture. Shared storage allows you to consolidate resources and provides centralized management.Continue Reading

• 2010's top 10 server virtualization tips

  Reminisce about the year's best server virtualization tips in our Top 10 list. The most popular tips of 2010 covered VMware licensing, Hyper-V advice for VMware experts and more.Continue Reading

• Per-processor licensing model cuts virtualization costs

  You can save money by virtualizing, and the Windows Server licensing model cuts even more costs because it doesn't limit the amount of operating systems or type of hypervisor.Continue Reading

• Application support policies hinder virtualization

  Some software vendors have restrictive application support policies to keep customers from virtualizing on competitors' platforms -- not because the technology won't work.Continue Reading

• Virtualization cost savings: Labor and maintenance

  Virtualizing your infrastructure can save money on labor and server lifecycle maintenance. With fewer physical servers, there's less to provision, monitor and maintain manually.Continue Reading

• Open source virtualization software: Cost considerations

  Enterprise-ready open source virtualization software comes with a cost. With this breakdown, you can determine the most complete option for your environment at the best price.Continue Reading

• How Microsoft Windows Server licensing works in Hyper-V environments

  Microsoft Windows Server licensing is complicated by Hyper-V. But smart IT architects know how to use Microsoft's licensing policies to their advantage.Continue Reading

• How to calculate ROI and TCO for virtualization projects

  Finding out how to calculate ROI and TCO can be a challenge with virtualization projects. Depend more on your ROI calculations and less on vendors' virtualization ROI calculators.Continue Reading

• Hidden virtualization costs: Hardware upgrades, security and more

  Network and storage hardware upgrades, security products and training are some of the hidden virtualization costs that can throw off your TCO/ROI calculations.Continue Reading

• Virtualization costs include software, hardware and labor

  Virtualization software, hardware and labor will all affect your TCO and ROI calculations. Consider them all to get a true picture of your virtualization costs.Continue Reading

• Virtualize Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 with these five tips

  Before you virtualize Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, make sure you take support and server consolidation ratios into account.Continue Reading

• Virtualizing SQL Server: Four questions to ask first

  Before virtualizing SQL Server, have you addressed SQL Server support on virtual machines and available hardware resources? This tip outlines four key considerations.Continue Reading

• Five virtualization sprawl warning signs

  Quickly provisioning virtual machines can create virtualization sprawl. Here are five VM sprawl warning signs that may signal bigger virtualization infrastructure problems.Continue Reading

• Hypervisor pricing and licensing comparison guide

  When choosing the best hypervisor, a pricing and licensing comparison is a must. VMware, Microsoft and Citrix all offer different prices and hypervisor licensing policies.Continue Reading

• The top four Hyper-V virtualization problems that plague admins

  While Microsoft's Hyper-V R2 has made great strides, some problems still plague admins. Here are four issues with Hyper-V that continue to plague virtualization administrators.Continue Reading

• Citrix XenServer and Essentials licensing, pricing explained

  Citrix Systems prices, licenses and supports XenServer differently from VMware's pricing method for vSphere and Microsoft's for Hyper-V.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Hyper-V R2 pricing, licensing explained

  To manage Microsoft's Hyper-V, users need to buy System Center and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (VMM). Here we are Hyper-V licensing and pricing options.Continue Reading

• How to make Hyper-V server virtualization licensing work for you

  The different options for Microsoft Hyper-V licensing and some real-world examples can demonstrate the savings needed to gain management approval of virtualization.Continue Reading

• Using Diskshadow for backing up Hyper-V workloads

  For virtual machine backups, you can save on Windows Server 2008 costs with Diskshadow, an alternative to Hyper-V's Volume Shadow Copy Service.Continue Reading

• Sizing the right hardware for high-availability Hyper-V clusters

  Because of RAM limits, Hyper-V clusters need multiple hosts as well as powerful servers so that virtualized environments don't waste space and can fail over if a host goes down.Continue Reading

• Using Windows Server Backup for Hyper-V workloads

  For virtual machine backups, there are free and low-cost alternatives to Hyper-V Volume Shadow Copy Service; enter the Windows Server Backup feature in Windows Server 2008.Continue Reading

• Selecting CPU, processors and memory for virtualized environments

  There are several aspects to choosing CPU and memory for your virtual environment. In the selection process, processor speed, the number of cores needed and the type of DIMMs you use are all critical considerations. An expert outlines what you ...Continue Reading

• Virtual desktop infrastructure with Sun Ray 2 devices

  The Sun Ray 2 series of physical client devices allows you to manage bandwidth, support multimedia and gives you options for peripheral connectivity in a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) at a competitive price. An expert looks at the ...Continue Reading

• Virtualization costs include high availability, infrastructure

  When it comes to implementing virtualization, it's not all about cost benefits. In fact, the hidden costs of virtualization may outweigh some of the savings. Additional high availability, backup, power, application and administrative expenses are ...Continue Reading

• Virtualization cost savings

  Virtualization results in cost savings, but where? Scott Feuless tells you where in this expert response.Continue Reading

• Get low-cost virtualization with free VMware, Microsoft, Xen products

  Virtualization technology can be expensive. In this tip, Alessandro Perilli tells you how you can bring virtualization into your data center and avoid the hefty price tag.Continue Reading

• Server technologies and virtualization: Blades, racks, Intel and AMD

  An in-depth commentary on virtualization server technologies and trends in processors and servers, blades versus racks and Intel versus AMD.Continue Reading