| There are a high number of IT Professionals acting | | | | What are the partners doing? |
| as leaders in the virtualization world, practicing what | | | | Innovative partners are jumping in with both feet |
| they preach about the benefits of virtualizing our | | | | into the virtual environment "We deployed our first |
| server environments and doing some wonderful | | | | production virtual server for a client in July of 2006 |
| things in the virtualization world. | | | | and since January 2007 we have fully virtualized |
| We have solutions built on Microsoft's Hyper-V, | | | | every single server we've sold" states Jeff |
| VMware and others that are starting to make to | | | | Anderson, President of Southern Alberta's Managed |
| leave a big footprint in many of the world's well | | | | Service Provider, Bulletproof InfoTech. "We've also |
| known and largest enterprise corporations who are | | | | done several retrofit P2V conversions reusing existing |
| looking at new ways to leverage these technologies | | | | hardware, so we too are sometimes surprised at the |
| as part of their overall disaster recovery and business | | | | slow adoption of virtualization in the SMB space". |
| continuity plan, maybe it is to offset a fraction of the | | | | What stops partners from adopting virtual server |
| costs related to large server farms and also looking | | | | solutions? |
| to virtualized environments to save the environment | | | | Virtualization solutions must be lead by the Partner. |
| as part of their green initiatives. Whatever the | | | | Clients, unless they are very technical are not asking |
| reason is virtualization just makes sense today. | | | | for virtualization. Small Business owners are basically |
| The benefits of virtualization don't stop at the | | | | unaware of the benefits that virtualized environments |
| Fortune 500 corporations; innovative smaller | | | | can offer to their business. Partners now must |
| businesses are starting to leverage the power of | | | | change our talk from technical speak that many of |
| virtualization in their businesses with many of the | | | | us are comfortable with to having those business |
| similar business reasons as their larger counterparts. | | | | discussions with our clients so the benefits of |
| Small Business today has needs related to disaster | | | | Hyper-V and virtualization match to what their |
| recovery, business continuity, cost recovery and | | | | business requirements are. Only then can we start |
| even reducing their own carbon footprint and electing | | | | designing our solutions around the needs of the |
| to move forward with greener solutions. Virtualization | | | | business. |
| leveraging Microsoft's Hyper-V is a perfect fit for | | | | Now is the time to invest in training |
| small business and fits naturally into a small business' | | | | It is very easy for partners to continue doing what |
| overall technology agenda. | | | | we have always done rather than investing the time |
| Virtualizing the Small Business | | | | and training needed to move forward to fully |
| In the past, cost was a major deterrent to | | | | understand how to position Hyper-V and other |
| virtualizing small business environments. Microsoft has | | | | virtualization solutions with the clients that we serve. |
| now made it very cost effective to virtualize their | | | | Not only is virtualization a technology learning |
| server environments using their Hyper-V technology. | | | | investment it is also a sales, marketing and business |
| Cost is no longer a major blockage for many | | | | acumen training investment. |
| businesses, and when small business virtualizes server | | | | Positioning virtualization solutions for our clients is |
| environments they are seeing the small business | | | | very different than simply selling server hardware and |
| costs related to hardware purchases and added IT | | | | services. Many of our traditional services around Small |
| support costs related to the overall support of | | | | Business Server will remain the same on how we |
| multiple servers in a business environment has | | | | position the solutions. With virtualization, our talk with |
| decreased and in some areas been eliminated from | | | | clients will be on the benefits of virtualizing |
| their technology budget. | | | | environments related to cost savings, protecting their |
| With Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 Premium | | | | data from disasters, leverage the green computing |
| Edition, Small Business can take advantage of a | | | | initiatives and informing clients that the days of |
| multiple server environment with a lower cost of | | | | having many servers is rapidly becoming a thing of |
| entry. SBS 2008 Premium, offers all the standard SBS | | | | the past. |
| services like Exchange Server 2007, SQL Server and | | | | Marketing, sales and technical training is critical to a |
| much more and combine these needed services with | | | | partner becoming a leader in the virtualization space. |
| the power of Microsoft Hyper-V to virtualize | | | | Investing in the right training, informing their staff and |
| additional services like Terminal Services, Line of | | | | relating these learnings to discussion with clients on |
| Business applications or additional file storage, small | | | | how virtualizing solutions using Microsoft's Hyper-V |
| business now has a solution that will meet their entire | | | | can benefit their business is a must. |
| business requirements and offer the stability they | | | | Partners must eat their own dog food here and start |
| have become accustomed to in traditional hardware | | | | to virtualize their own environments. David Lee of |
| based services. | | | | Ottawa's DigiVie Communications recently started to |
| Changes in licensing of Virtual Servers | | | | virtualize his environments and states "Those |
| Virtualizing the Small Business Server Environment is | | | | experiences behind me now, I am definitely a |
| not as expensive as many partners may believe. | | | | proponent, and have essentially decided all future |
| Recently Microsoft announced that they are changing | | | | servers will be Hyper-V, if at all possible." |
| their licensing structure with regards to deploying | | | | Next steps |
| Microsoft Server 2008 as a host for virtual servers. | | | | The next steps to understanding what Hyper-V can |
| In the past, when small business was looking to | | | | do for your business is to engage with your |
| virtualize their legacy Windows Server 2003 | | | | Microsoft Account Manager. They are here to assist |
| environments using Server 2008, they were required | | | | you get the resources needed so your business can |
| to purchase not only the client access licenses for | | | | move forward in offering virtualized environments to |
| their 2003 servers they also needed to invest in | | | | your clients base. Combine this support with your |
| licenses for the 2008 platforms. Today, the need for | | | | own research, linking up with your peers and most |
| client access licenses for the virtual server hosts is no | | | | importantly testing Hyper-V in your own |
| longer required as long as the 2008 server is used for | | | | environments will separate you from the remainder |
| running the 2003 based servers as a host. | | | | of the pack. |