Cisco Ultra Services Platform as a 5G core

The concept of slicing is a fundamental component of the 5G architecture and it permits network customization that can reach a personal level. One could call this the personalization of the mobile internet. We can do this by taking the slicing concept to a granular level not seen before by combining three main technologies of control and user plane separation (CUPS), virtualization and end to end automation.

Spotlight

Critical Design Associates

Critical Design Associates Inc., an information technology company, is committed to providing clients with greater efficiencies that center on people, platform and processes. Successful results are achieved by applying these core principles to any IT business challenge. Through integrity, dedication, and teamwork we provide our customers with the highest quality of service. Our success is only measured by the success of our clients.

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Server Virtualization

Evaluating the Impact of Application Virtualization

Article | May 17, 2023

The emergence of the notion of virtualization in today's digital world has turned the tables. It has assisted the sector in increasing production and making every activity easy and effective. One of the most remarkable innovations is the virtualization of applications, which allows users to access and utilize applications even if they are not installed on the system on which they are working. As a result, the cost of obtaining software and installing it on specific devices is reduced. Application virtualization is a technique that separates an application from the operating system on which it runs. It provides access to a program without requiring it to be installed on the target device. The program functions and interacts with the user as if it were native to the device. The program window can be resized, moved, or minimized, and the user can utilize normal keyboard and mouse movements. There might be minor differences from time to time, but the user gets a seamless experience. Let’s have a look at the ways in which application virtualization helps businesses. The Impact of Application Virtualization • Remote-Safe Approach Application virtualization enables remote access to essential programs from any end device in a safe and secure manner. With remote work culture developing as an increasingly successful global work paradigm, the majority of businesses have adapted to remote work-from-home practice. This state-of-the-art technology is the best option for remote working environments because it combines security and convenience of access. • Expenditure Limitations If you have a large end-user base that is always growing, acquiring and operating separate expensive devices for each individual user would definitely exhaust your budget. In such situations, virtualization will undoubtedly come in handy because it has the potential to offer all necessary applications to any target device. • Rolling Out Cloud Applications Application virtualization can aid in the development and execution of a sophisticated and controlled strategy to manage and assure a seamless cloud transition of an application that is presently used as an on-premise version in portions of the same enterprise. In such cases, it is vital to guarantee that the application continues to work properly while being rolled out to cloud locations. You can assure maximum continuity and little impact on your end customers by adopting a cutting-edge virtualization platform. These platforms will help to ensure that both the on-premise and cloud versions of the application are delivered smoothly to diverse groups sitting inside the same workspace. • Implementation of In-House Applications Another prominent case in which virtualization might be beneficial is the deployment and execution of in-house applications. Developers often update such programs on a regular basis. Application virtualization enables extensive remote updates, installation, and distribution of critical software. As a result, this technology is crucial for enterprises that build and employ in-house applications. Closing Lines There is no doubt about the efficiency and advantages of application virtualization. You do not need to be concerned with installing the programs on your system. Moreover, you do not need to maintain the minimum requirements for running such programs since they will operate on the hosted server, giving you the impression that the application is operating on your system. There will be no performance concerns when the program runs. There will not be any overload on your system, and you will not encounter any compatibility issues as a result of your system's underlying operating system.

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Virtual Desktop Tools, Server Hypervisors

Discovering SCVMM and Its Features

Article | June 8, 2023

System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) is a management tool for Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtualization platform. It is part of Microsoft’s System Center product suite, which also includes Configuration Manager and Operations Manager, among other tools. SCVMM provides a single pane of glass for managing your on-premises and cloud-based Hyper-V infrastructures, and it’s a more capable alternative to Windows Server tools built for the same purpose.

