As the current market shifts, some agencies are looking for virtualization alternatives.
Multiple paths forward exist for agencies seeking virtual representations of physical machines — including storage, networks and servers — to use resources more efficiently, whether they’re improving existing efforts or just starting out.
Different agencies have different hypervisor, cloud migration, desktop virtualization and application modernization needs, so it’s important to understand which alternatives support their missions.
PIVOT: Reimagine virtualization as application requirements increase in cost and complexity.
Virtualization Can Be a Gateway to App Modernization
Agencies will most likely pursue hybrid implementations, leveraging virtualization across a mix of on-premises and cloud resources. This allows them to avoid overprovisioning and use fewer physical resources, thus operating effectively within budget constraints.
For agencies that are already virtualized, the move to a more modern environment can be relatively quick and easy. Those looking to combine virtualization with app modernization may have a more complicated journey ahead.
Agencies in the latter camp may need to rewrite some apps and should think about what can be virtualized most effectively and where those instances will run: on-premises, in the cloud or in a hybrid configuration. To chart an appropriate course, agencies must consider their desired mission outcomes and architectures.
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Containerization — which bundles app code and removes the operating system layer from the self-contained environment, allowing the app to run independently — is another option available to agencies. The technology lets agencies move apps in and out of their virtual environments quickly.
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Use Virtualization to Share Capabilities
The Department of Defense has already demonstrated the value of rethinking virtualization in a time of change, with multiple branches leveraging the technology to share capabilities between commands. This, in turn, helps them spend their budgets more effectively in support of service members rather than system maintenance.
Civilian agencies have also undertaken virtualization initiatives and are minimizing downtime and improving sustainability.
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