Understanding The IT Virtualization Concepts, Solutions, And Patterns In Today’s Organizations

Executive Summary

Describe about the Understanding the IT Virtualization concepts, solutions and patterns in today’s Organizations?

The technology keeps on developing, and the need for generating virtual systems for refreshing the behavior of the real environment has become a major role of the IT software providers. For making a virtual environment, IT professionals have to use virtualization through developing a server implementation, investigating the requisition or operating system renovation as well as examining the use of software technology in the development habitat.

This study has demonstrated the use of virtualization considering Citrix as the case organization. The study has shown that the importance of IT virtualization is increasing with a great speed where many business territories like Citrix are using virtualization to sprint live arrangement of servers to provide discharge, privacy, reliability and a nominal cost for hardware possession. With the help of server virtualization environments one hardware platform is able to deliver many servers or remote agency. The study has also revealed that different vendors are providing software and hardware virtualization results to the customers. This report enables the user to access either server-based virtualization or desktop-based virtualization. Developing a virtualization environment requires an understanding of the host system and its shortcomings including the need of the guest operating system. The overall study of this report encourage the reader to explore how virtualization can be implemented in an organization and what are the possible steps for maintaining virtualization solution.

Virtualization is a software technique, which allows running numerous operating systems and different applications on the identical server at the same time (Lim et al. 2015). In the field of computing, the act of creating a virtual version of any technology includes virtual operating system, virtual storage gadget, and several resources of computer network (Li et al. 2013)). The implementation of virtualization in different IT services enables to transform the IT scenario.

To perform this study, Citrix System has considered as the case organization. It is a multinational software company whose primary motive is to develop mobile workspace technologies, which comprises of virtualization, networking, mobility management, and cloud services (Hodge et al. 2012).

In the first section, the evaluation of current virtualization solutions is mentioned which has been adopted by any organization. The later discussion contains potential benefits of virtualization and assessment of the technology requirements for improving the productivity of the chosen group. At the same time, an analysis of the needs for implementing virtualization and designing of a virtualization solution by a preexisting virtualization technique has been discussed. Systematic testing of virtualization environment in the chosen company and identification of the critical environmental factors within the enterprise that have a great impact on its virtualization solution has been discussed. Documentation and analysis of the test results of the test carried out in the previous section and how it impacts on the virtualization solution of the organization chosen. In the last part of the report monitoring the virtualization environment of the selected organization, measures that can be taken by the chosen company to maintain a virtualization have been discussed.

Understanding the Commercial Impact and Potential of Virtualization

In this, new era of science and technology, application of computer-networking is getting sophisticated which results in demanding network security issues. Notably, virtualization in small enterprises is reducing the time disbursed on daily IT administrative tasks, like managing and summing up of new server tasks at hand, the addition of new employees or enlarging and projecting new applications. These techniques serve the business needs of the small enterprises (Marakas et al. 2014).

Some companies like Citrix System, VMware, Oracle, Red Hat, Oracle, Amazon, Google, Virtual Bridges, Parallels, Proxmox etc. are providing the best software solutions are using virtualization (Demestichas et al. 2013).

Examples of small and medium sized organizations that are using virtualization solutions are VMware and Proxmox. (Bennett et al. 2012). The virtualization solutions implemented in VMware are VMware vSphere Essentials Plus, VMware vCloud Suite and VMware Horizon Suite. (Tsugawa et al. 2012). The application of VMware vSphere Essentials Plus is to start quickly the virtualization in small organizations and allows gaining the interest of server association and business progression (Lim et al. 2015). VMware vCloud deals with providing the components to convey infrastructure as a supply and rapidly evolve a data center into an easy moving private cloud. VMware Horizon Suite allows IT to convert physical and virtual applications and desktops into consolidate IT services that can be delivered safely to end users on their devices. (Tzanakaki et al. 2013). On the other hand, Proxmox implemented two virtualization solutions that are, Proxmox Mail Gateway and Proxmox virtual environment. A full virtualization management explanation is explained by Proxmox virtual environment, which is based on KVM and storage virtualization. While Proxmox mail gateway is a displayed mail proxy resulting in virus and spam filtering. It protects the mail server contrary to all email threats (Tzanakaki et al. 2013).

