Server virtualisation platforms and management

Get news and technical advice on virtualisation platforms, virtualisation management and strategy. Our resources weigh the pros and cons of virtualisation platforms (VMware, Hyper-V and XenServer) in light of your datacentre requirements and offer step-by-step guidance on virtualisation management tasks, such as installing Hyper-V or VMware, monitoring, troubleshooting and securing virtual machines, P2V, V2P, V2V migration, desktop virtualisation strategies, and more.

Opinion 28 Nov 2023
Uncertainty lingers with Broadcom’s VMware acquisition

Large enterprises with complex VMware environments are looking to de-risk their businesses from potential changes resulting from the Broadcom-VMware deal Continue Reading
News 07 Nov 2023
VMware consolidates AI push at Explore in Barcelona

VMware’s vision is of ‘cloud smart’ enterprises that run on-premise, in multiclouds and in the ‘edge cloud’, with secure and compliant generative AI fuelling efficient business processes Continue Reading

News 04 Sep 2019

Virtual Instruments brings automated VM right-sizing in v6.2

Storage and app performance specialist can now change virtual machine compute and network resources according to workload, with increased shift to analytics and proactive monitoring Continue Reading
News 26 Aug 2019

VMware’s latest acquisitions point to emerging platform war

VMware’s buyout of Carbon Black and Pivotal is a sign of an emerging platform war following the IBM-Red Hat deal Continue Reading
News 30 Jul 2019

Google increases presence and investments in Finland

New next-generation datacentre at Hamina and technology training hub in Helsinki illustrate Google’s growing interest in Finland Continue Reading
News 16 Jul 2019

Dutch authorities temporarily halt datacentre construction

Two local authorities in the Netherlands have put the brakes on datacentre construction to give them time to put policies in place to gain more control over builds Continue Reading
News 10 Jul 2019

Tax changes lead to review of Sweden’s datacentre development

Swedish government has changed the rules on how it offers tax rebates to datacentre providers and users, hitting domestic companies Continue Reading
News 09 Jul 2019

Amsterdam’s datacentres face challenges to retain high growth

The Amsterdam datacentre market is growing rapidly, but the industry behind it must get on top of some burgeoning challenges Continue Reading
Feature 02 Jul 2019

Evolution in action: The changing face of the datacentre

The role datacentres play in the wider enterprise IT landscape is changing, fuelling the demand for a mix of different types of facilities that are capable of meeting the growing variety of enterprise data-processing requirements Continue Reading
News 16 Jun 2019

5G to drive hybrid cloud adoption in ANZ

5G networks will move computing to the edge, driving adoption of hybrid cloud and hyper-converged infrastructure, says Nutanix’s ANZ chief Continue Reading
Feature 14 Jun 2019

Uptime and availability: Making sense of supplier SLAs

Enterprises need to read the fine print of supplier service-level agreements (SLA) or risk finding themselves caught short during downtime incidents Continue Reading
News 06 Jun 2019

Datacentre operators urged to look beyond past experience to fill talent gaps

Panellists at the annual Datacloud Europe Congress in Monaco claim operators will continue to struggle to plug talent gaps while focusing on finding candidates with years of experience in datacentres, rather than those with an aptitude for the type of work it involves Continue Reading
News 04 Jun 2019

Is ‘Brexit effect’ to blame for drop in UK data management investments?

Research from data backup software supplier Veeam suggests UK C-suite is set to invest much less in data management over the course of the next 12 months than the rest of the world, prompting concerns that Brexit might be to blame Continue Reading
News 03 Jun 2019

How Alibaba Cloud plans to win over APAC enterprises

The Chinese cloud supplier is counting on data analytics, industry-specific offerings and its knowledge of the China market to gain a foothold in the Asia-Pacific region Continue Reading
Feature 30 May 2019

SAN vs NAS vs hyper-converged for virtual machine storage

The pros and cons of file and block access storage arrays vs the new breed of all-in-one server/storage architecture for storage of virtual machine systems and data Continue Reading
News 23 May 2019

Why enterprises should dump their VMs for containers

Kubernetes is five years old and server virtualisation is the new legacy, says Aparna Sinha, director of product management for Kubernetes at Google Continue Reading
News 23 May 2019

VMware CEO outlines laws of hybrid cloud

Pat Gelsinger points out three laws that will make the case for the hybrid cloud future: economics, physics and data sovereignty Continue Reading
News 21 May 2019

University of Bradford deploys HPC to aid research into preserving world’s heritage sites

University teams up with OCF to deploy high-performance computing environment to support efforts to create 3D representations of world heritage sites Continue Reading
News 03 May 2019

Redefining OpenStack in the ‘open infrastructure’ era

The OpenStack Foundation’s inaugural Open Infrastructure Summit saw it share a series of updates on its efforts to expand its technological reach by forging closer ties with both users and adjacent open source communities Continue Reading
Feature 01 May 2019

