Virtual Data Center: What It Is And How It Works

Contents of Articles:

1. Introduction
2. What Is vDDC
3. Virtualization Levels
4. vDDC Benefits
5. VPS/VDS
6. What Tasks Does A Virtual Data Center Solve?
7. vDPC Features
8. Payment
9. When To Use vDPC

Introduction

What is a Virtual Data Center (vDC), how does it differ from a physical Data Center (DC), and a Dedicated Virtual Server (VPS/VDS)? We delve into this new model of cloud technology to explore when and which companies should consider utilizing virtual data center services.

What Is vDDC

The virtual data center is a pool of cloud infrastructure resources designed specifically for the needs of enterprise businesses.

The vCDC is physically located in traditional data centers and leased by the provider. All the devices are combined into a single system that can be accessed at any time. In this case, the main resources are shared - processor, memory, disk space, and bandwidth. Everything is the same as a physical data center but in a virtualized space.

The virtual data center is managed from the console from anywhere in the world, so the administrator can work remotely. The range of tasks to be solved is comparable to or even wider than with the traditional data center. Moreover, autonomy from the provider and the level of protection from sudden load are higher, because it is located in an isolated vLAN network.

Organizations are using vData Center architecture to simplify IT resource provisioning, optimize capacity utilization, reduce risk, and maximize productivity.

Virtualization Levels

If you imagine a virtual data center schematically, it will look like a multilayer system, where each layer is a separate virtualization level with its own capabilities.

1. Network virtualization guarantees the interaction of virtual servers with each other, which allows you to build a unified infrastructure and ensure data exchange.
2. Storage system virtualization allows you to manage data storage and optimize the use of disparate and different devices.
3. Virtualization of computing resources allows you to effectively manage available capacity in accordance with business tasks.
4. Apps virtualization eliminates the problem of software compatibility since any application can run without being tied to operating system requirements.
5. Access virtualization allows you to connect the user to the infrastructure remotely, which is especially relevant given the dynamics of restrictions due to the epidemic.

The virtualization levels depend on each other.

vDDC Benefits

It’s necessary to know virtual data center benefits to understand whether it is necessary to use in the current case.

Prices

The main difference between traditional and virtual data centers, from a business point of view, is costs. Let's consider it from the point of view of the generally accepted concepts of CapEx (capital expenses) and OpEx (operating expenses). Organizing a physical data center (constructing a building, and equipping it with equipment) will require significant investments with a long payback period. Such serious and irregular costs are distributed over several years of budget expenditures and are referred to as CapEx. The personnel and electricity required to maintain the data center will additionally require regular monthly expenses - OpEx. The use of a virtual data center, as opposed to a physical one, is the key to saving money and making it more expedient to distribute it.

Convenience

It is necessary to evaluate the data storage capacity, take into account the potential needs of the enterprise, network traffic, and a host of other parameters to launch physical servers. You can set them up while using a virtual data center in a few clicks. It will take several hours or days to get the stable virtual infrastructure.

Reliability

A virtual data center separates applications and services from physical servers, providing increased resiliency and efficiency when scaling workloads or eliminating infrastructure performance bottlenecks.

Security

These issues are delegated to the provider if you use the vDDC.

Ecology

Global warming is another problem that humanity is facing today. Physical data centers generate heat, which is a negative environmental factor. Opting for a virtual data center is a way for you to contribute to environmental preservation.

VPS/VDS

Cloud server is a common data hosting service: a business rents a virtual dedicated server from a provider. This model differs from a physical server, and the difference between VDS (Virtual Dedicated Server) and VPS (Virtual Private Server) lies in the types of virtualization. VPS - virtualization at the operating system level, VDS - hardware virtualization.

It would be wrong to claim that a virtual data center is better than a cloud server since the technologies are largely similar. But a vDPC has greater flexibility.

A cloud server is more flexible than a physical data center, but up to a certain point. As the infrastructure grows, it loses its flexibility.

What Tasks Does A Virtual Data Center Solve?

It can completely replace a physical or cloud server. Moreover, it allows you to solve more problems in compliance with the personal needs of the business. These are the following:

• placement and storage of data;
• software testing and development;
• connection of reserve resources during peak load conditions;
• creation of a backup data center;
• an alternative site when replacing equipment.

It can be also used to create remote workplaces.

vDPC Features

There are many features of the technology. Let’s focus on the most important of them.

• the ability to follow business needs with greater flexibility and scalability;
• the feature to use information from anywhere in the world;
• high security due to the strong isolation in a multi-user environment;
• cost management and reduction of financial costs when working with IT infrastructure;
• high speed and flexibility of IT infrastructure;
• IT-departments productivity will increase;
• horizontal and vertical scaling according to your needs.

All these features make business use the new model, which has proven to be excellent in practice.

Payment

The cost of renting a virtual data center depends on the billing system - accounting for consumed resources. It can also be very flexible. Let’s consider the most popular payment systems.

• Allocated - a fixed amount is paid for a certain amount of allocated resources;
• Pay-As-You-Go the actual consumption of resources by virtual machines is paid.

In both cases, payment is made for the reporting period. Managing the cost of the Allocated system is as simple as managing the entire virtual data center: you can adjust the set of resources at any time. When choosing Pay-As-You-Go, you can select tariffs by the hour or minute, rather than by the working day, if the infrastructure is used occasionally.

When To Use vDPC

These are the potential users:

1. large and medium-sized enterprises that have already started or are thinking about transferring a significant part of their business processes to the cloud;
2. companies whose business is highly seasonal, and those who have an understanding of realistic deadlines, as well as a plan for introducing new products to the market;
3. startups and growing companies.

The final decision on the use of a virtual data center should be made taking into account the combined opinions of financiers, marketers, analysts, and IT specialists.

Virtual data center is a concept in which a significant part of companies is able to choose the optimal configuration of a package of services based on personal needs and transfer capital costs for IT infrastructure into the category of operating costs.