What is Virtual Cloud Computing?
Virtual cloud computing combines the benefits of virtualization with cloud computing, making for a powerful tandem that drives much of enterprise computing today. This article discusses virtual cloud computing in detail, including the differences between virtualization and cloud computing, the different virtualization types used in cloud computing, and the importance, use cases, examples, and benefits of virtual cloud computing. It also discusses how you can implement virtual cloud computing with Parallels® RAS.
How Is Virtualization Different from Cloud Computing?
Virtualization and cloud computing are discussed together so often that some may confuse them for each other. The confusion arises from the reliance of cloud computing on virtualization. Some cloud services also offer virtualization products, adding to the confusion.
Virtualization refers to creating software-based versions of the hardware, software, storage, and network devices within your physical IT infrastructure. On the other hand, cloud computing services pool software, hardware, storage, and network resources together and make them available via the internet.
Virtualization makes cloud computing services possible. As many cloud computing resources are virtualized, it is easy to see how virtualization powers up much of today’s cloud infrastructure.
The fundamental difference between these two technologies is that virtualization does not offer the enhanced capabilities of cloud computing, including self-service, automated management, elasticity, scalability, and pay-as-you-go pricing. Given these benefits, more organizations are veering towards cloud computing rather than adopting virtualization alone.
What Are the Different Types of Virtualization in Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing uses several types of virtualization, including:
- Hardware virtualization. This turns physical hardware into virtual devices that can be accessed over a network. Using a hypervisor, a type of software that sits between the hardware and the operating system, it divides a single piece of hardware into multiple VMs, with each VM getting a share of the hardware’s resources. Thus, this type of virtualization makes possible the full utilization of hardware resources, enabling cost efficiencies.
- Server virtualization. This is like hardware virtualization but for server platforms. It enables a single physical server to be divided into multiple virtual servers with the hypervisor. Server resources are allocated based on the usage requirements of the virtual servers. Aside from allowing full utilization of hardware resources, it is handy in use cases where servers with different operating systems are required. Virtual servers are also useful for server consolidation, enabling substantial cost savings.
- Desktop virtualization. This involves creating complete desktop environments called virtual machines (VMs) with full network access and that are accessible from any device, regardless of specification. Typically, desktops that have more than enough resources are used as hosts. Multiple VMs are allowed to run at the same time. As data continues to reside in the host, it is an attractive option for organizations with strict security requirements.
- Network virtualization. This virtualizes hardware and software elements within your network to make your network easier to manage. It makes your network more flexible since it decouples your network hardware from the limitations of your network software. It also allows your VMs to use their network resources more efficiently. Moreover, network resources can be reallocated where needed.
- Storage virtualization. Normally, computer hardware comes with its own storage space. With this type of virtualization, storage devices are virtualized and combined into bigger storage accessible from any hardware. This enables centralized management of storage devices and scaling of storage on demand. It also allows more efficient use of storage space.
- Operating System (OS) virtualization. This divides the OS kernel into instances called containers. The host OS can view and manage the resources available to the computer, and its functionalities are replicated across containers. However, containers are isolated from each other and can only use the resources already allotted to them. This type of virtualization is ideal for when there is a need to consolidate applications and services spread across various servers into containers running on a single server.
- Application virtualization. Prior to virtualization becoming popular, applications were installed on each user device, making for a cumbersome deployment process. Virtual applications do not need to be deployed to individual devices but instead are run centrally from datacenters, whether on-premises or on the cloud. They are more convenient to use and enable more efficient use of your resources.
- Data virtualization. Data is abstracted so that it can be manipulated easily, even when your developers do not know its structure. Moreover, it does not matter which database system is used for retrieving data. Importantly, your users can check your data’s accuracy without all the trouble of understanding it.
Why Use Virtual Cloud Computing?
Many organizations find virtual cloud computing useful in terms of:
- Improving accessibility and flexibility. Virtual devices are accessible from anywhere and any device and can also be moved to a different location when necessary. For example, VMs can be moved to a different server without changing their configuration if a server goes down. Another example is in application testing—instead of acquiring a separate, dedicated test server, development teams can just spin up a virtual server for the same purpose.
