Hurricanes Harvey and Irma caused millions of dollars in damages. Some of that damage was unavoidable, but hundreds of businesses managed to stay open thanks to innovative virtualization solutions. If you’re not already taking advantage of this technology, it’s time to find out what you’re missing.

The trail of devastation left by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma has reminded us once again that coastlines and even entire regions of the country can be demolished by natural disasters. While catastrophes cannot be prevented, planning around them with a well-crafted disaster recovery (DR) strategy can help minimize the damages and keep your business alive.

With virtualization, you can make software see several separate computers where there is only one, or make several computers look like one supercomputer. That may sound simple, but it’s far from it. Of course the benefits are well worth it; here are just a few.

This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts up to four unusually active hurricanes. With that in mind, there’s no better time to test your disaster recovery (DR) plan. But to avoid data loss and expensive downtime from such catastrophes, there are several things that need to be accounted for.

If small- and medium-sized businesses think cyber security is impossible to manage now, just think about what it was like before the internet provided a way to receive IT support remotely. In today’s business landscape, enterprise-level solutions and security can be delivered from almost anywhere in the world.

Even if virtualization has been explained to you before, it's entirely possible that the definition didn’t stick. There are so many variations of this technology that we take it upon ourselves to periodically review its most basic functions. And because these variations aren't concrete enough to easily understand them, this time we’re including a virtualized desktop for you to play with!
What is virtualization?
The simplest definition is this: It’s the act of creating a virtual (rather than physical) version of something, including hardware platforms, storage devices, and computer network resources.

Over the previous months, you’ve probably heard about new and disruptive trends like virtual assistants, smartphones, and automation technologies. Some of these IT solutions may even be placed on top of your business priority list. However, with floods, fires, and power outages just around the corner, disaster recovery and business continuity plans should always have a place on your annual budget.

Companies can pay a hefty sum if they ever experience any downtime. In fact, Delta Air Lines had a bad bout of severe downtime just last month. In just three days, the airline company cancelled 2300 scheduled flights and suffered $150 million in income loss.

Like all things man-made and otherwise, business continuity plans are not perfect. They too have pitfalls that can result in your business's failure if not accounted for immediately. Don’t blame it all on the IT guy, as often times the way a system is designed can also have loopholes.

When most people think of Disaster Recovery, the idea of Virtualization is likely far from mind. However, these two IT services are more closely related than the average business owner thinks. Virtualization can actually serve as Disaster Recovery Solution.