Moving Towards Virtual Data Centers

Today, more and more organizations leverage the benefits of cloud computing. It can be seen by the fact that, according to Gartner, the global spending on cloud IT infrastructure is expected to reach $104 billion by 2024. One of the solutions offered by computing is virtualized data centers.

What is a Virtual Data Center?
A virtual data center (VDC) is a pool of cloud infrastructure components (servers, processors, memory, storage space, and networking units) which is specifically designed to support a business with computing capabilities. A VDC is essentially a virtual representation — or borrowing a term in software engineering, a software abstraction — of a physical data center, so it’s often called a software-defined or software-based data center. As a product of the IaaS cloud delivery model, a VDC can provide on-demand computing, storage, and networking, as well as applications, all of which can be seamlessly integrated into your existing IT infrastructure.

A VDC is one of the most common options if you want to avoid setting up and running an on-premise data center. Instead of having physical servers and all their associated infrastructure at your business, you have a set of virtual servers available whenever you need them. You can generally access a VDC over the internet or a VPN although it’s also completely compatible with physical networks.

Just like a regular data center, a VDC provides computing capabilities that enable business applications and activities, including file sharing, communication and collaboration apps, email operations, productivity, database operations, Big Data, CRM and ERP platforms, and AI and machine learning. However, a VDC comes with a number of extra advantages.

What are the benefits of a Virtual Data Center?
If you opt for a VDC in the future, you will gain these five major benefits.

1. Cost-effectiveness
Using a VDC allows you to save money by removing the need to set up and equip a facility, eliminating the costs of hardware purchase and maintenance, eliminating the electricity costs, and reducing the number of necessary technicians. Moreover, the services of a VDC are offered on a pay-as-you-use basis, enabling you to add resources as required and pay for them based on your usage. This helps you forecast your operating costs more accurately and budget your capital more efficiently.

2. Flexibility and Scalability
Due to its nature, a VDC is highly flexible. Adding and removing virtual components is simple, quick, and cheap, allowing you to scale up — and scale down — as you wish to meet your business demand. If your business is rapidly growing, or if you often experience fluctuations in business activity, you should consider a VDC.

3. Fast Provisioning
A VDC allows your team to deploy new components in minutes — not weeks, not months. With a VDC, IT administrators can quickly set up virtual servers and desktops using a pre-configured image or master prototype or cloning an existing virtual machine.

4. Simplified Management
If you use VDC services, your cloud provider is responsible for the maintenance and management. Your team only needs to control and track the data center’s virtual features which can be done remotely, quickly, and in real-time with the help of centralized tools and interfaces.

5. Simplified Security
With VDCs, you don’t need to worry about physical security. Most VDC providers support you with various cybersecurity services along with disaster recovery and business continuity services. You can also set up your own security policies and approaches based on your specific requirements.

In conclusion, again, in the future, VDCs are a way for you to leverage the advantages of the cloud, including optimized IT costs, increased security, and scalability. As a product of the IaaS delivery model, a VDC can be the starting point for your cloud adoption before you move on to more sophisticated cloud computing services.