Microsoft Virtualization Secrets

Leveraging the Latest Technologies to Design the Optimal Datacenter

Once the desktop architecture is taken care of, some services will have to be enabled through the datacenter, such as File Services for storing all that user data and settings, ways to deliver the virtualized applications, Group Policy to configure all the settings, VDI and session virtualization environments, and patching services. It’s a long list, but fortunately all those services can be virtualized using a machine virtualization solution such as Hyper-V. This section provides a detailed look at how that virtualization will change your datacenter.

CROSSREF The public cloud is discussed in detail in Chapter 14.

Considering the Public Cloud

Many organizations spend huge amounts of time, effort, and expense on applications and services that consume much more than they should. Looking at the public cloud services available, a new company would be smart to consider using such services if possible. E-mail, collaboration, application platforms, and customer relationship management are all critical capabilities that require large initial investments to get up and running, whereas using a public cloud Software as a Service or Platform as a Service enables a “pay as you go” solution; you pay a small amount when your company is started and an increasingly larger amount as it grows. This is perfect for a growing startup.

Conversely, an established company is always looking for ways to reduce its IT expenditure or re-allocate ...