Virtualization and Cloud Services: A Comparison of Adoption and Implementation

Outcomes addressed in this activity:
Unit Outcomes:
Explain the characteristics of a virtual server infrastructure.
Describe the difference between physical server and virtual server environments.
Describe the infrastructure requirements for a cloud application provider.
Analyze which virtualization software architecture is most appropriate for large and small organizations.

Course Outcomes:
Examine the business impact of virtualization.
Use appropriate communication for a particular audience.

Purpose
Virtualization and cloud computing continue to gain momentum for both large and small businesses as the need to maximize efficiency while minimizing resources continues. This assignment will help you compare the various advantages and disadvantages to moving to cloud services rather than maintaining a physical infrastructure in-house.

Assignment Instructions
Virtualization and cloud services continue to gain momentum as more and more organizations desire to reduce costs while improving efficiency. According to Portnoy (2012), “Once the infrastructure services are virtualized and an organization starts to reap some of the fiscal benefits of their new strategy, an active program is put in place to move to the next level. As servers come off their leases, those workloads are migrated to the growing infrastructure. Companies usually adopt virtualization-first policies, which state that as new projects come in house, any server requirements will be satisfied by the virtual resources, rather than by paying for new physical resources. Actual hardware will be purchased only if it can be proven that the need cannot be satisfied with the virtual environment.” (Understanding the Importance of Virtualization).

Based on your research, write a 3–5page paper that compares the adoption and implementation of virtualization versus physical server infrastructure. The paper should also discuss the costs and support considerations of the two technologies. This paper is to be written for the executive leadership of the company, in an effort to persuade them to invest in virtualization as a cost-effective option toward managing the enterprise network.

Assignment Requirements
All papers must meet these standard requirements:
Paper follows APA formatting. Length is 3–5pages long, not including references and cover page. As you research various access technologies, ALL of the pages must have citations and references. No more than three bulleted or listed points per paper. Bulleted lists without substantial narrative included are strongly discouraged. No more than one directquotation (of 40 words or more) per page from a reference source and those quotes must be properly cited within the body and in the references at the end of the paper.

References are required for all sources, and all figures and tables must be captioned in APA format.
Title page
Reference page

Answers contain sufficient information to adequately answer the questions and contain no spelling, grammar, or APA errors. Points deducted from grade for each writing, spelling, or grammar error are at your instructor’s discretion. For more information and examples of APA formatting, APA Style Central in the Academic Tools of the course. Also review the Policy on Plagiarism. This policy will be strictly enforced on all applicable assignments and discussion posts. If you have any questions, please contact your professor.

Directions for Submitting Your Assignment Compose your Assignment in a Microsoft Word document and save it Unit 2: Assignment Dropbox by the end of Unit 2. Review the Unit Assignment Rubric under Course Resources, Grading Rubrics before beginning this activity.