Microsoft Virtualization Secrets

Summary

The brief tour of virtualization you took in this chapter should have demonstrated that virtualization solves many problems and enables many new ways of working, but only if it is well architected and implemented. If not, it can cause more work and introduce new problems. Embracing the consumerization of IT and offering mobile users a productive environment is achieved through virtualization; there really is no other solution. Through technologies such as VDI, session virtualization, and even public cloud services, users on any device and in any connected location can have a functionally rich environment within which to work. I often find myself on a device that is acting as nothing more than a much better version of my VT220 dumb terminal, and if I were the average user, I would likely have no idea that the operating system environment within which I was working wasn’t running on the device in my hand.

The rest of this book walks you through the major types of virtualization that are available, how they can be used, and how they should be used. Chapter 13 covers the different types of on-premise virtualization, putting them into context so you can architect the right infrastructure for your organization. Ultimately, most organizations will have a mix of on-premise solutions and public cloud solutions in order to make the best use of all the available technologies—and at a price they can afford.