You here something once – you notice it. You here it twice and it catches your attention. You start hearing it everywhere and you better pay attention.
This is the case with virtualization (a.k.a. Virtual Private Server). This 80’s mainframe concept is back and back in a big way. So much that it’s even touching the legal technology world. The concept is very simple. Virtualization means creating multiple virtual servers on a single piece of hardware. The technology has evolved to the point that one physical server can host many different servers. Different to the point of having distinct operating systems and the ability to separately reboot.
For law firms and anyone else, this means a sharp reduction in server hardware. And it means a firm can set up a server for any number of reasons (e.g. testing, demo’s, etc.) very easily. As might be expected, not all software providers fully support virtualization, but most are there or headed there soon.
To give an idea of the potential impact of virtualization, the State Bar of California plans on cutting its power bill by $60,000 per year by taking this approach.
Needless to say, I strongly suggest you check into virtualization and explore how your organization, be it small, medium or large, can best benefit from it.