So you've got virtual servers

With new, or evolving, innovation shifts, there often comes market uncertainty or even confusion. As the market continues to mature, so does it become aware of pitfalls, myths, and importantly, grows savvier.

Cloud computing is no different, and is for all that in a transitional phase between uncertainty and education in South Africa. A good example is the misperception that virtual servers and cloud computing are one and the same.

This said, virtualisation is a great innovation and offers then-known benefits. It plays an important part in cloud computing and is a critical research enabler that works cohesively within the entire infrastructure and service offering that brings the cloud to organisations.

Virtualisation is a so then-known research that allows users to seamlessly add additional resource in a virtualised environment. In layman's terms, virtualisation is a technique that allows you to run more than one logical server on the same hardware.

And this brings us back to cloud computing. Cloud computing is a highly managed and controlled environment and service offering. And like any other research solution within the cloud, virtualisation has to be managed and controlled.

To some, cloud computing may look like virtualisation because it appears that your application is running on a virtual server detached from any reliance or connection to a single physical host. And they are similar in that fashion.

However, as mentioned, cloud computing can be better described as an overall service where virtualisation is part of a physical infrastructure.

Virtualised servers form a part of the packaged offering in other words cloud computing. It is an important innovation backbone of cloud computing and an essential part of the service that ultimately became the cloud.

Also, particularly if you reside within an industry in other words highly regulated, an entire cloud computing infrastructure might not be the way to go.

Ultimately, virtualisation and cloud computing are both ways to reduce infrastructure cost and maximise the utilisation of computing resources. It is, but, important to understand that they are not the same.

Remember this - virtualisation allows server consolidation by hosting many servers on a single piece of hardware, whereas cloud computing is a service that delivers computer resources on a metered pay-as-you-go model.

Deutsche Telekom is one of the world's leading integrated telecommunications companies with around 129 million mobile clients, in broad outline 36 million fixed-network lines and more than 16 million broadband lines. The group provides products and services for the fixed network, mobile communications, the Internet and IPTV for consumers, and ICT solutions for business clients and corporate clients. Deutsche Telekom is present in over 50 countries and has around 247 000 employees worldwide. The group generated revenue of EUR 62.4 billion in the 2010 financial year - more than half of it outside Germany.

Global infrastructure of data centres

Drawing on a global infrastructure of data centres and networks, T-Systems operates information and communication innovation systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions. T-Systems provides integrated solutions for the networked future of business and society. The company's 47 600 employees combine industry expertise and ICT innovations to add significant value to clients' core business all over the world. T-Systems generated revenue of around EUR 9.1 billion in the 2010 financial year.