Virtualization is the “creation of a virtual (rather than actual) version of something, such as an operating system, a server, a storage device or network resources. It’s defined as “a method of decoupling an application and the resources required to run it — processor, memory, operating system, storage and network access — from the underlying hardware host.” The important takeaway is that multiple resources can be accessed from a single server, resulting in fewer servers, less energy consumption and less maintenance.

Today, small and medium sized businesses are experiencing need-to-market and cost suppression pressures like neverbefore. Cloud Computing is a mechanism to allow businesses to scale their computing power at a moment's notice. Companies are beginning to realize that hosting services in the cloud is a much more cost effective way to handle their business than having to worry about expensive internal infrastructure. Cloud computing is a way for businesses to hostall of their content as well as any services that they may offer to customers in the cloud. This means that there is no longer any need to have robust backup procedures in place or expensive hardware. With cloud based solutions, Atlantic PC is able to offer a wide variety of cloud computing services based on the needs of each individual customer.

Virtualization offers a number of compelling benefits. The main benefits are concentrated in four key areas.
Server Consolidation and Containment:
Today, even though computing power continues to increase steadily, many applications and server functions need to be run on their own server. In many cases servers are running at a low utilization but more and more servers are needed resulting in “server sprawl”, requiring increased space, HVAC and power. Virtualization technology can convert existing servers into virtual machines allowing multiple servers to be running concurrently on one physical host server. New servers can be installed onto virtual machines. The benefits include reduced hardware costs, reduced space, cooling and power requirements. For example, a business running 12 physical servers may be able to safely reduce the number to just 3 or 4. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery:
Virtualization can help to greatly reduce both planned and unplanned downtime. Virtual machines can be moved from one physical server which is experiencing problems or needs to be shut down for maintenance to another fully operational server host. These functions can be automated and can occur without interruption to the applications running on the virtual machine which results in high availability. Because the virtual machines are hardware independent, they can be moved from one host to another, perhaps from an HP server to a Dell unit. This hardware independence can greatly increase flexibility and reduce costs for business continuity and disaster recovery. The time to recover from a disaster or unplanned outage can be reduced from days to hours, possibly even minutes. Because the virtual machine is actually a set of files, these machines can be easily backed up, or even replicated to another location.
Desktop Management and Security:
Over 70% of the total cost of ownership of a desktop is spent on operational activities associated with managing the PC’s and users. Every different hardware configuration requires a different image or installation. In addition, remote users also heighten security risks and the potential for data loss. Using virtualization, it is possible to create secure virtual machines that can be run from a user’s desktop, laptop, home computer or even from a flash drive. The machines are self contained, can require authentication and be encrypted. Additional layers of security can be added to restrict the machines access to specific business uses or connections and lifecycle policies can be added. Testing and Development:
Virtualization can dramatically improve many aspects of the software development lifecycle. Snapshots of machines or entire environments can be saved and restarted. Environments can be easily controlled and bugs or conditions duplicated. The testing environments can be easily and quickly recreated and can support distributed developers and testers. Virtualization also allows for some of the control over the testing environments be handed over to development teams increasing efficiency and decreasing the IT support costs.