Protecting your digital assets: Why it pays to invest in cyber insurance

Cyber insurance offers financial protection against the worst happening to a company’s data and digital assets, and is something few businesses can afford to be without Continue Reading
News 22 Apr 2019

With Anthos, Google seeks to unify open source cloud technologies

Urs Hölzle, Google’s head of technical infrastructure, talks up efforts to deliver what he claims to be the first open source cloud stack Continue Reading
News 09 Apr 2019

HPE and Nutanix go after hybrid cloud service opportunity

Enterprises are taking a hybrid approach to cloud computing. A new deal with Nutanix is HPE's latest attempt at simplifying hardware as a service Continue Reading
News 09 Apr 2019

Sweden chosen by Amazon Web Services as renewable energy project location

Amazon Web Services has chosen a wind farm in Sweden as part of a project to source renewable energy for its global infrastructure Continue Reading
News 02 Apr 2019

Cranfield gets Rubrik backup plus Nutanix in drive to the cloud

Research-led university goes hyper-converged across the board with Rubrik backup appliances and Nutanix in a move to rationalise on-site physical needs and drive to the cloud Continue Reading
News 02 Apr 2019

Public cloud fuelled bulk of datacentre infrastructure spend in 2018, research shows

Latest datacentre infrastructure tracker from Synergy Research Group highlights the impact the growing demand for public cloud is having on the market Continue Reading
Feature 01 Apr 2019

Keeping cloud costs in check: What enterprises need to know

Organisations should not be rushed into moving to the cloud, because doing so could result in mistakes that are costly to put right Continue Reading
News 28 Mar 2019

Singapore’s UOB signs up for VMware Cloud on AWS

United Overseas Bank has become the first in Southeast Asia to use VMware Cloud on AWS in its move to the hybrid cloud Continue Reading
News 28 Mar 2019

Norway datacentre strategy producing dividend

Norway's strategy to become a favourable location for Nordic datacentres is gathering steam Continue Reading
News 27 Mar 2019

Hyperscale demand for colocation offsets softening take-up from enterprises, research shows

Latest quarterly tracker data from Synergy Research Group highlights the positive impact the hyperscalers are having on the global colocation market, at a time when enterprise demand for their services appears to be softening Continue Reading
News 27 Mar 2019

Volkswagen broadens public cloud commitment by partnering with AWS

Automotive manufacturing giant Volkswagen Group is continuing to build out its cloud strategy by setting out plans to work with Amazon Web Services to revamp its manufacturing processes Continue Reading
Feature 25 Mar 2019

EMIS Group CIO: Breaking down NHS patient data silos by going all-in on AWS

EMIS Group CIO Pete Malcolm is in the throes of a sizeable revamp of the healthcare provider's flagship software system for GPs that will see it go all-in on AWS, while addressing the government's push to make NHS data systems more open and interoperable Continue Reading
News 18 Mar 2019

MySpace data loss: Botched server migration prompts user concerns over fate of lost songs

Social networking forerunner MySpace confirms server migration caused the loss of content uploaded to its site before 2015 Continue Reading
News 14 Mar 2019

IT Priorities 2019: ANZ organisations focus on fundamentals

Organisations in Australia and New Zealand will spend more on modernising legacy applications and breaking down data silos this year Continue Reading
News 18 Feb 2019

IT Priorities 2019: Cloud migrations emerge as top investment area for IT decision-makers

This year’s Computer Weekly/TechTarget IT Priorities research shows a growing appetite among UK IT leaders to move more of their IT estate and applications to the cloud Continue Reading
News 13 Feb 2019

Lenovo offers enterprises access to on-premise datacentre kit on cloud-like pay-as-you-go terms

Chinese PC maker Lenovo wants to make it easier for enterprises to access on-premise datacentre resources without needing to invest huge sums of money in purchasing it Continue Reading
News 07 Feb 2019

T-Systems cuts size of datacentre estate by 85% through technology refresh

The IT services arm of Deutsche Telekom has culled the number of datacentres it operates from 89 to 13, but claims to have seen its compute capacity increase by 25% Continue Reading
News 31 Jan 2019

Hyper-converged infrastructure gains acceptance in APAC

A top Nutanix executive claims that migrations to hyper-converged infrastructure in the region are under way, fuelled by growing interest in hybrid cloud Continue Reading
News 29 Jan 2019

Nordic green energy IT strategy gains momentum

The Nordic countries are building strong IT sectors around their green-powered datacentre infrastructures Continue Reading
Blog Post 29 Jan 2019

How To Save IT From Drowning In Its Own Self-Containerised World (and other stories)

