Virtualization is a process that allows for more efficient utilization of physical computer hardware and is the foundation of cloud computing.
Types of virtualization:
CPU (central processing unit) virtualization is the fundamental technology that makes hypervisors, virtual machines, and operating systems possible. It allows a single CPU to be divided into multiple virtual CPUs for use by multiple VMs.
Application virtualization runs application software without installing it directly on the user’s OS. This differs from complete desktop virtualization (mentioned above) because only the application runs in a virtual environment—the OS on the end user’s device runs as usual. There are three types of application virtualization:
Local application virtualization: The entire application runs on the endpoint device but runs in a runtime environment instead of on the native hardware.
Application streaming: The application lives on a server which sends small components of the software to run on the end user's device when needed.
Server-based application virtualization The application runs entirely on a server that sends only its user interface to the client device.
Data center virtualization abstracts most of a data center’s hardware into software, effectively enabling an administrator to divide a single physical data center into multiple virtual data centers for different clients.
Each client can access its own infrastructure as a service (IaaS), which would run on the same underlying physical hardware. Virtual data centers offer an easy on-ramp into cloud-based computing, letting a company quickly set up a complete data center environment without purchasing infrastructure hardware.
