Peer to Peer Magazine

BEST PRACTICES EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS TO MANAGEMENT As any IT manager will tell you, one key to a successful project is getting your boss to buy in on the investment. Server virtualization is no exception. The best way to get management on board is to explain the benefits of server virtualization — making a good business case as to why it will benefit your firm. In fact, our results show that nearly all (96 percent) of management who understood server virtualization benefits supported its adoption. GET TRAINED When you work in a small firm, IT staff need to be generalists by nature. However, not knowing everything about server virtualization won't prevent you from implementing it successfully. Get your staff trained on the basics of server virtualization: There are many free or low-cost training tools and programs available through virtualization software vendors. If you run into problems along your implementation path, reach out to other IT managers who have completed a server virtualization project. Peer advice has been found to be the most helpful tool in overcoming challenges posed during a virtualization implementation. CONTROL YOUR VMS Server virtualization is a great tool, but like any other aspect of a data center, it can grow out of control. Make sure limits for virtual machine (VM) sprawl are built in. Too many VMs can hinder efficiency just as much as too many physical servers. The easiest way to control the number of VMs you have running is to allocate VMs running a variety of applications to the same host, whenever possible. This will amplify the network and application optimization measures in place. Another way to mitigate VM sprawl is to create a formal approval procedure that will require the system administrator to approve any new VMs. Also consider using advance management tools to track all VM usage and performance. INCREASE BACKUP AND RAM Virtualizing servers solves a lot of IT problems, but, if you don't take some precautions, it might cause new IT problems as well. Two things to closely consider changing along with server virtualization are backup and hardware. Having a good battery backup is key with server virtualization. If the power to one physical server is lost, and it hosts five virtual servers, your firm could lose a lot Managing Metadata Obstacles in a World of Tinier Technology by Kate Billers, Senior National Project Manager with Epiq Systems and Michael Purcell, Senior Discovery Consultant with Epiq Systems M 16 www.iltanet.org Peer to Peer any of today's portable devices boast more storage capacity in smaller packages than ever before. We love our ever-shrinking technology and are amazed by the power of devices that fit in our palms. We discuss how much the average smartphone can do and how it can store more than Babbage's Difference Engine or the room-size machines of the mid-1900s. However, these advances in technology present interesting challenges for those seeking to collect the data that these devices contain. To read more, visit www.iltanet.org/obstacles. There's More Online! www.iltanet.org

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