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Server Hypervisors

Top 15 Virtualization Events to Attend in 2023

Article | September 9, 2022

Virtualization has become integral to modern computing, enabling organizations to optimize their resources and increase efficiency. Following are the upcoming events taking place in France, China, USA, Netherlands, and Germany, from April 2023 to December 2023. Let's take a closer look at each of these events and know what attendees can expect to gain from them. The following events will provide insight into the growing impact of virtualization on upcoming as well as established organizations. The renowned speakers in the following events will give economic value to the concept of virtualization and how it can transform business operations. By attending these events, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the latest trends, technologies, and strategies in virtualization, as well as the potential benefits and challenges associated with its implementation. 1. 18th Workshop on Virtualization in High-Performance Cloud Computing May 25, 2023 | Hamburg (Germany) The VHPC workshop at the International Supercomputing Conference - High Performance 2023 invites researchers and industrial practitioners to submit original and high-quality papers on virtualization in HPC, containers, virtualization, and cloud computing. The workshop will cover a broad range of topics related to virtualization, including virtualization for scientific computing and big data analytics, virtualization for high-performance computing and data centers, and virtualization for edge, fog computing, and more. The workshop will provide a forum for researchers to present their latest research findings, share ideas, and collaborate on new research directions. 2. VMware Explore 2023 August 5-10, 2023 | Nevada (USA) The VMware Explore 2023 conference is a specialized event focusing on virtualization and cloud computing technologies for data centers and virtual workspace infrastructure. It will cover topics on cloud & edge infrastructure, networking & security, modern applications & cloud management, hybrid workforce, vision & innovation. VMware Explore 2023 will host a community of technology users and leaders involved in enterprise applications, cloud architecture, infrastructure, end users, networking, and security. 3. Data Center World May 8 - 11, 2023 | Texas (USA) This is the only global event that brings together the entire data center industry, making it the go-to resource for anybody looking to optimize their data center strategy. Data Center World is the premier event for digital infrastructure, that will cater to the needs of data center managers, IT executives, and the pioneers who will shape the future of the digital sector. The technologies and concepts for designing, managing, and optimizing data centers will be presented at the event, along with expert advice and guidance. 4. The Fourteenth International Conference on Cloud Computing, GRIDs, and Virtualization June 26 - 30, 2023 | Saint-Laurent-du-Var (France) The Fourteenth International Conference on Cloud Computing, GRIDs, and Virtualization is an upcoming conference that will provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss the latest research, trends & practical applications in cloud computing, grids, and virtualization. The conference will cover various topics related to these fields, including cloud security and privacy, cloud storage, cloud economics, and more. The conference will provide a platform for attendees to discuss emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in these fields, as well as present their research findings and insights. 5. Knowledge 2023 May 16 - 18, 2023 | Las Vegas (United States) The event is organized by ServiceNow, which provides cloud-based IT service management, IT operations management, and IT business management solutions. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bill McDermott will deliver the opening keynote address. The event will include a wide range of sessions: Hands-on Labs, Presentations from Experts, Art of the Possible HackZone Demo, Annual Hackathon, Community Meetups, challenges, and more. Attendees will be able to connect with visionaries worldwide and gain new ServiceNow skills and fresh insights into the power of digital transformation. 6. 2023 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HARDWARE SECURITY AND TRUST (ICHST 2023) July 8 - 10, 2023 | Wuxi (China) The 5th International Conference on Hardware Security and Trust (ICHST 2023) will serve as a workshop for ICSIP 2023 and is sponsored by Southeast University, China, with co-sponsorship from Southeast University Wuxi Campus and the School of Cyber Science and Engineering. ICHST is an annual symposium that will seek to promote the rapid growth of hardware-based security research and development. It will focus on presenting new findings in hardware and system security, covering topics such as secure hardware techniques, tools, design and test methods, architectures, circuits, and applications. 7. .NEXT May 9 - 10, 2023 | Chicago (USA) .NEXT conference is a series of annual events organized by Nutanix, a cloud computing and hyper-converged infrastructure company. It will cover fascinating insights about new work, global supply chains, utopian visions, the metaverse and Web3, smart technology, intelligence, and many more. The conference will typically feature keynote presentations, technical sessions, and hands-on labs focused on cloud computing, data center infrastructure, and digital transformation. Attendees will also be able to experience test-drive demos. 8. Wan Summit: Enterprise Networks Chicago September 28, 2023 | Chicago (USA) Connectivity infrastructure is the main topic of discussion at WAN Summit, an invitation-only conference for network and engineering professionals shaping the future of the workplace. In order to help businesses, provide a better experience for their customers, the WAN Summit will discuss the issues that persist in the networking department. The event will have sessions as network manager focus, enterprise case studies, exhibition and networking drinks reception, and so on. 9. Black Hat USA August 5 -10, 2023 | Nevada (USA) This year marks the 26th annual Black Hat USA conference, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Attendees of all experience levels can participate in four days of intensive cybersecurity training. More than a hundred carefully-chosen briefings, hundreds of open-source tool demonstrations in Arsenal, a robust business hall, networking and social events, and much more will fill the two days of the main conference. This year, Black Hat will also debut a live, in-person Certification program that will last for a whole day. 10. Gartner IT Symposium | Xpo October 16 -19, 2023 | Orlando (USA) The strategic concerns of enterprise CIOs and their executive teams are the focus of the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo. At the Gartner IT Symposium, a worldwide network of experts and peers will talk about game-changing innovations. Chief Information Officers and other IT executives will discuss the latest developments in the fields of accelerating business transformation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, customer experience, data analytics, executive leadership, and many other topics that will shape the future of IT and business. 11. Container Days September 11 -13, 2023 | Hamburg (Germany) An amazing learning experience on Kubernetes, Cloud Native, Container Security, DevOps, GitOps, Edge Computing, and more is available at CDS, where the CDS family increases yearly. Global tycoons will gather in person and online to share insights, make connections, and do business. Opportunities to meet like-minded people and open discussion forums are favorites among open-source and cloud-native project fans. More in-depth technical presentations and engaging panel discussions will be live across five stages this year. 12. Big Data Expo September 12 - 13, 2023 | Utrecht (Netherlands) Supply and demand in the big data industry are finally brought together at Big Data Expo. This is the only conference in the Benelux region covering every data management facet. Exhibitors are prioritized who regularly engage in data aggregation, generation, analysis, optimization, and application across a variety of scales and contexts. The two-day conference will cover various topics, from cloud computing and data visualization to data security and machine learning/artificial intelligence. If you're interested in data, the Big Data Expo is the place to be. 13. Red Hat Summit May 23 - 25, 2023 | Massachusetts (USA) The seminars, workshops, demos, laboratories, and training opportunities at Red Hat Summit 2023 in Boston (Massachusetts), will be invaluable to the individuals and their teams. In addition, this year's event will be held in conjunction with AnsibleFest, adding automation to the diverse mix of offerings that are used to address a world of IT challenges, in addition to keynotes, customer and partner stories, topics, and tracks designed to help you make the most of hybrid cloud technology. Participants will be able to watch or rewatch major announcements and view dozens of new sessions and recorded sessions from Boston—at no cost to you. 14. TechNet Cyber 2023 May 2 -4, 2023 | Baltimore convention center, Maryland (USA) TechNet Cyber is the best chance to showcase products & services to the nation's top network security, operations, and defense decision-makers. The U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency is always on the lookout for fresh concepts to help standardize and streamline cyber operations throughout the Department of Defense and the armed forces' various components. To tackle global security concerns and successfully function in a digital world, AFCEA's TechNet Cyber acts as a focal point for a government-wide effort to consolidate the policy, strategic architecture, operations, and C2, as well as the combined capabilities necessary to do so. 15. IEEE International Conference On Smart Information Systems and Technologies May 4 - 6, 2023 | Scientific Society (Kazakhstan) The 2023 IEEE SIST International Conference, technically co-sponsored by the IEEE Ukraine Section, is an essential event in the scientific society of Kazakhstan. Professionals, researchers, scientists, specialists, and students from a unique opportunity for participants to expand their knowledge and various areas of the IT industry from around the globe will attend this conference. The conference will offer perspectives on specific topics, and contribute to finding solutions to current IT trends. Additionally, the conference will be covering several research areas, including technology and engineering management, governance, finance, economy, and more. Conclusion The events will help organizations capitalize on the opportunities presented by virtualization and remain ahead of the curve in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape. The purpose of the events is to facilitate collaboration, the exchange of knowledge, and the discussion of innovative solutions for virtualized computing systems of the future.

