Difference Between Virtualization and Cloud Computing

Many IT departments have introduced virtualization in a pre-existing computing environment. Server consolidation, the imitation of a production environment, the virtualization of networks, the addition of disaster recovery options are just some of the applications taken through virtualization.

Many IT professionals recognize the benefits of virtualization, including better use of server or savings associated with reducing the physical space, but now that we are heading towards the era of cloud a recurring question is: “Is Virtualization and private cloud are the same things? “. Or : “We are already implementing a high level of virtualization, do we need to turn to the private cloud?.” To answer these questions we must first ask what are the problems of business that you are about to face. And having given an answer, we must be clear about the difference between these two technologies. Virtualization and cloud computing are not in fact the same thing, they approach the objectives of IT from different perspectives and with different levels of impact on a business.

Virtualization in IT has the meaning of isolating the computing resources in such a way that an object (which may be an application, a task, a component) in one layer may possibly be used without having to worry about changes in the underlying layers. Virtualization island computing resources, thus offers the opportunity to relocate and consolidate resources to better use insulated and greater efficiency.

Cloud computing is the capacity to make the resources available on request. In this regard, it can come in handy for a definition of cloud computing published in NIST SP 800-145- which outlines the essential features and explains what kind of distribution models qualify as such. The essence of cloud computing is rooted in the way you approach a service. In the context of cloud computing, it is a service which identifies something available on demand. So if you mean the SaaS software, it is software whose offer is available on request and the focus is placed on the functions available. PaaS provides a runtime environment on demand and the scope of this service consists of the entire set of features available on demand for distributed applications in this runtime environment. Since this environment is available on request, an application deployed to this environment can therefore be brought to a state of execution on demand. Distributed applications in a PaaS environment are delivered with SaaS.

IaaS infrastructure implies the ability to provision infrastructure on demand. For IT professionals suppling the infrastructure at the operational level is reflected in the distribution server. In the context of cloud computing, all servers are virtualized and distributed in the form of a VM or VMS. So, IaaS is ultimately the ability to deploy virtual machines on demand. This attribute “on-demand” must not be taken to be granted, it is a term with a strong connotation, and which plays a large part of the meaning of cloud computing. It means high accessibility and availability at any time, allowing self service and universal access. In order to provide an on-demand service it is necessary to take control and measure, so that the capacity can be planned accordingly and for this reason, the cloud-cost is based on consumption, which is the essential features of this model.

That said, it seems the advantages of cloud computing with respect to virtualization is clear. The self serving is not a critical component in virtualization which can be implemented on the inside, but it is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for being in front of virtualization. In cloud computing, instead the self serving is a fundamental concept to provide at all times the availability to an user. Virtualization is focused on the virtual machines and rooted in the management of infrastructure, operations, flexibility and distribution. Virtualization concerns the capacity for server consolidation and management of virtual machines, desktop streaming and so on. The cloud changes the way to offer this service and prompt response to market opportunities: it tells you how to make an application immediately available on demand and not only how to deploy a virtual machine. The cloud is affected not only the operations of VM, but to provide an overview of all applications that run on these VMs.