Examples of two large organizations include Amazon and Google. Virtualization solutions used in Amazon includes paravirtual (PV) and hardware virtual machine (HVM). (Marakas et al. 2014). PV AMIs enables booting with a special boot loader named as PV-GRUB, which outset the boot cycle and then order loads the kernel mentioned in the menu (Li et al. 2013). HVM AMIs replenishes the strength to run an operating system precisely on top of a virtual machine beyond any adjustment (Yemini et al. 2013). On the other hand, Google uses Ganeti, which is a virtualization solution and helps in disk formation, OS installation, migration, creation and shutdown and can be recycled to shift a virtual machine slender by a physical system preemptively (Christensen et al. 2012).

Proper utilization of virtualization solution enhances the effectiveness of hardware with appropriate care to solve the problem if any.

In the today’s world of IT enterprises, the application of latest technologies that enables businesses to rise gradually thereby meeting customer needs (Christensen et al. 2012). Virtualization automation approves a virtual figure on an instrument, which is possibly re-imaged on other server when there is a failure in machine (Xavier et al. 2013). Virtualization of systems allows averting system striking caused due to software like device drivers. To get greater reliability, availability, and security VT-d for Directed I/O Architecture imparts methods for controlling the system devices in a better way using the construction of DMA and remapping of interrupt to individual the improved separation of I/O resources (Rost et al. 2015).

Current Virtualization Solutions in an Organization

Virtualization is adopted for collection of ineffective servers that can be exchanged against fewer machines. Moreover, software is tested even when separated in a safe virtual barriers and data centers can skillfully yield to new technologies, shifting work models and unstable corporate superiority using virtualization. Virtualization reduces the VMM complexities, upgrades reliability, allows protection and security, and improves the functionality, efficiency and performance (Tsugawa et al. 2012).

The benefits that the selected company named Citrix is obtaining by virtualization include cloud-based storage techniques, XenApp, and XenDesktop (Kerravala et al. 2013. Cloud-based storage method allows Citrix to store the data of the customers in the cloud and enables to mobilize the date of the customers of Citrix, which they already contain (Demestichas et al. 2013).

Now the application of XenApp is to transform Windows apps into a shielded mobile services, on the other hand, XenDesktop provides power to complete virtual desktops that are the applications of virtualization used in Citrix (Lim et al. 2015).

Virtualization not only enhances the hardware regulation, but it also reduces the time that was taken to install a new server online. However, to implement IT virtualization technology, a small and medium size organization is required to be fulfilled the below mentioned requirements: The technology of virtual machine sprawl has become one of the primary concern facing by many small, medium enterprises that are using desktop and server virtualization (Yang et al. 2013). The ability for creation of virtual machines without the controlling and disciplinary acts of the physical world resulting in devices being provided unnecessarily  Email, messaging, databases and storage facilities are the examples of information technology that encounters sprawl issues and are solved by virtual machine sprawl (Sun et al. 2013).

The egenera vBlade technology provides support to the processor that can install the intricacy and restore all the trouble created by alteration of the hosts and the OS systems (Rost et al. 2015). It virtualizes and manages resources on a frame comprised of two-socket and four-socket x86 servers including storage and switches (Demestichas et al. 2013).

The enterprise that has the unified content platform can debug and modify all the mistakes made by the cloud technology (Bennett et al. 2012). The free products could be handled by setting up the applications and the platforms which actually tries to debug and bring an approach (Uddin et al. 2012).

VMware Ready seeks to implement proper management and mechanization that support the system against all features.

Embedded OEM tried to evolve the coding stream, which has a business comprises of logging and automation services.

ISV Centre focuses on the machines that can handle the physical mobility and manage the different platform levels.

VMware Solution Exchange provides more concrete solutions by tracing the applications that are essential to execute the outcome and decide confidence (character).

Each organization has some unique requirements, and similar steps are intricate in creating a good technology plan (Peng et al. 2013). Centric Systems can implement these five steps in developing technology plan:

Potential Benefits of Virtualization

Firstly, the accessible technology strategy must be defined to clarify that whether the proposed technology can be used in the business or not (Drutskoy et al. 2013).

Secondly, a comprehensive set of necessity has been developed to describe the accessibility requirements of Citrix and thereby assessing the latest technology (Dong et al. 2012).

