Server virtualization
Multiple virtual servers on shared physical hosts, sized properly for memory, storage and processor load. Adding a new application becomes a task that takes minutes rather than a purchase order and a two week wait.
Why this matters
Five servers, each doing one job, each mostly idle
It is a familiar pattern. Every new application arrived with its own server, because that was the safe way to do it at the time. Now there are five boxes in the rack, each using a fraction of its capacity, each drawing power and each with its own warranty expiry to worry about.
Virtualization turns those five machines into five virtual servers running on one or two physical hosts. The applications do not change, the users notice nothing, and you stop paying to power hardware that spends most of its day waiting.
The bigger benefit arrives the day something breaks. A virtual server can be restored onto different hardware in minutes, where a failed physical machine means sourcing a replacement, rebuilding it and hoping the backup is complete.
Discuss your environment
What we deliver
Four services, from a single host to a full consolidation
Virtual desktops
Desktops that live in the data room and stream to thin clients, laptops or tablets. Useful for shift work, shared machines, contractors and anywhere data should not sit on the endpoint.
Server consolidation
Moving existing physical servers onto virtual hosts, including older machines running applications that cannot easily be replaced. Less rack space, less power, fewer warranties to track.
Backup and failover
Virtual machine level backup, replication to a second host or site, and a tested recovery process so that restoring a server is a routine task rather than an emergency.
What you get back
The savings are real, but recovery time is the bigger win
Most businesses start looking at virtualization to save money on hardware. They stay with it because of what happens the first time a host fails and the affected servers are running again within the hour.
- Less hardware. Fewer physical machines to buy, power, cool and replace on a cycle.
- Faster provisioning. A new server in minutes from a template instead of weeks of procurement.
- Safer changes. Snapshot before an update, roll back in seconds if it goes wrong.
- Simpler recovery. Restore a whole server onto different hardware without rebuilding it.
- Legacy support. Keep an old but essential application running safely on modern hardware.
1
Assessment
We measure what your current servers actually use, not what they were specified for.
2
Design and sizing
Host specification, storage layout and licensing, with room to grow built in.
3
Migration
Servers moved one at a time, outside working hours, with the original kept until proven.
4
Handover
Documentation, a tested restore, and training so your team can run it day to day.
Common questions
Virtualization, answered
No, although they work well together. Virtualization runs on hardware you own, usually on your own premises. Cloud runs on someone else's infrastructure. Many businesses use both, keeping some systems local and moving others. See our cloud services.
In almost all cases yes. A virtual server looks like a normal server to the software running on it. The assessment stage checks for the rare exceptions, usually applications tied to a physical device or a hardware licence key.
That is exactly what the design accounts for. Depending on budget, that might mean a second host that takes over automatically, or replication to a standby machine that can be started manually. We size this around how much downtime your business can actually absorb.
It is often worth it from three physical servers upward, and sometimes from two if recovery speed matters. Below that, cloud hosting is frequently the better answer and we will tell you so.
How many servers are you running today?
Tell us what is in the rack and what each machine does. We will tell you whether consolidation is worth doing, and what it would save you over three years.
Request an assessment- Sizing based on real usage, not guesswork
- Hardware and licensing supplied together
- Tested restore before handover