Anyone out there right now could be more than excused for thinking we're drowning in security start-ups; too many "me too" vendors trying to resolve the same perceived problems - niche or broad. ... Continue Reading
20 Dec 2018

VMware debuts VMware Cloud on AWS in Australia, cuts entry price

Virtualisation juggernaut VMware rolls out its hybrid cloud service in Australia and has halved the entry price to sweeten the deal for enterprises. Continue Reading
Feature 18 Dec 2018

Docker management at scale: What enterprises need to know

Docker adoption within enterprises often starts at grass roots level, with developers leading the way, but as deployments scale and become larger in size, problems can occur Continue Reading
Feature 18 Dec 2018

Why VMware is betting big on containers, edge computing and IoT

With the server virtualisation game won, VMware is having to diversify into new areas, with cloud-native computing emerging as a top area of interest for the firm Continue Reading
Feature 30 Nov 2018

Intel Cascade Lake vs AMD Rome: Who will rule the datacentre roost in 2019?

Intel and AMD are both making a renewed push into the enterprise datacentre market in 2019, with both set to release new processors. We take a look at what they have to offer Continue Reading
News 27 Nov 2018

It’s still early days for hybrid IT in APAC

The tipping point for hybrid IT adoption will come only when more enterprises start running production workloads on the public cloud, says HPE’s chief technologist for the region Continue Reading
News 14 Nov 2018

OpenStack Foundation hails innovation benefits of open and inclusive software development

OpenStack CIO Mark Collier predicts the next five to 10 years will see more software development conducted in open, transparent and collaborative ways, as enterprises strive to speed up digital transformation efforts Continue Reading
Feature 14 Nov 2018

IT administrator 2.0: Adapting to life in the automation age

As the use of automation becomes increasingly pervasive in enterprise IT environments, systems administrators need to adapt and update their skills to remain relevant Continue Reading
News 14 Nov 2018

OpenStack Foundation will tackle infrastructure barriers to enterprise AI adoption

OpenStack supporting community will help enterprises to overcome infrastructure barriers to adopting artificial intelligence technologies in 2019 as demand for GPU and FPGA-based set-ups grows Continue Reading
News 08 Nov 2018

Google AI Hub aims to accelerate artificial intelligence project development in enterprises

Google debuts AI Hub to help enterprises get their artificial intelligence projects off the ground faster, as its bid to make the technology accessible to everyone gathers pace Continue Reading
News 07 Nov 2018

Uber backs hybrid cloud as route to business and geographical expansion

Ride-hailing app Uber is rapidly expanding its business interests, which requires an IT infrastructure that can scale just as quickly as its ambitions, according to the company’s head of compute, Dean Nelson Continue Reading
News 06 Nov 2018

Best of VMworld 2018 Europe User Awards: The winners

Find out who won what, including the best of show prize, at the 2018 VMworld Europe User Awards in Barcelona Continue Reading
News 02 Nov 2018

Best of VMworld 2018 Europe User Awards: Shortlist announced

Find out who made the shortlist for this year's Best of VMworld Europe User Awards, with the winners set to be announced at VMworld next week Continue Reading
Feature 01 Nov 2018

A guide to choosing cloud infrastructure services

We take a look at the considerations when choosing infrastructure as a service, and what needs to be in place for enterprises to get the most out of the cloud computing technology Continue Reading
News 29 Oct 2018

IBM acquires Red Hat in $34bn hybrid cloud push

IBM and Red Hat senior leadership teams confirm imminent merger, which they claim will help accelerate migration of enterprise workloads to the hybrid cloud Continue Reading
Feature 19 Oct 2018

The importance of adopting an evergreen IT strategy

Today's modern IT systems are potentially tomorrow's legacy technology problems, without an "evergreening strategy" in place Continue Reading
News 18 Oct 2018

Best of VMworld Europe 2018 Awards nominations now open until 26 October

Read the criteria for the Best of VMworld Europe User Awards and find out how to submit your nomination Continue Reading
News 05 Oct 2018

Amazon and Apple deny claims Chinese government bugged their servers

Amazon and Apple have publicly refuted a Bloomberg report that claims their servers were tampered with and bugged during the manufacturing process Continue Reading
News 02 Oct 2018

Open Compute Project eyes European enterprise adoption with Experience Centre opening

The Facebook-backed Open Compute Project is getting its first European Experience Centre in Amsterdam, as part of a three-way collaboration between its members to get more enterprises using its technology Continue Reading
News 26 Aug 2018

VMware debuts VMware Cloud on AWS in Australia, cuts entry price

Virtualisation juggernaut VMware rolls out its hybrid cloud service in Australia and has halved the entry price to sweeten the deal for enterprises Continue Reading
News 07 Aug 2018

