Best Data Virtualization Solutions

Datacenter virtualization is the process of transforming physical data centers hosted on servers into virtual data centers that use cloud computing technology.

In the past, organizations had to use data, file, and email servers in order to keep up with data processing and storage demands. This led to excessive operating costs and inefficiencies. By virtualizing data centers, multiple applications and operating systems can be run on a single server in the cloud, which greatly improves efficiency, allowing organizations to handle their entire IT framework collectively, often from a single central interface.

Datacenter virtualization used to be used as a tool for developing and testing server environments. Today it enables the delivery of huge amounts of diverse information to users when and as they need it.

Datacenter virtualization generally uses cloud computing technology along with virtualization software to replace equipment, such as traditional servers, that would be traditionally housed in a physical data center.

The benefits of data center virtualization include:

1. Reduction of operating costs - Hardware can be one of the most expensive assets for an IT budget. When you virtualize a data center, you cut capital expenses by saving on buying and maintaining equipment. It also gives you more flexibility within your budget in terms of spending on operating costs and maintenance.

2. Improvement of application performance, including agility, flexibility, performance, and responsiveness, and alleviation of bottlenecks.

3. Minimization/elimination of downtime - Downtime can cost $100,000 or more per hour. The two keys to preventing downtime are:  
      a. A business continuity plan geared toward minimizing business disruptions. When data centers are virtualized, you don’t need to worry about server hardware failure, which causes a major business disruption. Instead, your IT team can perform upgrades and server maintenance without scheduling in any downtime. In addition, overloaded virtual machines can be migrated across several servers in order to better balance workloads and reduce disruptions

       b. A disaster recovery strategy designed to reinstate your company’s operations in the event of data loss from a fire, a flood, a virus, an employee mistake, or a server failure. A virtualized data center is easier to back up than physical hardware servers, and will allow you to get up and running again more quickly.

4. Lowering of heat buildup - Using less physical hardware means less heat production, which prevents equipment failure and shutdown and keeps your data safe.

5. Savings of staff resources and time, allowing your employees to focus on other important IT and business issues.

Data center consolidation encompasses strategies and technologies that enable IT architectures to be more efficient. This can be done by consolidating several data centers into one or by making one specific data center run more efficiently on fewer resources. Data center virtualization can assist in this process by increasing IT flexibility, scalability, and agility while at the same time saving a significant amount of money. When data centers are virtualized, workloads can be deployed faster, performance increases, and operations can become automated, which results in IT that is easier to manage and costs less to operate.

Data Virtualization enhances data integration by allowing you to access and manipulate data without needing to move it from its original source. This enables real-time data access and analysis from multiple sources, eliminating the need for complex ETL processes. It provides a single access layer, which can unify disparate data into a cohesive format, improving decision-making processes through a more holistic view of the available data.

Data Virtualization in cloud environments enables seamless access to both on-premises and cloud-based data sources. You gain the advantage of reducing data redundancy and storage costs while maintaining data security by controlling data access policies at a virtualization layer. Additionally, it supports quicker time-to-insight as it doesn't require physical data relocation, easing the integration with existing cloud infrastructures.

Yes, Data Virtualization can significantly improve analytics performance by providing real-time data access without data replication. This allows for on-demand data delivery, reducing latency and the load on data warehouses. By rapidly connecting to multiple data sources in a consistent format, you can enhance analytic operations, enabling better and more timely insights into your data.

Data Virtualization is highly secure for managing sensitive data as it allows access without moving the data, thereby minimizing the risk of data breaches. It implements robust security policies that are consistent across all data sources and includes encryption, role-based access control, and auditing capabilities. By centralizing security measures, you ensure consistent protection of sensitive information across various systems.

Data Virtualization positively impacts data governance by providing a centralized view of data without moving or duplicating it. This centralization simplifies data management and compliance with governance policies as it allows real-time monitoring and control of data access. You can enforce consistent data quality and security standards across the organization, ensuring regulatory compliance and reducing the complexity of managing various data sources.