If you are considering making the transition to a virtualized IT environment, you are likely a bit nervous. This is a considerable shift, so be sure to weigh the merits and drawbacks carefully before proceeding. Consider the following examinations of an IT support team in New York into the positives and negatives of moving to a virtual environment:
Reasons to Move to the Virtual Environment
Shifting to the virtual environment will save your organization's money as well as time. You will enjoy improved business continuity and prove capable of recovering from a disaster with surprising ease. Consider the following statistic: For companies with less than 1,000 employees, 4 in 10 dollars spent on IT are allocated to hardware. Buying several servers makes up a large portion of the cost. Virtualizing mandates fewer servers and prolongs the lifespan of the current hardware. Even energy costs are reduced thanks to the shift to the virtual environment.
Boost Operational Efficiency
Make the transition and you will find IT operations are more efficient. The virtual realm makes work easier for IT staff as it offers an efficient avenue for technicians to implement and maintain programs, provide updates and maintain a highly secure network. This can all be accomplished with less downtime, minimal outages, fast recovery and immediate backups. It is quite the stark contrast to the non-virtual environment.
Facilitate Disaster Recovery and Data Backup Efforts
Virtualization makes backup and disaster recovery extremely easy. It takes mere seconds for a natural disaster, cyber attack, power outage or theft to wipe out important business assets. Virtualization facilitates recovery even though it has less manpower and little equipment compared to the traditional approach.
Enhance Business Continuity
Virtualization also boosts business continuity. This is especially important as the workforce becomes more mobile with each passing day. Virtualization provides staff with access to software, files, and other information regardless of physical location. In fact, several employees can access the same data simultaneously for improved continuity.
The Downside to Virtualization
Virtualization poses some challenges just like any other tech transition. As an example, virtualization has some upfront costs. In fact, additional hardware might be needed for virtualization. There are also some software licensing considerations of note. Thankfully, this is no longer as serious of an issue as IT support providers in New York adjust to the increasing popularity of virtualization.
Some complain virtualization has somewhat of a learning curve. If IT staff members do not have experience with virtualization, there could be a bit of a slow start to the learning process. It is also important to note that a few applications do not adapt well to virtualization. However, you should not let these shortcomings intimidate you. Each can be mitigated or eliminated with the proper guidance. When in doubt, lean on the assistance of IT experts.
Are you looking for IT support in New York? If so, Simplegrid is on your side. We provide managed IT services, cloud assistance, VoIP, IT consulting, virtualization, virtual CIO services and so much more. Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation.