Virtualization as a Buzzword

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Virtualization refers to the act of making a virtual type of computer hardware, operating system or computer network. The most common example of virtualization is partitioning of hard drive and devices can interact with virtual resources through virtualization. Storage virtualization, server virtualization, and network virtualization are the buzzwords in computer science. Lots of modern day computing technologies are associated with virtualization and its multiple sub disciplines. Amalgamation of multiple storage devices into single storage unit is referred as storage virtualization. Server utilization is the partitioning of physical server into small virtual server. Well known Information Technology companies acquired providers of virtualization software in the previous decade. This event points to the importance and relevance of virtualization in this era of digitalization and internet addiction. For example, Microsoft had acquired Connectix Corporation, a provider of virtualization software in 2003. Likewise, VERITAS announced their plan to acquire a virtualization application company called Ejascent.
Definition of virtualization in a research paper appears as “Virtualization is a framework or methodology of dividing the resources of a computer into multiple execution environments, by applying one or more concepts or technologies such as hardware and software partitioning, time sharing, partial or complete machine simulation, quality of service and many others”. The innovative concept of is synergistic with various paradigms including multiprogramming. Computer scientists are of the opinion that grid computing enables virtualization of distributed computing including ad hoc provisioning as well as on demand deployment. In the language of a common man not well versed with information technology, “virtualization abstracts out things”.