Why Do Some Virtualization Projects Fail? Top Three Reasons

While, in theory, virtualization sounds like a great solution which all businesses, big, average or small should implement, it just so happens that the process doesnít always go down as smoothly as upper management would expect it to. On the one hand, cloud computing systems are on a continuing rise, with their popularity increasing by the minute.

On the other hand, many company owners or managers who have had bad experiences with migrating their data and work processes to virtual servers have begun to advise against such a solution, claiming it does not apply to all industries. Where is the truth in this controversy? Who is right and who is overreacting? It’s tough to say, which is why we asked the IT support team. Their insight added some much-needed insight to the answer. In brief, there is no one clear answer to the above questions, yet there are several major reasons for which, occasionally, virtualization projects will fail. Read on to find out more about those reasons and to know how to avoid them.

Lack of Clear Objectives

As with any project, a virtualization project absolutely requires a strategy, an implementation plan and a set of clearly established goals and objectives. The main reason behind this is that such a move essentially entails adopting an entirely new business model, which may or may not be fully suited to your businesses overarching goals. As such, virtualization specialists advise any potential clients to first assess the motives behind their potential move to virtual servers. Are they trying to cut back on IT maintenance costs? Do they simply want to streamline the overall business process of their company? Is continuity the main scope of their action? Whatever your goals may be, you need to know them before setting out on the road to virtual data storage, if for no other reason than to be able to discuss them with the representatives of the network systems provider which will guide you through the transition.

Lack of Staff Skills

This is a double-edged sword: the lack of skills can be on the part of your staff or in the provider’s “court”. The first variant is relatively easy to address and it somewhat ties in with the second one. A reliable and transparent solutions provider will also offer you training courses for your staff, in order to make sure that everyone understands the process and knows how to use the subsequent tools it will generate. Enquire your provider as to the existence of such courses. Should they display any reluctance to offer them, reconsider doing business with them altogether. A company which cannot instruct others in its own services is not transparent enough (and also probably not staffed with people who are skilled enough themselves) to be starting a long term professional relationship with.

Lack of Commitment

Do not hesitate to virtualize your entire sever estate, as this will only make you waste resources in the long run. Certain business managers believe database and MSExchange servers, for instance, should under no circumstances be virtualized, out of concerns over the security of the data contained there in. However, going it only half-way is a sure-fire route to disaster, or at least to increased expenses in exchange for half the benefits.