In enterprise IT infrastructure, virtualization has gone mainstream as businesses seek more productive and cost-effective ways. With cloud computing as one of the main drivers of digital transformation, the adoption of virtualization creates an environment for cloud providers and users to manage and distribute services more effectively.
Virtualization makes it possible for operating systems, applications, and data storage to be represented in virtual form. Given the number of organizations moving their resources to the cloud, it becomes increasingly important for cloud providers to utilize virtualization to configure their services according to the individual needs of their customers.
There are a variety of types to consider, and knowing them ensures you apply virtualization in your IT infrastructure in the right situations.
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1. Storage virtualization
Storage virtualization involves collecting and merging several physical storage units and rendering them as one storage cluster over a network.
This type often comes in handy for enterprises and individuals aiming to expand and scale their storage without investing in physical facilities. In addition, storage virtualization improves effective storage management by ensuring multiple storage points can easily be accessed from a single repository.
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2. Network virtualization
Network virtualization is used to merge several networks into one, duplicate the resources of a network, and run an interconnection between virtual machines.
Through this type, virtual networks can be separated and deployed, with each having its unique configuration without affecting the other. For example, in creating a virtual network, you can share your bandwidth and assign them separately to different channels where they are most needed. In addition, network virtualization allows different users to run the same virtual network on a physical network without causing latency issues.
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3. Application virtualization
The main goal of application virtualization is to ensure cloud users have remote access to applications from a server. The server contains all the information and features required for the application to run and can be accessed over the internet. As a result, you don’t need to install the application on your native device to gain access. Application virtualization offers end-users the flexibility to access two different versions of one application through a hosted application or packaged software.
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4. Desktop virtualization
Desktop virtualization is typically used to remotely host end users’ operating systems on a server or data center. This type also allows users to access their desktops using different machines.
Virtualizing your desktops gives users the flexibility to work on multiple operating systems based on the demands of a project. Besides flexibility, desktop virtualization offers portability, user mobility, software updates, and patch management.
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5. Data virtualization
Sometimes, organizations are faced with the challenge of analyzing data pulled from different sources. Data virtualization helps to solve this by ensuring that data culled from multiple sources is analyzed collectively to enhance productivity.
Users can access and manipulate data without needing to know its physical location or format.
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6. Server virtualization
Server virtualization helps organizations to partition server resources in a way that ensures full utilization of the resources. One of its primary goals is that it helps in breaking up huge physical servers into several instances of virtual servers. This makes it possible for each server to be masked and run as a standalone one.
Through server virtualization, organizations can scale their server resources without investing in physical ones and deploy them depending on user requests, needs, and computing power.
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Benefits of virtualization in a cloud environment
Virtualization in cloud computing has various advantages and has become essential as computing demands surge. One notable benefit is that an entire system is saved from a possible collapse when there is a system crash in one part of the system. At the same time, virtualization ensures that IT environments are easily protected from viruses and bugs when testing new software programs.
It makes it easy for data transfer as organizations can move data between virtual devices and servers, thereby saving time. In addition, with virtualized desktops and storage, organizations can move an entire machine without relying on any physical infrastructure. Doing this improves efficiency, productivity, and cost-effectiveness in managing cloud environments.
It’s a subject worthy of more exploration. Check out the IT Leader’s Guide to Virtualization at TechRepublic Premium for more details.
This article was originally published in November 2022. It was updated by Antony Peyton in June 2025.
