An Introduction to Application & Server Virtualization

The concept of application virtualization is essentially fooling the application into thinking that it is working in the native environment it is supposed to work in. There are many advantages in implementing application virtualization. Some of the key advantages are:

1. Applications do not require cross platform support
2. Security issues can be controlled better by running the application on a secure OS
3. Incompatible applications can function simultaneously with minimal or no problems

All of this is possible thanks to application virtualization. A virtualization layer is inserted in between the application and the OS, which acts as a “translator”. This layer can control the application calls to the OS it thinks it is working in and translate them to the relevant commands of the OS it is actually working in. Some of the major players in the application virtualization market are VMware, Microsoft, Citrix, and Installfree.com.

Server virtualization forms the middle ground between shared web hosting services and dedicated hosting services. It gives customers a virtual server to use. They are free to install any application they like and any performance or security risk that arises is confined to that virtual space (VPS). Sandboxes can be created within the VPS for testing and debugging purposes and for security issues, a specially set up VPS with flawed or buggy code called a “Honey pot” is used to monitor security breaches.

Both forms of virtualization have great advantages, but they are not the ultimate solution for every purpose. Evaluate whichever method you choose before you implement them to find out if it is actually the correct solution for you.

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