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Server Hypervisors

The Business Benefits of Embracing Virtualization on Virtual Machines

Article | May 18, 2023

Neglecting virtualization on VMs hampers productivity of firms. Operations become complex and resource usage is suboptimal. Leverage virtualization to empower with enhanced efficiency and scalability. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Types of Virtualization on VMs 2.1 Server virtualization 2.2 Storage virtualization 2.3 Network virtualization 2.3.1 Software-defined networking 2.3.2 Network function virtualization 2.4 Data virtualization 2.5 Application virtualization 2.6 Desktop virtualization 3. Impact of Virtualized VMs on Business Enterprises 3.1 Virtualization as a Game-Changer for Business Models 3.2 Evaluating IT Infrastructure Reformation 3.3 Virtualization Impact on Business Agility 4. How can Businesses Scale ROI with Adoption of Virtualization in Virtual Machines? 5. Risks and Challenges of Virtual Machines in the Cloud 5.1 Resource Distribution: 5.2 VM Sprawl: 5.3 Backward Compatibility 5.4 Conditional Network Monitoring 5.5 Interoperability: 6. Overcoming Roadblocks: Best Practices for Successful Execution of VMs 6.1 Unlocking the Power of Resource Distribution: 6.2 Effective techniques for Avoiding VM Sprawl: 6.3 Backward Compatibility: A Comprehensive Solution: 6.4 Performance Metrics: 6.5 Solutions for Interoperability in a Connected World: 7. Five Leading Providers for Virtualization of VMs Parallels Aryaka Aryaka Liquidware Azul 8. Conclusion 1. Introduction Virtualization on virtual machines (VMs) is a technology that enables multiple operating systems and applications to run on a single physical server or host. It has become essential to modern IT infrastructures, allowing businesses to optimize resource utilization, increase flexibility, and reduce costs. Embracing virtualization on VMs offers many business benefits, including improved disaster recovery, increased efficiency, enhanced security, and better scalability. In this digital age, where businesses rely heavily on technology to operate and compete, virtualization on VMs has become a crucial strategy for staying competitive and achieving business success. Organizations need to be agile and responsive to changing customer demands and market trends. Rather than focusing on consolidating resources, the emphasis now lies on streamlining operations, maximizing productivity, and optimizing convenience. 2. Types of Virtualization on VMs 2.1 Server virtualization The server virtualization process involves dividing a physical server into several virtual servers. This allows organizations to consolidate multiple physical servers onto a single physical server, which leads to cost savings, improved efficiency, and easier management. Server virtualization is one of the most common types of virtualization used on VMs. Consistent stability/reliability is the most critical product attributes IT decision-makers look for when evaluating server virtualization solutions. Other important factors include robust disaster recovery capabilities and advanced security features. Server Virtualization Market was valued at USD 5.7 Billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 9.04 Billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 5.9% from 2019 to 2026. (Source: Verified Market Research) 2.2 Storage virtualization Combining multiple network storage devices into an integrated virtual storage device, storage virtualization facilitates a cohesive and efficient approach to data management within a data center. IT administrators can allocate and manage the virtual storage unit with the help of management software, which facilitates streamlined storage tasks like backup, archiving, and recovery. There are three types of storage virtualization: file-level, block-level, and object-level. File-level consolidates multiple file systems into one virtualized system for easier management. Block-level abstracts physical storage into logical volumes allocated to VMs. Object-level creates a logical storage pool for more flexible and scalable storage services to VMs. The storage virtualization segment held an industry share of more than 10.5% in 2021 and is likely to observe considerable expansion through 2030 (Source: Global Market Insights) 2.3 Network virtualization Any computer network has hardware elements such as switches, routers, load balancers and firewalls. With network virtualization, virtual machines can communicate with each other across virtual networks, even if they are on different physical hosts. Network virtualization can also enable the creation of isolated virtual networks, which can be helpful for security purposes or for creating test environments. The following are two approaches to network virtualization: 2.3.1 Software-defined networking Software-defined networking (SDN) controls traffic routing by taking over routing management from data routing in the physical environment. For example, programming the system to prioritize video call traffic over application traffic to ensure consistent call quality in all online meetings. 2.3.2 Network function virtualization Network function virtualization technology combines the functions of network appliances, such as firewalls, load balancers, and traffic analyzers, that work together to improve network performance. The global Network function virtualization market size was valued at USD 12.9 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 36.3 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 22.9%, during the forecast period(2019-2024). (Source: MarketsandMarkets) 2.4 Data virtualization Data virtualization is the process of abstracting, organizing, and presenting data in a unified view that applications and users can access without regard to the data's physical location or format. Using virtualization techniques, data virtualization platforms can create a logical data layer that provides a single access point to multiple data sources, whether on-premises or in the cloud. This logical data layer is then presented to users as a single, virtual database, making it easier for applications and users to access and work with data from multiple sources and support cross-functional data analysis. Data Virtualization Market size was valued at USD 2.37 Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 13.53 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 20.2% from 2023 to 2030. (Source: Verified Market Research) 2.5 Application virtualization In this approach, the applications are separated from the underlying hardware and operating system and encapsulated in a virtual environment, which can run on any compatible hardware and operating system. With application virtualization, the application is installed and configured on a virtual machine, which can then be replicated and distributed to multiple end-users. For example, users can run a Microsoft Windows application on a Linux machine without changing the machine configuration. According to a report, the global application virtualization market size is predicted to grow from USD 2.2 billion in 2020 to USD 4.4 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 14.7% during the period of 2020-2025. (Source: MarketsandMarkets) 2.6 Desktop virtualization In desktop virtualization, a single physical machine can host multiple virtual machines, each with its own operating system and desktop environment. Users can access these virtual desktops remotely through a network connection, allowing them to work from anywhere and on any device. Desktop virtualization is commonly used in enterprise settings to provide employees with a secure and flexible way to access their work environment. The desktop virtualization market is anticipated to register a CAGR of 10.6% over the forecast period (2018-28). (Source: Mordor Intelligence) 3. Impact of Virtualized VMs on Business Enterprises Virtualization can increase the adaptability of business processes. The servers can support different operating systems (OS) and applications as the software is decoupled from the hardware. Business processes can be run on virtual computers, with each virtual machine running its own OS, applications, softwares and set of programs. 