Virtualization is software that separates physical infrastructures to create various dedicated resources. It is the fundamental technology that powers cloud computing. "Virtualization software makes it possible to run multiple operating systems and multiple applications on the same server at the same time," said Mike Adams, director of product marketing at VMware. "It enables businesses to reduce IT costs while increasing the efficiency, utilization and flexibility of their existing computer hardware."

1. Cloud Computing is an evolution of Virtualization?
By: Ahmed Banafa, Distinguished Tenured Staff | Faculty | SME | E-Learning Expert | Four-time
winner of instructor of the year award
What is Virtualization?
Virtualization is software that separates physical infrastructures to create various dedicated
resources. It is the fundamental technology that powers cloud computing.
"Virtualization software makes it possible to run multiple operating systems and multiple
applications on the same server at the same time," said Mike Adams, director of product
marketing at VMware. "It enables businesses to reduce IT costs while increasing the efficiency,
utilization and flexibility of their existing computer hardware."
Types of Virtualization
 Network virtualization is a method of combining the available resources in a network
by splitting up the available bandwidth into channels, each of which is independent from
the others, and each of which can be assigned (or reassigned) to a particular server or
device in real time. The idea is that virtualization disguises the true complexity of the
network by separating it into manageable parts; much like your partitioned hard drive
makes it easier to manage your files.
 Storage virtualization is the pooling of physical storage from multiple network storage
devices into what appears to be a single storage device that is managed from a central
console. Storage virtualization is commonly used in storage area networks (SANs).
 Server virtualization is the masking of server resources (including the number and
identity of individual physical servers, processors, and operating systems) from server
users. The intention is to spare the user from having to understand and manage

2. complicated details of server resources while increasing resource sharing and utilization
and maintaining the capacity to expand later.
 Desktop Virtualization: Deploying desktops as a managed service gives you the
opportunity to respond quicker to changing needs and opportunities. You can reduce
costs and increase service by quickly and easily delivering virtualized desktops and
applications to branch offices, outsourced and offshore employees and mobile workers on
iPad and Android tablets.
 Application Virtualization: Organizations are increasingly virtualizing more of their
Tier 1 mission-critical business applications and platforms, such as databases, ERP,
CRM, email, collaboration, Java middleware, business intelligence and many others.
Virtualization provides the following benefits
 Costs saving
 Efficiently using hardware, virtualization can reduce the number of physical systems you
need to acquire, and you can get more value out of the servers.
 Runs multiple types of applications and operating systems on the same physical
hardware.
 Ease of application deployment
 IT budget integration
How is Virtualization Different From Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing and virtualization are two approaches to computing that attempt to make more
efficient use of computer hardware. Cloud computing is a form of Internet-based computing that
delivers resources such as storage space and processing time on a pay-per-use basis.
Virtualization creates simulated resources and allows a single piece of hardware to deliver
multiple services at once. Both options can save money by using computer hardware more
efficiently. The primary difference between the two is that the physical resources that power
cloud computing are owned by a cloud service provider, while a corporation that uses
virtualization still maintains servers and computer hardware in its own data centers.
The Future of Virtualization
Virtualization has enabled the Cloud, but how will it shape it in the future?
Cloud computing and virtualization go hand in hand. Virtualization is cloud’s foundation and
cloud computing software. But as the Cloud evolves, so too must virtualization to support more
IO-intensive network and storage workloads, and to ensure that open standards being developed
across the industry can also be applied to hypervisor (virtual machine manager) designs. Most
clouds today run on virtualization technology that is ten years old. But work is taking place
behind the scenes to revolutionize the way virtualization is done.

3. References
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5791-virtualization-vs-cloud-computing.html
http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/definition/virtualization
http://www.vmware.com/virtualization
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-virtualization.htm
http://www.datacenterdynamics.com/focus/archive/2013/10/future-virtualization
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100719044331AAt510r