Virtualization has transformed the data center. The cost savings and efficiencies virtual machines (VMs) feature along with the ease in implementing them within an infrastructure have blinded many into acting versus planning for the technology. Anil Desai has written a best practices guide on implementing and managing a viral infrastructure.

In a four-page PDF entitled "Best Practices To Prevent and Manage VM Sprawl," Desai provides recommendations for managing virtual environments and for preventing issues related to VM sprawl, defined as the rapid proliferation of VMs without adequate IT oversight. Some of the potential dangers in an unmanaged VM deployment may include:

Deployment Issues

• Lack of IT oversight (deployment of unauthorized VMs)
• Inconsistent VM configurations
• Lack of administrative ownership of VMs
• Difficulty related to identifying and tracking VMs

Administration Issues

• Lack of administrator expertise
• Managing heterogeneous host, guest, and hypervisor platforms
• Monitoring offline and disconnected VMs
• Tracking host, guest, and software licenses

Resource Management Issues

• Reactive management can lead to downtime and data loss
• Less-than-optimal VM placement can result in wasted resources

Security Management Issues

• Verifying adherence to OS and application security standards
• Demonstrate regulatory compliance

To help avoid or solve these issues, Desai offers advice on creating and enforcing deployment policies; detecting and addressing unauthorized VMs; managing security and compliance in virtual environments; managing the entire VM lifecycle and planning for VM retirement. He also provides seven steps on gaining, or even regaining, control of a virtual environment.

"In order to maintain control of a virtualized data center, administrators must take into account the tasks of capacity planning, monitoring the environment, managing the entire VM life cycle, and verifying security and compliance of all systems," Desai writes. "It may seem like a significant challenge, but with adequate planning and the proper tools, administrators can gain the advantages of virtualization while minimizing costs related to management overhead."

More Information

"Best Practices To Prevent and Manage VM Sprawl" by Anil Desai

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