SMBs Can Now Virtualized Their Server Infrastructure

More than a year ago I wrote why I think Small and medium-size business (SMB) are not adapting virtualization, like the big spending organizations. Among the reasons I gave was about Microsoft not being in a position to offer a mature and cost effective solution and the current cost of the technology at the time. I am happy to say things have change since then and virtualization is now affordable for Small and medium-size business.

I had to revisit the SMB sector because of the recent announcement by Fujitsu in partnership with Microsoft.  Under the slogan ‘My Very First Hyper-V’* Fujitsu is combining hardware and software components to provide an affordable, easy-to-manage entry point to server virtualization.

Fujitsu said the initiative is intend to help SMBs maximise their investments in IT hardware and software. As part of the ‘My Very First Hyper-V’ package business will get Fujitsu latest PRIMEGY x86 server and the ETERNUS DX disk storage system, with Microsoft’s virtualization platform Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 with systems management solution Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2.  “My Very First Hyper-V initiative is designed to give SMBs the confidence that they have a functional, scalable and reliable solution for rapid adoption of server virtualization, at the right price, and with a clear and simple roadmap for future growth.” Said Jens-Peter Seick of Fujitsu Technology Solutions.

Fujitsu and Microsoft are not the only one creating initiatives to encourage SMBs to invest in virtualization; other major suppliers in the virtualization market place have been doing the same.  Citrix last year decided to make XenServer available as a free download.  VMware for a while only certified its virtualization platform for what would be consider to be enterprise, but has begun to move into the SMB market by certifying server and storage system that are built for the SMB market.  Dell, which is well known in the SMB server market has also created partnerships and has worked with virtualization platforms developers to get some of its servers certified for virtualization.
 
I have mix feelings about the time system developers take to market their products to the SMB market and virtualization is one of the systems that I think took too long to reach the small businesses.  I think software and hardware suppliers to the small business market need to work to get their products certified quicker so that the small business sector can start adapting the technology early.
 
*My Very First Hyper-V is available from authorized Fujitsu resellers.