IT Management and Support IT: Deploying virtual servers Problem:
Meeting the demand for servers to support the huge growth in IT
services in a 30 year old machine room where power and cooling
were at their limit. Several years ago, Information Technology
reached the point where we could only install a new server in
the machine room if we removed one. Change: The solution was
server virtualization, which creates the environment where
multiple virtual servers can operate effectively on a single
physical server. Using this technology, Information Technology
now operates 210 virtual servers on 38 physical machines.
Impact: Two obvious, but hard to quantify, savings include
electricity and cooling. Other benefits include faster
deployment of servers, easier recovery from a server failure,
and greater service redundancy. Cost avoidance for not
purchasing over 200 physical machines is well over $500,000.
Given that the existing machine room is at capacity, there is no
doubt William & Mary would have had to forgo som