3.1 Virtualization as a Game-Changer for Business Models The one server, one application model can be abolished using virtualization, which was inefficient because most servers were underutilized. Instead, one server can become many virtual machines using virtualization software, each running on a different operating system such as Windows, Linux, or Apache. Virtualization has made it possible for companies to fit more virtual servers onto fewer physical devices, saving them space, power, and time spent managing them. The adoption of virtualization services is significantly increased by industrial automation systems. Industrial automation suppliers offer new-generation devices to virtualize VMs and software-driven industrial automation operations. This will solve problems with important automation equipment like Programmable Logic Controller (PLCs) and Distributed Control Systems (DCS), leading to more virtualized goods and services in industrial automation processes. 3.2 Evaluating IT Infrastructure Reformation IT infrastructure evaluation for virtualization needs to look at existing systems and processes along with finding opportunities and shortcomings. Cloud computing, mobile workforces, and app compatibility cause this growth. Over the last decade, these areas have shifted from conventional to virtual infrastructure. • Capacity on Demand: It is a concept that refers to the ability to quickly and easily deploy virtual servers, either on-premise or through a hosting provider. This is made possible through the use of virtualization technologies. These technologies allow businesses to create multiple virtual instances of servers that can be easily scaled up or down as per the requirement, providing businesses with access to IT capacity on demand. • Disaster Recovery (DR): DR is a critical consideration in evaluating IT infrastructure reformation for virtualization. Virtualization technology enables businesses to create virtual instances of servers that run multiple applications, which eliminates the need for robust DR solutions that can be expensive and time-consuming to implement. As a result, businesses can save costs by leveraging the virtual infrastructure for DR purposes. • Consumerization of IT: The consumerization of IT refers to the increasing trend of employees using personal devices and applications in their work environments. This has resulted in a need for businesses to ensure that their IT infrastructure can support a diverse range of devices and applications. Virtual machines enable businesses to create virtual desktop environments that can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, thereby providing employees with a consistent and secure work environment regardless of their device. 3.3 Virtualization Impact on Business Agility Virtualization has emerged as a valuable tool for enhancing business agility by allowing firms to respond quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively to market changes. By enabling rapid installation and migration of applications and services across systems, the migration to the virtualized systems has allowed companies to achieve significant operational flexibility, responsiveness, and scalability gains. According to a poll conducted by Tech Target, 66% of the firms have reported an increase in agility due to virtualization adoption. This trend is expected to rise, driven by growing demand for cost-effective and efficient IT solutions across various industries. In line with this, a comprehensive analysis has projected that the market for virtualization software was estimated to be worth USD 45.51 billion in 2021. It is anticipated to grow to USD 223.35 billion by 2029, with a CAGR of 22.00% predicted for the forecast period of 2022–2029, including application, network, and hardware virtualization. (Source: Data Bridge) This is primarily attributed to the growing need for businesses to improve their agility and competitiveness by leveraging advanced virtualization technologies and solutions for applications and servers. 4. How can Businesses Scale ROI with Adoption of Virtualization in Virtual Machines? Businesses looking to boost their ROI have gradually shifted to Virtualizing VMs, in the past years. According to a recent study, VM virtualization helps businesses reduce their hardware and maintenance costs by up to 50%, significantly impacting their bottom line. Server consolidation helps reduce hardware costs and improve resource utilization, as businesses allocate resources, operating systems, and applications dynamically based on workload demand. Utilizing application virtualization, in particular, can assist businesses in optimizing resource utilization by as much as 80%. Software-defined Networking (SDN) allows new devices, some with previously unsupported operating systems, to be more easily incorporated into an enterprise’s IT environment. The telecom industry can greatly benefit from the emergence of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), SDN, and Network Virtualization, as these technologies provide significant advantages. The NFV idea virtualizes and effectively joins service provider network elements on multi-tenant industry-standard servers, switches, and storage. To leverage the benefits of NFV, telecom service providers have heavily invested in NFV services. By deploying NFV and application virtualization together, organizations can create a more flexible and scalable IT infrastructure that responds to changing business needs more effectively. 5. Risks and Challenges of Virtual Machines in the Cloud 5.1 Resource Distribution: Resource availability is crucial when running applications in a virtual machine, as it leads to increased resource consumption. The resource distribution in VMs is typically managed by a hypervisor or virtual machine manager responsible for allocating resources to the VMs based on their specific requirements. A study found that poor resource management can lead to overprovisioning, increasing cloud costs by up to 70%. (Source: Gartner) 5.2 VM Sprawl: 82% of companies experienced VM sprawl, with the average organization having 115% more VMs than they need, as per a survey. (Source: Veeam) VM sprawl can occur in virtualization when an excessive proliferation of virtual machines is not effectively managed or utilized, leading to many underutilized or inactive VMs. This can lead to increased resource consumption, higher costs, and reduced performance. 