10 questions to test your virtualization readiness

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July 5, 2007 (Network World) -- Virtualization appeals to IT executives looking to maximize data-center operations, but they must answer 10 difficult questions before they have a chance to successfully roll virtualization out, a consultancy says.

Enterprise Management Associates this week released its collection of "Top 10 questions to ask before any virtualization project." According to EMA senior analyst Andi Mann, the list starts with the basics around existing skill sets and quickly moves on to technical hurdles about which every IT organization should be aware.

The benefits of abstracting software away from hardware to create a flexible, dynamic environment are compelling, but successful adoption depends on having the right skills, security and management tools and business drivers in place.

"In some cases, the technology is not ready, or the returns will not be sufficient, to embark on such a major change in technology, architecture and process," Mann writes. "Virtualization should not be rushed. It is a long-term opportunity, and enterprises that approach virtualization carefully as a strategy, not just a project, will be better positioned to benefit in the long run."

Here is a rundown of the key questions to ask before embarking on an enterprise-wide virtualization project.

1. Do you have the skills to support virtualization? EMA ranks the lack of "appropriate skills" as potentially the biggest barrier to successful virtualization deployments. The research firm says that about three-quarters of enterprise companies that don't yet have virtualization in place believe they don't have the skills to support the technology. EMA recommends training staff before the technology is adopted, determining requirements, documenting expected changes and performing pilots of virtualization technology in small sample environments.

2. Are you ready for the politics virtualization could introduce? The second pitfall is also related to the human element. Because IT departments have existed in siloed groups for years, IT executives could face pushback in their efforts to win mainstream acceptance of virtualization technology, EMA says. For instance, some groups may not wish to share server resources, and for that reason, EMA recommends organizations put in reporting tools to show how virtualization is either helping performance or at the least not hurting departments by sharing resources among them.

3. Have you considered and can you accept the risks? Virtualization technology reduces the amount of physical resources needed to support multiple systems and applications. But at the same time, it "concentrates more users and applications on fewer, more complex, shared virtual environments," the EMA report says, and because of that, "the impact of hardware failure, human errors, security breaches, planning problems, support issues and more are vastly magnified in a virtual environment." Among its suggestions: enterprise companies should develop detailed business continuity and disaster-recovery plans at all stages of the virtualization project.

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