Today’s enterprise networks are rapidly realizing the benefits of building virtual networks—networks that consist of several virtualized servers hosted on a single server. By creating a virtual network environment, organizations receive immediate cost savings in the physical hardware investments they normally would make to deploy multiple application servers in their network data centers. Experienced network managers immediately see the benefits of virtual networks and servers and the operational benefits they receive by centralizing and managing servers on one or more virtual servers.

Case in point—many Microsoft server products require their own dedicated servers. These Microsoft servers oftentimes create their own conflicts within the infrastructure due to these restrictions. For example, it is Microsoft “best practice” not to install Microsoft Windows Server with Active Directory Services and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server application solutions on the same server. There are many reasons for this recommendation but the most prevalent are for security reasons—Microsoft Active Directory Services are at the core of your network security—and an Active Directory Server cannot host local server accounts—all accounts located on an Active Directory Server are domain accounts.

Consequently, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is recommended to be installed on a member server where security enforcement is limited to local server computer accounts. In the past, the only solution available to follow best practice recommendations was to install two separate physical servers. With virtual network servers you can install two, three, four or more servers on to the same physical box, creating a virtual separation between the servers without sacrificing security or violating best practices. By investing in a single server that hosts sufficient memory, hard disk space, and a sufficient number of processors, your investment in multiple servers is significantly reduced.

A New Approach to Network Management

Exiis Corporation network consultants can assist businesses and organizations in creating a virtual network environment, consolidate server applications, and maximize your hardware investments. Nearly every organization has a lifecycle plan—a plan that addresses when resources will be retired, repurposed, or reassigned. Add to the lifecycle plan the consideration that new and improved hardware advancements are occurring yearly, it only makes sense to consider virtual network and server environment. Not long ago, 32-bit hardware was the industry standard, now, 32-bit hardware is becoming obsolete being replaced by the more efficient 64-bit hardware platform. In the not too distant future, legacy 32-bit servers will begin to fail, replacement costs will rise, and applications will become obsolete. By taking advantage of virtual server, those application servers can be simply copied and pasted to newer hardware, without the loss of data and with minimal interruption to network operations.

Operationally, these new virtual networks and application servers will need to be integrated into the infrastructure utilizing a new structured approach. Managing a dynamic virtual network infrastructure efficiently requires an operational model that is leveraged and optimized for the new environment. New management tools will need to be considered, backup and continuity plans revised, and architecture reviews will need to take place.

Outsourcing Your Virtual Network Migration

Exiis Corporation provides assistance to clients who are migrating and consolidating to a virtual network environment. We assist our clients in identifying important issues and in developing solutions for the challenges our clients may face during the initial migration phases. Exiis Corporation consultants offer a full range of consulting, implementation, management, and education services that will drive every phase of the virtual network initiative.

Virtual networking also provides an opportunity for IT management and staff to redesign their current network infrastructure—closing gaps between operational restriction, security, and inefficiencies that have grown and developed over time with the current physical network. In order to leverage this opportunity, Exiis Corporation consultants and systems architects will collaborate with our clients internal IY staff to create a strategy that is well defined and initiated during the migration process. We will look a the design of the current network, the proposed virtual network, implementation plans, and day-to-day operations. The highlights of these processes include the following phases:

·         Strategy – Exiis Corporation provides consulting services to explore the possibilities virtual networks and assist IT and business managers in defining a business case, rationalize application portfolios, and develop an end-state design and roadmap to achieve the end goals and requirements.

·         Design – Exiis Corporation consultants provide planning and design services to develop detailed architectural and migration plans.

·         Implementation – Exiis Corporation provides implementation services to seamlessly migrate from the physical network environment to the virtual environment with the least amount of interruptions.

·         Operations – Exiis Corporation provides additional training and knowledge transfer after the virtual network has been designed and deployed. By providing advanced training in virtual environments, current IT management and staff will gain invaluable insights into managing their new virtual environment.

·         Reporting – Exiis Corporation network consultants and systems analysts create customized reporting services that will report the state of your virtual network utilizing third-party software solutions designed specifically for virtual network monitoring.