Microsoft did something that it rarely does last week when it announced availability of its Hyper-V server virtualization technology months ahead of schedule. Unlike Microsoft Virtual Server, which ran as an application, Hyper-V is a true hypervisor capable of hosting multiple instances of Windows and even Suse Linux.
OK, so Microsoft is in the game, but can it compete with server virtualization king VMware? Yup. According to ESG Research, 69 percent of organizations planning to adopt server virtualization are considering Microsoft technology, 59 percent are considering VMware, 10 percent are contemplating XenSource, and 4 percent are kicking the server virtualization tires with Virtual Iron.
Microsoft understands that server virtualization is a strategic IT initiative that has the potential to really disrupt the server-licensing landscape. In other words, server virtualization could take a bite out of Windows sales, if VMware wins in a landslide. Microsoft just won't let that happen.
As Hyper-V gains visibility, my colleague Mark Bowker expects Microsoft to:
- Throw money and programs at its OEMs
Microsoft will use its vast resources to run joint-marketing programs, educate customers, and generate leads with server vendors such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. The goal? Maximize visibility of Hyper-V in a hurry. - Use management as a Hyper-V complement
Microsoft is currently in beta with its System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM), a management platform that controls Hyper-V and VMware ESX. As this becomes available, Microsoft can play a low-cost management card to introduce its hypervisor into VMware accounts. - Target the midmarket
VMware is surprisingly strong in the SMB space, along with feisty Virtual Iron. Nevertheless, Microsoft has an army of channel partners and Windows consultants, who should be able to quickly penetrate this Windows-centric market segment.VMware is way too ubiquitous and strong to be "Netscaped," but Microsoft will certainly make the server virtualization space more competitive--in a hurry.
Jon Oltsik is a senior analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group.
There is a general paranoia about server virtualization in the security community that goes something like this. The server virtualization hypervisor acts as a resource switch enabling multiple virtual hosts to share a single physical system. In theory, if you compromise the hypervisor, you gain access to every virtual host along for the ride. Imagine an instance where 50 hosts live on a single Intel server and you can see that a hypervisor attack could have extremely serious ramifications.
Yes, this is theoretically possible, but virtualization vendors understand this threat and are pretty conscientious about protection. Starting with IBM and virtual machines on the mainframe, there hasn't been a single compromise at the virtualization operations layer that I know of. Of course software is always vulnerable, but a hypervisor attack seems like something out of a Michael Crichton novel rather than an everyday concern.
So what is it about server virtualization that should really keep chief information security officers up at night? A more pedestrian worry--lack of control. In a virtual server world, IT administrators can clone virtual hosts, move them around, or turn them on and off by accident or with malicious intent. What happens when an IT administrator moves a critical database server instance without re-configuring application servers or the network? How about when someone mistakenly adds a test server to the production network? The security "uh-oh" possibilities are endless.
The real threat here is that server virtualization takes on a life of its own without proper management and security controls. This is why VMware is investing in its virtual infrastructure, Citrix is keen on its Citrix Delivery Center, and Microsoft is pushing its System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) architecture. Systems and operations management vendors like BMC Software, CA, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM are also paying close attention and adding virtualization capabilities to tools, processes, and services. Given its 30-plus years with mainframe virtualization, IBM for one has seen this movie before.
In the security world, there are theoretical threats and there are everyday threats. The server virtualization crowd is constantly dragged through the mud about theoretical threats but it's the everyday threats that tend to bite us all in the butt. If users focus on sound server virtualization policies, controls, operations, and safeguards, rather than the virtual security bogey man, they should be able to reap the benefits of server virtualization without a substantial increase in risk.
On Wednesday, Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz announced a free open-source server virtualization and management platform dubbed Sun xVM. Sun says it will commit $2 billion in R&D spending to make Sun xVM a reality.
Hmm, good idea. The server virtualization market is on fire and it is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, it is maturing fast. According to ESG, of those organizations planning to deploy server virtualization, 28 percent of companies plan to deploy in the next six months, while 42 percent plan to deploy within the next year. That's a lot of deployment in the near future, which has to favor Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware over a newcomer like Sun.
Since Sun plans to base its Hypervisor on Xen open-source anyway, Sun would be wise to abandon internal plans and grab the remaining server virtualization independent Virtual Iron. This would make a ton of sense for several reasons:
1. Virtual Iron can already support Windows and Linux guests today. This would give Sun a product it can sell on day one while its developers focused on adding Solaris guest support.
2. Virtual Iron software is written in Java, a perfect fit for Sun's skills and strategy.
3. Virtual Iron's hypervisor has a number of enterprise features like hypervisor virtual machine mobility (a la VMware VMotion), high availability, and hardware resource management (a la VMware DRS). Sun's enterprise installed base will demand this type of enterprise functionality sooner rather than later.
Server virtualization could be a great opportunity for Sun, but time is short. VMware is rolling, Citrix is bringing XenServer to its customers and channel partners, and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Virtual Server is just around the corner. Buying Virtual Iron could be the shot in the arm that Sun needs to give it instant access to a growing and lucrative market.
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