5.3 Backward Compatibility: Backward compatibility can be particularly challenging in virtualized systems, where applications may run on multiple operating systems than they were designed for. A recent study showed that 87% of enterprises have encountered software compatibility issues during their migration to the cloud for app virtualization. (Source: Flexera) 5.4 Conditional Network Monitoring: A study found that misconfigurations, hardware problems, and human error account for over 60% of network outages. (Source: SolarWinds) Network monitoring tools can help organizations monitor virtual network traffic and identify potential network issues affecting application performance in VMs. These tools also provide visibility into network traffic patterns, enabling IT teams to identify areas for optimization and improvement. 5.5 Interoperability: Interoperability issues are common when implementing cloud-based virtualization when integrating the virtualized environment with other on-premises or cloud-based systems. According to a report, around 50% of virtualization projects encounter interoperability issues that require extensive troubleshooting and debugging. (Source: Gartner) 6. Overcoming Roadblocks: Best Practices for Successful Execution of VMs 6.1 Unlocking the Power of Resource Distribution: By breaking up large, monolithic applications into smaller, more manageable components, virtualizing allows organizations to distribute resources effectively, enabling its users with varying needs to utilize the resources with optimum efficiency. With prioritizing resource distribution, resources such as CPU, memory, and storage can be dynamically allocated to virtual machines as needed. Businesses must frequently monitor and evaluate resource utilization data to better resource allocation and management. 6.2 Effective techniques for Avoiding VM Sprawl: VM sprawl can be addressed through a variety of techniques, including VM lifecycle management, automated provisioning, and regular audits of virtual machine usage. Tools such as virtualization management software, cloud management platforms, and monitoring tools can help organizations gain better visibility and control over their virtual infrastructure. Monitoring applications and workload requirements as well as establishing policies and procedures for virtual machine provisioning & decommissioning are crucial for businesses to avoid VM sprawl. 6.3 Backward Compatibility: A Comprehensive Solution: One of the solutions to backward compatibility challenges is to use virtualization technologies, such as containers or hypervisors, that allow older applications to run on newer hardware and software. Another solution is to use compatibility testing tools that can identify potential compatibility issues before they become problems. To ensure that virtual machines can run on different hypervisors or cloud platforms, businesses can implement standardized virtualization architectures that support a wide range of hardware and software configurations. 6.4 Performance Metrics: Businesses employing cloud-based virtualization must have reliable network monitoring in order to guarantee the best possible performance of their virtual workloads and to promptly detect and resolve any problems that may affect the performance. Businesses can improve their customers' experience in VMs by implementing a network monitoring solution that helps them locate slow spots, boost speed, and avoid interruptions. 6.5 Solutions for Interoperability in a Connected World: Standardized communication protocols and APIs help cloud-based virtualization setups to interoperate. Integrating middleware like enterprise service buses (ESBs) can consolidate system and application management. In addition, businesses can use cloud-native tools and services like Kubernetes for container orchestration or cloud-native databases for interoperability in virtual machines. 7. Five Leading Providers for Virtualization of VMs Aryaka Aryaka is a pioneer of a cloud-first architecture for the delivery of SD-WAN and, more recently, SASE. Using their proprietary, integrated technology and services, they ensure safe connectivity for businesses. They are named a Gartner ‘Voice of the Customer leader’ for simplifying the adoption of network and network security solutions with organization standards for shifting from legacy IT infrastructure to various modern deployments. Gigamon Gigamon provides a comprehensive network observability solution that enhances observability tools' capabilities. The solution helps IT organizations ensure security and compliance governance, accelerate the root-cause analysis of performance issues, and reduce the operational overhead of managing complex hybrid and multi-cloud IT infrastructures. Gigamon's solution offers a deep observability pipeline that harnesses actionable network-level intelligence to amplify the power of observability tools. Liquidware Liquidware is a software company that offers desktop and application virtualization solutions. Their services include user environment management, application layering, desktop virtualization, monitoring and analytics, and migration services. Using these services, businesses can improve user productivity, reduce complexity in managing applications, lower hardware costs, troubleshoot issues quickly, and migrate to virtualized environments efficiently. Azul Azul offers businesses Java runtime solutions. Azul Platform Prime is a cloud-based Java runtime platform that provides enhanced performance, scalability, and security. Azul provides 24/7 technical support and upgrades for Java applications. Their services improve Java application performance, dependability, and security for enterprises. Azul also provides Java application development and deployment training and consultancy. 8. Conclusion Virtualization of VMs in businesses boosts their ROI significantly. The integration of virtualization with DevOps practices could allow for more streamlined application delivery and deployment, with greater automation and continuous integration, thus achieving greater success in current competitive business landscape. We expect to see more advancements in developing new hypervisors and management tools in the coming years. Additionally, there will likely be an increased focus on security and data protection in virtualized environments, as well as greater integration with other emerging technologies like containerization and edge computing. Virtualization is set to transform the business landscape in future by facilitating the effective and safe deployment and management of applications as technology advances and new trends emerge. The future of virtualization looks promising as it continues to adapt to and revolutionize the changing needs of organizations, streamlining their operations, reducing carbon footprint, and improving overall sustainability. As such, virtualization will continue to be a crucial technology for businesses seeking to thrive in the digital age.

