The reality of virtual machines
Whether you are running multiple operating systems in one space or testing new environments without disrupting production, virtual machines aren’t necessarily a new idea to the average tech savant. However, the implementation of virtual machines continues to gain traction in the mainstream computing world. Used to improve efficiency, increase security, and maintain productivity - when applied efficiently - virtual machines can extend desktop and server environments.
The concept behind virtual machines (VM) is that it enables a single physical computer to act as multiple virtual computers. Hypervisors are software layers that enable multiple operating systems to independently run alongside each other in one computer. Using these hypervisors to partition one computer into several VMs, users may then run several independent operating systems on the same hardware.
With virtualization, that single physical server transforms into many VMs running different operating systems and different applications all while being hosted on one single physical server.
Without virtualization, operating multiple systems — such as Windows and Linux — would require two separate physical units. Because each VM is separate from the physical host computer, users running multiple OS instances on a single piece of hardware saves time, money, and physical space.
Virtualized environments are a more cost-effective approach with fewer servers and infrastructure to maintain. It requires less resources (people and time) to install and maintain across all VMs on the server instead of going through the tedious process of applying updates server by server. Less time dedicated to maintaining environments increases team efficiency and productivity.
Since any action performed on one OS has no affect to any other OS on the host, developing and testing in a virtual environment lowers the risk of disruption whether it be the result of human error or external malice.
Having a separate OS provides the ability to build, test, and iterate quickly which is vital for remaining competitive and relevant from a business standpoint. It also adds to developer satisfaction as VMs give developers the ability to setup and teardown apps, services, and servers in a sandboxed environment, which can then quickly be restored once complete. This allows developers and software testers to identify configuration problems before end-users do.
Developers can quickly spin up a VM without impacting a production environment which is ideal for development and testing. A developer can clone a VM and apply the latest software patch or update, test the environment, and then move that VM into the production application.
This also helps isolate malware that might infect a given VM instance. Since software inside a VM has a larger barrier to entry to tamper with the host computer, malicious software cannot spread or cause significant damage.
The added layer of security extends into secure communication. There are many sectors – government, corporate, security – that benefit from VMs on corporate or non-corporate devices.
Deploying a VM on a personal device gives employees the ability to securely access corporate apps and infrastructure while maintaining complete isolation from their personal apps. Similarly, a corporate device can offer virtualization for secure corporate communication and another separate OS to replace typical device communications. SDM’s endpoint solution is a hardened OS that allows users to virtualize multiple OS instances simultaneously on a single device. Due to the strict separation that the hypervisor provides for each OS, different security domains can be established giving true separation between sensitive and less secure applications.
Virtualized environments reduce infrastructure and operational overheads while enhancing productivity. This impacts growth, promotes business stability, and provides an innovative approach to delivering reliable and privacy-focused secure communications.