Virtualisation And Its Types In Cloud Computing: A Detailed Guide

Virtualisation is a cloud computing technique that allows businesses to create their virtual instances over physical resources. The flexibility and resilience of virtualisation offer a cost-effective solution for businesses, wanting to experience fast response time with a centralised virtual environment.

In this blog, we will explore virtualisation and its types in cloud computing while covering the basics and
benefits of this cloud computing technique.

A] Understanding The Basics Of Virtualisation In Cloud Computing

Virtualisation is a cloud computing technique that creates multiple virtual instances over the physical hardware. It creates virtual versions of physical hardware and software including processors, memory, storage, servers, and networks.  Virtualisation offers a flexible and resilient computing solution for businesses, intending to spread their physical computing resources across digitally separate environments. The physical computer resources are called ‘host machines‘, whereas virtual versions of physical resources are called ‘guest machines’.

Virtualisation utilises a specialised software, called ‘Hypervisor’ to create virtual instances of operating systems or applications. It abstracts physical resources into virtual instances using a virtual machine manager to allocate data on the shared or dedicated cloud infrastructure.

B] Virtualization Techniques in Cloud Computing

1. Network Virtualisation

Network virtualisation (VN) is a process of creating centralised virtual networks using underlying physical networks such as switches, routers, and firewalls.  This technology allows for the efficient and flexible management of network resources by decoupling the physical network infrastructure from the logical network services. A business with multiple physical servers can create a centralised administrative virtual network for optimal use of hardware resources.

Each virtual network operates independently with its own configurations and security policies. Network virtualisation enhances flexibility by enabling the creation and management of virtual networks without affecting the underlying physical network.

2. Storage Virtualisation

Storage virtualisation is another technique of virtualisation in cloud computing that abstracts physical storage resources into centrally managed logical units. This technique pools the physical storage devices into virtual storage. This virtualisation enables scaling and storage resource allocation based on application requirements by decoupling logical storage from physical hardware. It offers some advanced features like data deduplication, snapshots and replication. These features aid in data protection, disaster recovery, and efficient use of storage capacity in cloud deployment. Apart from that, Indian enterprises with massive databases can opt for enterprise cloud backup solutions in India to fulfill their data backup need and safeguard their data from any potential loss with the help of storage virtualisation.

3. Server Virtualisation

Server virtualisation is a type of virtualization in cloud computing that abstracts physical servers into multiple virtual machines (VM) using the specialized software, called VMware ESXi Hypervisor. In this technique, each VM runs on its operating system and applications. It allows efficient utilisation of server resources and enhances data allocation resilience.

VMware ESXi for Server Virtualisation

VMware ESXi is a type 1 hypervisor that runs directly on the host’s hardware to manage hardware resources and virtual machines. It is an ideal solution for a virtualised environment due to its small footprint and efficient resource management.

4. Desktop Virtualisation

Desktop virtualisation is a technique of transforming traditional desktop computing by abstracting physical desktop resources. It offers a virtual desktop environment or remote desktop sessions from a centralised server. It enhances flexibility and mobility by enabling users to access their desktops from any device and location. It aids in simplifying desktop management by centralising updates, patches, and security policies. Desktop virtualisation reduces administrative overhead and ensures consistent user experience across endpoint devices.

5. Application Virtualisation

Application virtualisation separates applications from the underlying operating system and removes hardware dependency. It enables applications to run in a separate or isolated environment. This virtualisation technique in cloud computing enhances the application’s security by isolating applications from each other. These properties enhance the agility and responsiveness of delivering software services over the cloud and prevent potential breaches and malware attacks.

C] Benefits Of Virtualisation 

1. Increases Efficiency

Physical resources require attention and manpower to ensure smooth functioning. Virtualisation enables businesses to configure, monitor, and update all the connected virtual machines
from a single machine. Doing so saves time, and cost, offering resilience throughout the business processes. Overall, it aids in boosting an enterprise’s efficiency by providing ease of maintenance and faster response time than physical resources. Moreover, the need for virtualisation in cloud computing arises from its ability to efficiently allocate and manage computing resources, allowing multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server.

2. Reduced Cost 

Physical resources require a lot of investment to run a business process. Virtualisation offers a cost-effective solution for businesses, intending to boost their efficiency with minimal investment in physical hardware resources. Businesses can create their centralised virtual environment to run multiple systems without increasing each of the computing resources separately. Apart from that, businesses dealing with inventory and business management can leverage the virtualisation technique by opting for tally cloud solutions to take their Tally data to the cloud and access them without the location boundary.

3. Contributes to Sustainable Environment

Separate physical computing resources require extensive hardware resources and power supply. Virtualisation enables businesses to reduce their heavy investment in buying separate hardware resources for every computing need. Doing so reduces the overall e-waste generation and decreases the net power consumption, contributing towards a greener and more sustainable environment.

Conclusion

Virtualisation is a state-of-the-art technology that enables businesses to virtualise their physical instances to facilitate optimal use of their computing resources. It enables businesses to create their centralised virtual network to leverage optimal resource use without increasing their physical computing resources.

Absolute Cloud is a leading and renowned cloud service provider in India, offering state-of-the-art technologies to virtualise businesses’ physical resources with the help of VMWare’s Hypervisor in a cost-effective way. Learn more about how Absolute Cloud can help you virtualize your business. Contact us today!