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Spotlight

Critical Design Associates

Critical Design Associates Inc., an information technology company, is committed to providing clients with greater efficiencies that center on people, platform and processes. Successful results are achieved by applying these core principles to any IT business challenge. Through integrity, dedication, and teamwork we provide our customers with the highest quality of service. Our success is only measured by the success of our clients.

Related News

Virtualized Environments

VeriSilicon Unveils the New VC9800 IP for Next Generation Data Centers

Business Wire | January 09, 2024

VeriSilicon today unveiled its latest VC9800 series Video Processor Unit (VPU) IP with enhanced video processing performance to strengthen its presence in the data center applications. The newly launched series IP caters to the advanced requirements of next generation data centers including video transcoding servers, AI servers, virtual cloud desktops, and cloud gaming. The VC9800 series of VPU IP boasts high performance, high throughput, and server-level multi-stream encoding and decoding capabilities. It can handle up to 256 streams and support all mainstream video formats, including the new advanced format VVC. Through Rapid Look Ahead encoding, the VC9800 series IP improves video quality significantly with low memory footprint and encoding latency. With capable of supporting 8K encoding and decoding, it offers enhanced video post-processing and multi-channel encoding at various resolutions, thus achieves an efficient transcoding solution. The VC9800 series of VPU IP can seamlessly interface with Neural Network Processor (NPU) IP, enabling a complete AI-video pipeline. When combined with VeriSilicon’s Graphics Processor Unit (GPU) IP, the subsystem solution is able to deliver enhanced gaming experiences. In addition, the hardware virtualization, super resolution image enhancement, and AI-enabled encoding functions of this series IP also offer effective solutions for virtual cloud desktops. “VeriSilicon’s advanced video transcoding technology continues leading in Data Center domain. We are working closely with global leading customers to develop comprehensive video processing subsystem solutions to meet the requirements of the latest Data Centers,” said Wei-Jin Dai, Executive VP and GM of IP Division of VeriSilicon. “For AI computing, our video post-processing capabilities have been extended to smoothly interact with NPUs, ensuring OpenCV-level accuracy. We’ve also introduced super resolution technology to the video processing subsystem, elevating image quality and ultimately enhancing user experiences for cloud computing and smart display.” About VeriSilicon VeriSilicon is committed to providing customers with platform-based, all-around, one-stop custom silicon services and semiconductor IP licensing services leveraging its in-house semiconductor IP.

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Virtual Desktop Tools, Virtual Desktop Strategies, Server Virtualization

Netskope Delivers the Next Evolution in Digital Experience Management for SASE with Proactive DEM

PR Newswire | September 01, 2023

Netskope, a leader in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), today announced the launch of Proactive Digital Experience Management (DEM) for SASE, elevating best practice from the current reactive monitoring tools to proactive user experience management. Proactive DEM provides experience management capabilities across the entire SASE architecture, including Netskope Intelligent SSE, Netskope Borderless SD-WAN and Netskope NewEdge global infrastructure. Digital Experience Management technology has become increasingly crucial amid digital business transformation, with organizations seeking to enhance customer experiences and improve employee engagement. With hybrid work and cloud infrastructure now the norm globally, organizations have struggled to ensure consistent and optimized experiences alongside stringent security requirements. Gartner predicts that "by 2026, at least 60% of I&O leaders will use DEM to measure application, services and endpoint performance from the user's viewpoint, up from less than 20% in 2021." However, monitoring applications, services, and networks is only part of a modern DEM experience, and so Netskope Proactive DEM goes beyond observation, providing Machine Learning (ML)-driven functionality to anticipate, and automatically remediate, problems. Sanjay Beri, CEO and co-founder of Netskope commented, "Ensuring a constantly optimized experience is essential for organizations looking to support the best productivity returns for hybrid workers and modern cloud infrastructure, but monitoring alone is not enough. Customers have told us of the challenges they face managing a multi-vendor cloud ecosystem and so we have yet again innovated beyond industry standards, providing experience management that can both monitor and proactively remediate." For issue identification, Netskope Proactive DEM uniquely combines Synthetic Monitoring with Real User monitoring, creating SMART monitoring (Synthetic Monitoring Augmentation for Real Traffic). This enables full end-to-end 'hop-by-hop' visibility of data, and the proactive identification of experience-impacting events. SMART monitoring enables organizations to anticipate potential events that might impact upon network and application experience. While most SASE vendors rely on "gray cloud" infrastructure - built on public cloud - which limits their ability to granularly identify and control any issues, Proactive DEM leverages Netskope NewEdge - the industry's largest private cloud infrastructure - to deliver 360 visibility and control of end-to-end user experience while providing mitigation of issues, including using various self-healing mechanisms, before the user recognizes their experience has degraded. About Netskope Netskope, a global SASE leader, helps organizations apply zero trust principles and AI/ML innovations to protect data and defend against cyber threats. Fast and easy to use, the Netskope platform provides optimized access and real-time security for people, devices, and data anywhere they go. Netskope helps customers reduce risk, accelerate performance, and get unrivaled visibility into any cloud, web, and private application activity. Thousands of customers trust Netskope and its powerful NewEdge network to address evolving threats, new risks, technology shifts, organizational and network changes, and new regulatory requirements.