Thirdly, the purchasing of accessible technology is required, and identification of internal technology systems is needed to increase accessibility (Khan et al. 2012).

Fourthly, when the accessible technology is available in addition to new technology it can be forwarded to Centrix Systems. This step also includes increasing awareness within employees about the opportunity of affordable technologies, and the employees must be trained to use accessible features (Tsugawa et al. 2012).

Lastly, the available technology that has been implemented on Citrix Systems is required to be maintained, and success is evaluated including opportunities for improvement.

Needs analysis for a virtualization deployment in an organization

Citrix Systems provides application and desktop virtualization, enabling to have a complete, flexible result that supplies Windows applications and desktops to all users on available devices while securing necessary information in the data center (Khan et al. 2012). Using virtualization in Citrix reduces VMM complexities, it enhances reliability, protection and certainty, improves the functional operations, and improves the performances (Kerravala et al. 2013). Streamlined implementation and lifecycle management reduce desktop and application management costs. Implementing virtualization process leads to delivery of apps and desktops on demand, without working for hours to prepare traditional hardware and thereby build focus on business initiatives (Drutskoy et al. 2013).

Virtualization is a hardware / software solution that enables multiple operating systems to work on a single hardware system. In an organization like Citrix, the following designing methodologies can be implemented to get best IT solutions:

Storage virtualization can be used in Citrix Solutions that can ensure the best performance involved with storage I/O real and virtual servers (Uddin et al. 2012).

Network access virtualization facilitates production of any application containing high network activity, which will be influenced without committed NICs or a robust network virtualization solution (Sun et al. 2015).

Memory and CPU virtualization is required in Citrix not over to commit virtual storage in a single operating system (Dong et al. 2012). To neglect the critical situations created by harmoniously active virtual machines may not outreach the actual memory (Hodge et al. 2012).

Steps taken to maintain virtualization solution

Citrix System applies IT virtualization rostrum, and different steps are need to be followed to get a proper performance of the virtualization techniques. The steps that need to be taken by Citrix System to maintain virtualization solutions are:

Before implementing virtualization solution in Citrix, the appropriate virtualization solution is needed to be adopted. In general, two methods are available which can organize centralized thin-client background for customers including virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and remote access terminal services. Citrix system has an option to use XenApp as remote access terminal services (Jain et al. 2013).

In this step, the Citrix System need to investigate the network and must check whether satisfactory bandwidth is available or not. Moreover, enough bandwidth is required to be maintained to guide the peak load of all virtual desktop users (Lim et al. 2015).

In this step, Citrix System needs to use server supervising tools to accumulate and dispatch data about the system’s resource implementation (Xavier et al. 2013). If there is a failure in the server, then all the virtual desktops will breakdown and to avoid such circumstances the virtual desktops need to spread across multiple servers (Yemini et al. 2013).

In this step, desktop virtualization settles every PC's data on servers. Hence, the data center SAN requires enough additional storage to host all the virtual desktops (Bennett et al. 2012). Citrix need to estimate their customers’ repository requirements and combine this extra storage with current SAN environments before implementing desktop virtualization (Peng et al. 2013).

Citrix system may use Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and the Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) to exchange the client-server data (Tzanakaki et al. 2013). The company must also be aware of whether their customer’s desktop endpoints are suited with the virtualization protocols or not (Kerravala et al. 2013).

Latest rules are designed to implement graphics acceleration hardware and virtualization software named CAD is used which can still strive software-based protocols (Christensen et al. 2012).

For maintaining desktop virtualization, Citrix system needs to prepare a mockup application in laboratory using apparatus that is relevant to their customers and also refreshing workloads to

construct for real deployments (Yang et al. 2013).

Citrix System needs to perform due assiduity when implementing desktop virtualization to firm each endpoint attacking. Effective endpoint security allows virtualization less acceptable that customers will alter their local operating systems or create other changes to the endpoint (Tsugawa et al. 2012).

Virtualization is IT field provides many desktop virtualization solutions. Several virtualization techniques are available in Citrix, which includes server, desktop virtualization application, networking, cloud computing techniques and software as a service (Rost et al. 2015). The applications provided by Citrix solution includes:

Request for mobilizing apps and desktops-

XenApp- It is a virtualization solution, which allows accessing to Windows applications and desktops independent of the machine (Hodge et al. 2012).

