Why do you need a Virtual Server? Explained

Virtualization technologies allow every developer to scale quickly and optimize infrastructure costs as server load increases or decreases. Let's figure out what a virtual server is and why your business needs it.

What is a Virtual Server?

A virtual private server (VPS) is a service providing virtual machines. Physical servers are divided into several virtual machines using specialized hardware and software, and every virtual machine provides the functionality of a physical server.

How does It work?

A virtual server runs on a physical server, divided into several virtual environments using a hypervisor. A hypervisor allows you to use a physical server's full computing power and optimizes resource management.

Benefits of Virtual Servers

Server virtualization technology has helped many businesses solve their technical problems. Here are some reasons why companies use virtual servers in their work:

• saving money;
• disaster recovery option;
• high productivity and efficiency;
• easy and fast infrastructure deployment;
• simple configuration.

The Flip-Side of Virtual Servers

Like any other technology, virtual servers have their drawbacks:

• compatibility issues;
• some vendors' service level agreements (SLAs) can affect your scalability;
• limited control over the physical servers on which applications are deployed;
• high current expenses compared to physical servers.

Virtual Servers VS Physical Servers: what’s the difference?

To understand the difference between a virtual and a physical server, we will compare their characteristics such as performance, portability, management, disaster recovery, and cost.

Performance

This characteristic should determine your choice if your business scales rapidly. Sometimes, VMs have performance issues (depending on the vendor). Thus, if your organization deals with constant and large data processing tasks, physical servers are more powerful and reliable than VMs.

Portability

When using a physical server, migrating infrastructure from one data center to another can be risky. You need to back up the project and manually migrate it. In the case of a virtual server, it is much easier because virtual machines do not depend on physical hardware.

Management

Virtual servers are much easier to manage since you just need to press a few buttons. A physical server can only be handled by a qualified user. In case of an error, you can regain access to your infrastructure much faster if it is on a virtual server. Some vendors even offer infrastructure management services for your convenience.

Disaster Recovery

Virtual machines have better disaster recovery protocols than physical ones. Critical data recovery can be difficult or even impossible if you're using physical servers. In turn, virtual servers have simple and reliable data recovery tools.

Cost

Any business wants to reduce the costs of service without losing quality. Virtual servers are much more cost-effective because they don’t require the skills and resources to maintain them. Frequent system and hardware failures are disadvantages of physical servers. You don’t have to think about maintenance with virtual machines because the vendor will take care of it. In addition, some vendors like Serverspace offer their users to configure servers for their own needs. Thereby, you won't be overpaying for unused resources.

Figure 1: Physical Servers Vs Virtual Servers

Wrapping Up

So, do you need a virtual server? To answer this question, you must determine your business goals and make the right decision based on them. As noted above, virtual servers have many advantages for developing your business: easy scaling, simple management, saving money and time, and quick recovering data in case of failure. All these benefits will take your workflow to a new level. However, before implementing this technology, it is important to analyze where your company is going and what needs it has.

If you decide to say “yes” to virtual servers, try Serverspace servers. We provide services with modern built-in features that ensure you get the best virtual server experience ever.