When it is time to run a data center, there’s a lot to consider. There are a variety of factors that affect business performance and productivity, including the physical infrastructure as well as software abstraction, hardware optimization, and more.

But one way to help simplify the process is to use virtualization of the data center. Virtualization makes it easier for IT administrators to change and manage IT resources on demand — something that wouldn’t be possible without technology. This automation does not just speed up processes and improves efficiency, but also ensures policies are consistently applied and that the correct configurations are used.

The technology behind virtualization involves the fusion of storage devices, servers and networking equipment to create an environment where multiple IT functions run on the same server. This lets you maximize server utilization and decrease hardware costs. Additionally, the ability to adjust dynamically resource allocation improves scalability by eliminating capacity that is under utilized.

Virtualization news also makes it easier to launch new applications and IT services. The deployment of a virtual machine takes a few seconds, as compared to the hours and days it takes to set up hardware. This flexibility allows businesses the capability to quickly adjust to changing market conditions and gain an edge over competitors.

IT administrators must still be aware that a highly virtualized data center is not without risks. If IT staff are too casual about spinning up VMs which could cause VM expansion. The excessive use of resources and hardware can cause performance degradation, increased costs and more attack areas.