XenDesktop- It is a virtualization solution which conveys Windows apps and desktops as a source of safe mobile services (Demestichas et al. 2013). With the help of XenDesktop, IT mobilizes the business, and the centralizing control minimizes the costs for intelligent belongings (Christensen et al. 2012).

XenMobile- It is a virtualization solution, which conveys mobile device management (MDM), enterprise-grade productivity apps and mobile application management (MAM) (Khan et al. 2012).

NetScaler- It is a web application distribution controller that creates applications run five times greater.

CloudBridge-  It is a common platform that enhances and associates applications, optimizes bandwidth usage beyond third party applications (Sun et al. 2015).

XenServer- It is an open source virtualization environment that allows in managing server, cloud and desktop practical framework (Tzanakaki et al. 2013).

Citrix System is required to plan in an organized manner to obtain experimental findings in the virtualization solution as provided by them. IT needs to focus on data management, accessing of applications and data, managing of enterprise mobility, mobilizing of desktops and applications, optimization and security of networks, and need to build cloud infrastructure (Dong et al. 2012). The different techniques of virtualization solution enable the customers of Citrix to obtain a useful output. For accessing data Citrix receiver is used which allows access to applications, desktops and data quickly (Khan et al. 2012). For managing the enterprise mobility XenMobile, Worx Mobile Apps, and GoToAssist is used which helps in maintaining and securing apps, devices, and data (Kerravala et al. 2013).To mobilize apps and desktops XenApp, XenDesktop and XenClient are used. For optimizing and securing networks NetScaler and CloudBridge are used which allows the data center network to amend the delivery of all web applications and CloudBridge advances user involvement and productivity by enabling rapid, safe remote access. To build the cloud infrastructure, Citrix is using CloudPlatform, CloudPortal Business Manager, and XenServer as their virtualization solutions (Khan et al. 2012).

Citrix provides the flexibility that carry out some complexity in the administration of virtualized infrastructure. It provides its single share of complications though virtualization is advantageous to IT operations (Hodge et al. 2012). Citrix is a cloud computing company that allows mobile workstyles. Its offers virtualization solutions for different requirements including:

1. Citrix Receiver to access the data and applications.
2. XenMobile, Worx Mobile Apps, and GoToAssist to manage the enterprise mobility.
3. XenApp, XenDesktop and XenClient to mobilize the applications and desktops.
4. NetScaler and CloudBridge used to optimize and to secure the networks.
5. CloudPlatform, CloudPortal Business Manager and XenServer used to build the cloud infrastructure (Jain et al. 2013).

Scalability: Citrix system deals with the capability of the network it is applying for various applications. It supports the regular workloads. There are different hardware and software used as resources. Allocation of an additional capacity virtual machine is also used (Lim et al. 2015). 

Consolidation: To maintain the physical environment based on IT infrastructure, Citrix system need appropriate hardware, software, supply, storage device, RAM, etc. Every day the company is developing different products related to an application (Peng et al. 2013).

Agility: The unparallel level of flaccidity and acuteness to the data center happens in virtualization. Citrix uses discrete components of software, which can develop various servers. Distribution of the hardware and software resources is done to get a fixed performance (Yemini et al. 2013).

Reliability: When Citrix system uses costly hardware and software then failure may occur, error by human or potential failure. Whenever it is required the organization migrates a software object to physical hardware (Bennett et al. 2012).

In any business, the use of virtualization is much more essential. The business organizations are implementing virtualization for getting the following benefits:

1. Lessen the operating expenses.
2. Provide better reply by IT to appeal for new services.
3. Increase SLAs on IT services (Xavier et al. 2013).
4. Replenish business continuity.
5. Improve the service given to the customers.

If any business organization does not implement virtualization then the following consequences may occur:

1. The cost of the application equipment will be increasing gradually.
2. Minimize the business value of data centers.
3. Lack efficiency in the work structure.
4. Reduce the functionality and performance.

5.0 Conclusion:

Virtualization solution is the most important aspect in IT sectors. Citrix system is an American software organization using virtualization or a potential combination of hardware and software to implement Windows application, desktop virtualization, and networking, cloud computing. It operates an integrated software service that tests the virtualization environment and identifies the critical factors and its solution. For high productivity in IT companies, virtualization solutions play the crucial role.

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