Virtual Iron has created a term we call True Server Virtualization that we've found to be extremely effective in educating people in the increasingly confusing virtualization arena.

WIth a number of hypervisors bouncing around from a wide range of vendors it is easy for people to get lost in the weeds as they research this stuff.

The hypervisor is important and is useful for consolidating servers. But true server virtualization isn't just about consolidation. Rather it is about managing server environments.

The power of Virtual Iron True Server Virtualization is it enables the management of your systems independent of the physical infrastructure. As a result new applications can be brought online in minutes. Moving applications to new physical servers can be done instantly without causing any disruption to your business. Virtual servers can easily be copied for rapid recovery – if ever required. Upgrades, bringing new applications online, performance management and business continuance are greatly simplified with True Server Virtualization.

Virtual Iron customers have seen significant acceleration and improvement in the day-to-day management of their server infrastructure. The analogy I like is using an elevator versus running upstairs to get to the 20th floor. True Server Virtualization is really that much of a "no-brainer".

With True Server Virtualization it is important not to just focus on the hypervisor but more importantly - the tools, controls, capabilities and management of the virtual servers. Additionally, actual end user deployments in both test/dev and production environments is critical to the value of the solution. Vendors can say they do "x,y and z" but how they do it and how widely it is implemented factors into whether it is real or just vaporware.

There is a big divide between compelling technologies glued together and fully realized products. Right now the majority of the server virtualization "solutions" out there are really just technologies bolted together and not "products". Virtual Iron has technology manifested in a real product. Lots of customer deployments. A suite of tools for control and management of the environment. That is True Server Virtualization.