When most IT Pros, Managers, Directors and CIOs think about virtualization, the first thing that comes to mind is server consolidation using server virtualization. However, there is a lot more to virtualization than just "consolidating your servers with VMware." In this analysis, we will help you to understand the different types of virtualization and which works best for you.

To make this discussion useful, we'll consider these types of virtualization in the context of the most important data center challenges and clarify the features that make virtualization appealing. Through this discussion, you'll gain a basic understanding of the various types of virtualization including:

• their costs and benefits
• the possibilities IT groups can realize by using virtualization
• some guidelines with regard to selecting technologies
• how you can apply them to your business to meet your business goals.