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Virtual Desktop Tools, Server Hypervisors

Meter Partners with Cloudflare to Launch DNS Security

Business Wire | August 31, 2023

Meter, Inc., a leader in Network as a Service (NaaS) for businesses, today announced DNS Security, built in partnership with Cloudflare, the security, performance, and reliability company. Meter DNS Security is now widely available for all Meter Network customers, expanding Meter’s existing NaaS offering and saving teams both time and money, while also improving overall network performance and security, powered by Cloudflare’s Zero Trust platform. “With the number of devices on a network expected to triple by 2030, modern businesses and organizations demand enterprise network controls to ensure safety and peak performance for business critical functions,” said Anil Varanasi, CEO and co-founder of Meter. “Meter DNS Security is the latest example of how we’re continuing to offer our customers enterprise level networks end-to-end. Through our partnership with Cloudflare, we’re enhancing our capabilities to meet the needs of IT professionals at industrial warehouses, educational institutions, security firms, and more.” Meter DNS Security eliminates the hassle of having multiple vendors, by providing content filtering at several layers to all customers within the Meter Dashboard in partnership with one of the best providers in the world. “We’re proud to have Meter leveraging Cloudflare’s Zero Trust platform in a new way, offering our DNS filtering feature natively built into their Meter Dashboard,” said John Graham-Cumming, CTO, Cloudflare. “By building on Cloudflare's platform, Meter enables customers to manage their team’s operations at scale, as well as effectively enforce global corporate policies across diverse corporate spaces, such as offices, schools, and warehouses.” In addition to the ease and scalability of Meter DNS Security, users are ensuring security through enhanced compliance by blocking access to known malicious websites and bad actors. The integration and partnership with Cloudflare provides customers with faster DNS response times, while optimizing network performance by limiting access to high-bandwidth websites and services. Real world examples of this process include, but are not limited to: Ensuring a safe browsing environment at schools by filtering out age inappropriate content Optimizing network performance for warehouses by filtering high bandwidth activities like video streaming Maintaining high security and compliance standards by filtering malicious or illegal content “Tishman Speyer has successfully partnered with Meter to streamline the networking and Wi-Fi experience for our customers,” said Simon Okunev, Managing Director and Chief Information Officer, Tishman Speyer. “The addition of Meter’s DNS Security feature, powered by Cloudflare, will further benefit our customers by providing an additional layer of security.” About Cloudflare Cloudflare, Inc. is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Cloudflare’s suite of products protect and accelerate any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was awarded by Reuters Events for Global Responsible Business in 2020, named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in 2021, and ranked among Newsweek's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces in 2022.

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Virtualized Environments

VeriSilicon Unveils the New VC9800 IP for Next Generation Data Centers

Business Wire | January 09, 2024

VeriSilicon today unveiled its latest VC9800 series Video Processor Unit (VPU) IP with enhanced video processing performance to strengthen its presence in the data center applications. The newly launched series IP caters to the advanced requirements of next generation data centers including video transcoding servers, AI servers, virtual cloud desktops, and cloud gaming. The VC9800 series of VPU IP boasts high performance, high throughput, and server-level multi-stream encoding and decoding capabilities. It can handle up to 256 streams and support all mainstream video formats, including the new advanced format VVC. Through Rapid Look Ahead encoding, the VC9800 series IP improves video quality significantly with low memory footprint and encoding latency. With capable of supporting 8K encoding and decoding, it offers enhanced video post-processing and multi-channel encoding at various resolutions, thus achieves an efficient transcoding solution. The VC9800 series of VPU IP can seamlessly interface with Neural Network Processor (NPU) IP, enabling a complete AI-video pipeline. When combined with VeriSilicon’s Graphics Processor Unit (GPU) IP, the subsystem solution is able to deliver enhanced gaming experiences. In addition, the hardware virtualization, super resolution image enhancement, and AI-enabled encoding functions of this series IP also offer effective solutions for virtual cloud desktops. “VeriSilicon’s advanced video transcoding technology continues leading in Data Center domain. We are working closely with global leading customers to develop comprehensive video processing subsystem solutions to meet the requirements of the latest Data Centers,” said Wei-Jin Dai, Executive VP and GM of IP Division of VeriSilicon. “For AI computing, our video post-processing capabilities have been extended to smoothly interact with NPUs, ensuring OpenCV-level accuracy. We’ve also introduced super resolution technology to the video processing subsystem, elevating image quality and ultimately enhancing user experiences for cloud computing and smart display.” About VeriSilicon VeriSilicon is committed to providing customers with platform-based, all-around, one-stop custom silicon services and semiconductor IP licensing services leveraging its in-house semiconductor IP.