- Making hardware limitations non-existent. Organizations do not need to acquire new hardware to meet changing requirements. Instead, resources can also be shifted on demand to where they are needed most without incurring downtime. For example, another storage device can be added without taking down the entire network when more storage is needed. Another option is to reallocate resources from one server to another without taking both servers down.
- Implementing better security. VMs are more secure because they are isolated from each other. For example, an infected VM cannot spread malware to other VMs since attack vectors are almost non-existent in a virtual IT environment. The IT team can also disconnect the infected VM from the network to ensure further security.
What Are Some Use Cases and Examples of Virtual Cloud Computing?
Virtualization is present in the following cloud computing scenarios:
- Audio and video streaming. Entertainment platforms such as Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify all come to mind. Government-run traffic cameras and surveillance closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems, among others, are other examples.
- Business applications. Various cloud-based software, or Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, are available for business use. These include Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software such as SAP and Oracle NetSuite, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems such as Salesforce, and customer service platforms such as Zendesk. Characteristics common to this software include speedy implementation, economies of scale, and network access from any device.
- Collaboration and communication platforms. Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive are a few examples, as are Facebook Messenger, Skype, Slack, WhatsApp, and Zoom.
- Data analytics and artificial intelligence. Google Analytics and Audience Insights by Facebook are examples of data analytics tools. Virtual cloud computing is also used extensively in machine learning and deep learning tools such as Amazon AI services, Google Cloud AI, Microsoft Azure AI, and TensorFlow.
What Are the Benefits of Virtual Cloud Computing?
The use of virtualization in cloud computing is attractive since it offers the following benefits:
- Improved security without additional costs. Aside from employing traditional network security techniques such as firewalls and end-to-end encryption, IT teams can virtualize and backup data to other servers without adding more hardware.
- Operational flexibility. Data loss arising from corrupted hardware and endpoint device crashes are no longer the catastrophic failures they once were. This is because data remains on the host servers instead of being saved to individual machines. Servers and storage devices are also backed up regularly and virtually, avoiding any single point of failure.
- Better cost efficiency. While resource underutilization is common in traditional computing, it is much less so in virtual cloud computing. Instead, the resource sharing and pooling that are characteristic of virtual cloud computing enable your organization to avoid unnecessary costs.
- Lower system-failure risk. One of the benefits of VMs is their ability to be transferred to another server as-is, limiting the impact of server crashes on your users. As an extra precaution, always have backup virtual servers ready to take over your primary servers when needed.
Beneficial Virtual Cloud Computing Solutions with Parallels RAS
Parallels RAS is a complete virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution that enables secure and cost-effective delivery of virtual applications and desktops to any device installed with the Parallels RAS Client. Alternatively, you can use the Parallels RAS Web Client running in an HTML5-compliant web browser to access your virtual applications and desktops. You can even switch devices or networks if you want.
You can deploy Parallels RAS to your own on-premises datacenter, private cloud, or a public cloud like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. You can also deploy it to multiple clouds, or a mix of your own private cloud and a public cloud, and even Remote Desktop Session Hosts and hyperconverged systems. Parallels RAS offers a secure, remote work environment for your end users, auto-provisioning and auto-scaling capabilities, and a centralized management console that offers your IT team a comprehensive view of your network infrastructure. All Parallels RAS features are offered as part of a single license package that includes free training.
As a VDI solution, Parallels RAS uses templates for fast and easy creation and deployment of VDI desktops and applications on demand. It also features enhanced data security through central file storage, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 encryption support, multi-factor authentication support, and granular access policies. Its intuitive user interface (UI) allows native gestures, and its coherence mode means you can work with Parallels RAS as if using your local drive. All these make Parallels RAS an ideal solution for virtual datacenters with their own virtual computing, storage, and network clusters.
See how you can implement virtual cloud computing solutions with Parallels RAS.
