Server Virtualization

Virtualization is not a new concept in the world of information technology. The roots of modern day virtualization can be traced back to computer science research from the 1950s. Virtualization is a framework or methodology of dividing the resources of a computer into multiple execution environments.

One of the many benefits of virtualization is the ability to consolidate the workload of multiple underutilized servers into fewer physical machines. The "virtual machines" can then be consolidated and spread across one or more physical machines, as resources permit. Servers in this context are much like files in a file system that can be easily transferred from one location to another. This kind of deployment flexibility means that servers can be instantly deployed or reallocated to accommodate demand without the need for additional investment in hardware.

The benefits of virtualization combined with its ubiquity have led to widespread adoption in the corporate world. As companies have discovered new and increasingly more creative uses for server virtualization, they have also encountered some challenges. One of the biggest challenges mirrors a problem in the physical server world—security patching.

The primary challenge in managing a virtual server environment is that change and configuration management issues become magnified. Many companies struggle to keep up with security patches in their physical server infrastructure. Because virtual machines can be created so easily, deployed instantly, and shuffled around the infrastructure like files, managing change becomes incredibly complex and patching becomes either a nightmare or an afterthought.

Blue Lane Technologies can help organizations to instantly secure critical applications and databases from malicious attacks with zero operational risk. Blue Lane's solutions shield unpatched servers with zero footprint, zero downtime and zero tuning, until the vendor patch can be applied.