A Quick Guide to Virtualization Software for SMEs

Increasingly, small businesses are looking to virtualization technology to reduce cost and improve efficiency. Virtualization brings phenomenal capacity and power within easy reach of the SME, and virtualization software makes management and deployment simple and quick.

In this article, we will look briefly at the different types of virtualization software available, including Dell’s own virtualization solutions.

Choosing Desktop Virtualization Software

Dell desktop virtualization infrastructure (VDI) solutions give you the choice of several different types of software for virtual desktop deployment.

• Citrix software can be used for both desktop virtualization and data centre virtualization. Use Citrix to deploy applications securely from a central Dell server
• Microsoft’s DVS Enterprise for Windows Server 2012 is a low cost option. It supports up to 900 remote desktop sessions.
• VMWare solutions include View, an affordable product that allows virtual desktops to be deployed, managed and protected.
• Dell DaaS On Demand provides system administrators with a simple management portal for their virtualized desktop environment.

Server Virtualization

One of the most popular options for server virtualization is Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012. Hyper-V is a stripped back server solution that is missing some of the normal components of Windows Server, such as Active Directory. It therefore has a much smaller footprint and is more lightweight when deployed.

While Windows Server 2012 is ideal for organisations that need to deploy large numbers of virtual machines, Hyper-V is better used where minimal resource usage is an advantage. Hyper-V is ideal when the organisation already has sufficient licence entitlement and simply wants to provide users with virtual desktops alongside a simplified, streamlined administration interface.

VMWare offers a suite of virtualization software based on the VMWare virtual infrastructure methodology (VIM). You can read more about VMWare and its virtualization software in the VIM datasheet.

Additional SaaS Products From Dell

When data is placed into a cloud environment, security becomes a key concern. Additionally, your organisation’s bring your own device (BYOD) policy could introduce additional security risks.

Dell Wyse Cloud Client Manager is a gatekeeper that allows you to control the security policies in your organisation, ensuring your virtualized environment is available and accessible yet secure.

More on Virtualization with Dell

Dell virtualization solutions will enable you to consolidate your infrastructure, improve efficiency in your data centre and bring down the cost of your IT.

Dell representatives can advise you on the best virtualization solutions for your business. Make sure you check out the site at dell.co.uk for the best solutions on offer.