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Virtual Desktop Tools, Virtual Desktop Strategies, Server Virtualization

Netskope Delivers the Next Evolution in Digital Experience Management for SASE with Proactive DEM

PR Newswire | September 01, 2023

Netskope, a leader in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), today announced the launch of Proactive Digital Experience Management (DEM) for SASE, elevating best practice from the current reactive monitoring tools to proactive user experience management. Proactive DEM provides experience management capabilities across the entire SASE architecture, including Netskope Intelligent SSE, Netskope Borderless SD-WAN and Netskope NewEdge global infrastructure. Digital Experience Management technology has become increasingly crucial amid digital business transformation, with organizations seeking to enhance customer experiences and improve employee engagement. With hybrid work and cloud infrastructure now the norm globally, organizations have struggled to ensure consistent and optimized experiences alongside stringent security requirements. Gartner predicts that "by 2026, at least 60% of I&O leaders will use DEM to measure application, services and endpoint performance from the user's viewpoint, up from less than 20% in 2021." However, monitoring applications, services, and networks is only part of a modern DEM experience, and so Netskope Proactive DEM goes beyond observation, providing Machine Learning (ML)-driven functionality to anticipate, and automatically remediate, problems. Sanjay Beri, CEO and co-founder of Netskope commented, "Ensuring a constantly optimized experience is essential for organizations looking to support the best productivity returns for hybrid workers and modern cloud infrastructure, but monitoring alone is not enough. Customers have told us of the challenges they face managing a multi-vendor cloud ecosystem and so we have yet again innovated beyond industry standards, providing experience management that can both monitor and proactively remediate." For issue identification, Netskope Proactive DEM uniquely combines Synthetic Monitoring with Real User monitoring, creating SMART monitoring (Synthetic Monitoring Augmentation for Real Traffic). This enables full end-to-end 'hop-by-hop' visibility of data, and the proactive identification of experience-impacting events. SMART monitoring enables organizations to anticipate potential events that might impact upon network and application experience. While most SASE vendors rely on "gray cloud" infrastructure - built on public cloud - which limits their ability to granularly identify and control any issues, Proactive DEM leverages Netskope NewEdge - the industry's largest private cloud infrastructure - to deliver 360 visibility and control of end-to-end user experience while providing mitigation of issues, including using various self-healing mechanisms, before the user recognizes their experience has degraded. About Netskope Netskope, a global SASE leader, helps organizations apply zero trust principles and AI/ML innovations to protect data and defend against cyber threats. Fast and easy to use, the Netskope platform provides optimized access and real-time security for people, devices, and data anywhere they go. Netskope helps customers reduce risk, accelerate performance, and get unrivaled visibility into any cloud, web, and private application activity. Thousands of customers trust Netskope and its powerful NewEdge network to address evolving threats, new risks, technology shifts, organizational and network changes, and new regulatory requirements.

Read More

Virtual Desktop Tools, Server Hypervisors

Meter Partners with Cloudflare to Launch DNS Security

Business Wire | August 31, 2023

Meter, Inc., a leader in Network as a Service (NaaS) for businesses, today announced DNS Security, built in partnership with Cloudflare, the security, performance, and reliability company. Meter DNS Security is now widely available for all Meter Network customers, expanding Meter’s existing NaaS offering and saving teams both time and money, while also improving overall network performance and security, powered by Cloudflare’s Zero Trust platform. “With the number of devices on a network expected to triple by 2030, modern businesses and organizations demand enterprise network controls to ensure safety and peak performance for business critical functions,” said Anil Varanasi, CEO and co-founder of Meter. “Meter DNS Security is the latest example of how we’re continuing to offer our customers enterprise level networks end-to-end. Through our partnership with Cloudflare, we’re enhancing our capabilities to meet the needs of IT professionals at industrial warehouses, educational institutions, security firms, and more.” Meter DNS Security eliminates the hassle of having multiple vendors, by providing content filtering at several layers to all customers within the Meter Dashboard in partnership with one of the best providers in the world. “We’re proud to have Meter leveraging Cloudflare’s Zero Trust platform in a new way, offering our DNS filtering feature natively built into their Meter Dashboard,” said John Graham-Cumming, CTO, Cloudflare. “By building on Cloudflare's platform, Meter enables customers to manage their team’s operations at scale, as well as effectively enforce global corporate policies across diverse corporate spaces, such as offices, schools, and warehouses.” In addition to the ease and scalability of Meter DNS Security, users are ensuring security through enhanced compliance by blocking access to known malicious websites and bad actors. The integration and partnership with Cloudflare provides customers with faster DNS response times, while optimizing network performance by limiting access to high-bandwidth websites and services. Real world examples of this process include, but are not limited to: Ensuring a safe browsing environment at schools by filtering out age inappropriate content Optimizing network performance for warehouses by filtering high bandwidth activities like video streaming Maintaining high security and compliance standards by filtering malicious or illegal content “Tishman Speyer has successfully partnered with Meter to streamline the networking and Wi-Fi experience for our customers,” said Simon Okunev, Managing Director and Chief Information Officer, Tishman Speyer. “The addition of Meter’s DNS Security feature, powered by Cloudflare, will further benefit our customers by providing an additional layer of security.” About Cloudflare Cloudflare, Inc. is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Cloudflare’s suite of products protect and accelerate any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was awarded by Reuters Events for Global Responsible Business in 2020, named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in 2021, and ranked among Newsweek's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces in 2022.

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Events