As many enterprise IT departments begin the transition to virtualized data infrastructures, a few main challenges are leading the pack. 

A recent study of top IT executives ranked the top two challenges as:

1. C-level executives protecting tight budgets and
2. Software vendors that don't support their applications on virtualized servers.

It’s interesting to note that these issues ranked as top challenges whether transforming a legacy data center or building a new one.

The survey results also supported already well-known ideas that virtualized systems invariably save time, power and money once they're deployed.

"Virtualization has become a significant asset for IT, reducing time and cost of deploying new servers. However, the greatest challenge has been resistance from software vendors [reluctant] to support their applications on virtualized servers," one respondent said.

"I certainly believe that IT virtualization makes it easy to manage databases more efficiently and effectively," wrote another respondent. "However, we need to convince our top management—the decision-making point—with return on investment, the cost savings in hardware and reduced administration costs."

Finding good people with the right skills for the new generation of systems is another recurring problem, according to the report. Organizational challenges increasingly arise as participants plan to implement various virtualization strategies, requiring a variety of skill sets.

Three out of four respondents say tight budgets are the greatest issue their IT operation currently faces. Even when the economy improves and budgets become less constrained, there will still be challenges facing IT managers.  

Here are the Key Steps to Focus on When Planning Your Transition:

Take a hard look at your applications. If your mission critical applications aren’t virtual-ready, then build a plan to test virtual resources with applications that are virtualized. In the meantime, meet with your application vendors and develop a plan to configure their application for your needs. If you have custom applications, start developing the code you need to optimize them within a virtual deployment.

Create a compelling plan, and sell it. Great virtualization projects need fuel—and they need a plan. So focus on planning early in your process.

Create a plan that phases your deployment – starting with an early test, then a larger Proof of Concept (PoC), then a small production deployment followed by expanded roll out.

Set measures of success – show what the ROI will be for each phase and then demonstrate it. Tie budgetary support to meeting these measures so there’s a plan supported with a financial commitment.

Begin recruiting now – or train your teams. As with any architecture or technology, experience is vital to success. With a new architecture – you need training and expertise to get up to speed. So find the experts who can train your teams and invest up front.  You’ll be more successful in the long run.

By using the experiences of the leaders as examples, you can more easily move forward with your own virtualization deployments. Implementing data center virtualization doesn’t have to be a difficult transition. With the proper planning, budget and supporting expertise you’ll master “virtual” in no time.

As many enterprise IT departments begin the transition to virtualized data infrastructures, a few main challenges are leading the pack. 

A recent study of top IT executives ranked the top two challenges as:

1. C-level executives protecting tight budgets and
2. Software vendors that don't support their applications on virtualized servers.

It’s interesting to note that these issues ranked as top challenges whether transforming a legacy data center or building a new one.

The survey results also supported already well-known ideas that virtualized systems invariably save time, power and money once they're deployed.

"Virtualization has become a significant asset for IT, reducing time and cost of deploying new servers. However, the greatest challenge has been resistance from software vendors [reluctant] to support their applications on virtualized servers," one respondent said.

"I certainly believe that IT virtualization makes it easy to manage databases more efficiently and effectively," wrote another respondent. "However, we need to convince our top management—the decision-making point—with return on investment, the cost savings in hardware and reduced administration costs."

Finding good people with the right skills for the new generation of systems is another recurring problem, according to the report. Organizational challenges increasingly arise as participants plan to implement various virtualization strategies, requiring a variety of skill sets.

Three out of four respondents say tight budgets are the greatest issue their IT operation currently faces. Even when the economy improves and budgets become less constrained, there will still be challenges facing IT managers.  

Here are the Key Steps to Focus on When Planning Your Transition:

Take a hard look at your applications. If your mission critical applications aren’t virtual-ready, then build a plan to test virtual resources with applications that are virtualized. In the meantime, meet with your application vendors and develop a plan to configure their application for your needs. If you have custom applications, start developing the code you need to optimize them within a virtual deployment.

Create a compelling plan, and sell it. Great virtualization projects need fuel—and they need a plan. So focus on planning early in your process.

Create a plan that phases your deployment – starting with an early test, then a larger Proof of Concept (PoC), then a small production deployment followed by expanded roll out.

Set measures of success – show what the ROI will be for each phase and then demonstrate it. Tie budgetary support to meeting these measures so there’s a plan supported with a financial commitment.

Begin recruiting now – or train your teams. As with any architecture or technology, experience is vital to success. With a new architecture – you need training and expertise to get up to speed. So find the experts who can train your teams and invest up front.  You’ll be more successful in the long run.

By using the experiences of the leaders as examples, you can more easily move forward with your own virtualization deployments. Implementing data center virtualization doesn’t have to be a difficult transition. With the proper planning, budget and supporting expertise you’ll master “virtual” in no time.