Server virtualization offers big benefits to large organizations with massive data centers, but what about small ones with only a handful of servers? Many small businesses feel they lack the money, the resources or the need for server virtualization. CDW’s Small Business Server Virtualization Roadmap provides a path forward for small businesses interested in virtualization, highlights the benefits small businesses see from virtualization and shares best practices from small businesses that have already adopted virtualization.
CDW surveyed 298 IT managers at small businesses to understand their experience and insights on server virtualization adoption, examine key drivers and identify implementation challenges. Reporting data from Spiceworks, a social network for information technology (IT), the report shows a clear picture of small businesses’ use of server virtualization.
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Key Findings
- Server virtualization provides big benefits to small businesses: small businesses report they are saving an average of 18% of their IT budget, or nearly $20,000 a year, with server virtualization
- Small businesses will increase their investment in server virtualization: those that have virtualized will invest an average of 23% of their IT budget in the technology over the next two years, and even those that have not yet virtualized plan to invest 17%
Virtualization on the Rise
- Twenty-five percent of small businesses have implemented virtualization today, and the number of servers they have virtualized has steadily increased quarter over quarter, up to 33% in Q2 of 2011
Aging Hardware Driving Virtualization
- A few common drivers lead small businesses to server virtualization. Top among the drivers is replacing aging hardware
More Looking to Virtualize
- Nearly three quarters (73%) of small businesses that have not yet implemented server virtualization are researching, preparing for implementation or developing a plan for adoption
Recommendations
- Assess your Current Environment: Identify which of your servers are compatible with virtualization, review your current storage environment and ensure that you have the budget in place for virtualization
- Explain the Benefits to Management: To assure a successful server virtualization project, explain the benefits to your management team to secure their sign off on the project
- Measure the Success: Track savings in hardware and software costs, power and cooling costs and overall IT efficiency and share with the team to highlight the benefits of virtualization
To read more recommendations from small business IT professionals who have implemented virtualization, download the “Top 15 Tips on Implementation from Small Business IT Professionals.”
Methodology
CDW conducted an online survey of small business IT professionals whose organizations have and have not implemented server virtualization. All survey respondents are members of Spiceworks, a social network for IT, which provides free network management software to IT professionals.
Sample Size and Margin of Error:
- Virtualized sample (n=214): ± 6.7% margin of error at a 95% confidence level
- Non-virtualized sample (n=84): ± 10.7% margin of error at a 95% confidence level