Arista settles patent dispute with Cisco

Cisco gets $400m from rival, but experts say it still has some way to go to build a cloud networking strategy as complete as Arista’s Continue Reading
News 13 Jul 2018

Virtus Data Centres plots further expansion of Slough colocation site

Virtus Data Centres is adding three more data halls to its colocation facility in Slough, as well as carrying out a power upgrade at the site Continue Reading
News 06 Jul 2018

CNet Training calls on datacentre sector for input on skill shortage research

Technology skills and education provider CNet Training is calling on the datacentre community to help inform its research into what is behind the sector's skill shortages Continue Reading
News 25 Jun 2018

Electricity problems in Amsterdam could hamper datacentre growth

A shortage of power availability in Amsterdam might make businesses look elsewhere in the Netherlands to site datacentres Continue Reading
News 19 Jun 2018

Visa reveals 'rare' datacentre switch fault as root cause of June 2018 outage

Visa has offered a retrospective analysis of what went wrong in its datacentre during its UK-wide outage on Friday 1 June, in response to a request from the Treasury Select Committee for more detail about the downtime Continue Reading
News 19 Jun 2018

Public cloud giants' use of ODM datacentre kit continues to soar, Synergy Research shows

Latest quarterly tracker by Synergy Research highlights just how the ODM community now dominates the public cloud giant's datacentre investments Continue Reading
News 13 Jun 2018

Datacentre DIY: Can the hyperscale cloud giants afford to ditch their colocation partners?

With the hyperscale cloud giants showing a growing willingness to build and own their own datacentres, where does this leave the colocation community? Panellists at Datacloud Europe 2018 give their verdict Continue Reading
News 30 May 2018

Ontario Institute for Cancer Research uses open source clouds to aid cancer research

OICR explains why it is backing open source software and commodity hardware to help accelerate the pace of cancer research across the globe Continue Reading
Feature 25 May 2018

Why Kubernetes is emerging as a critical enabler of multi-cloud

The buzz around containers is showing no signs of stopping, with Kubernetes fast emerging as the technology of choice for enterprises looking to build multi-cloud environments Continue Reading
News 25 May 2018

Canonical founder calls out OpenStack suppliers for ‘lack of focus’ on datacentre cost savings

Mark Shuttleworth says the OpenStack community needs to open up about the economics of using the open source cloud platform to avoid turning users off Continue Reading
News 24 May 2018

From open clouds to open infrastructure: OpenStack's evolution continues

OpenStack is embarking on a push to position itself as a lot more than just an open source cloud software provider, with forays into containers and continuous integration tools, as enterprises continue to demand their infrastructure do more Continue Reading
E-Zine 15 May 2018

Will government IT be ready for Brexit?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the UK government struggles to get new IT systems up and running before Brexit, we examine the challenges ahead and the departments with the biggest problems. We look at serverless computing and ask why this emerging cloud technology is so important for IT leaders. And we discuss the latest best practice in mobile strategy for SMEs. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
News 27 Apr 2018

ScottishPower opens up about its two-year datacentre downsizing and migration project

The team behind ScottishPower’s recent two-year push to downsize and migrate its primary datacentre describe the project’s challenges and successes Continue Reading
News 25 Apr 2018

Interview: Amazon Web Services Sweden

Eric Morales leads the AWS business development team for startups and gaming companies in the Nordics. Computer Weekly caught up with him at AWS’s Nordic headquarters in Stockholm Continue Reading
News 16 Apr 2018

Singtel, VMware to set up hybrid cloud sandbox

The hybrid cloud sandbox environment will let companies test their cloud workloads and software-defined networks Continue Reading
News 13 Apr 2018

Crown Hosting and Fujitsu urge SIs to rethink approach to public sector IT in cloud era

Crown Hosting and Fujitsu claim shift away from large, multi-year outsourcing deals is a change some systems integrators are intent on ignoring Continue Reading
News 11 Apr 2018

Cloud, containers and hybrid IT flagged as top technology investments by UK IT professionals

Research into the technology investment priorities of UK IT professionals reveals a strong appetite for all things cloud and containers Continue Reading
Feature 05 Apr 2018

Data recovery disasters: Kroll Ontrack on how it helps enterprises bounce back

Data recovery expert Kroll Ontrack provides a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges enterprises and consumers face getting their files and information back when disaster strikes Continue Reading
Feature 03 Apr 2018

Keeping cloud costs in check: Why good governance is key

Without proper checks and controls in place, it is all too easy for the cost of using cloud to spiral out of control in enterprises, but it doesn't have to be Continue Reading
News 21 Mar 2018

Microsoft readies Windows Server 2019

As it pushes Azure for the cloud and Azure Stack as an on-premise bridge, Microsoft still believes there is life in Windows Server Continue Reading
Feature 19 Mar 2018

Serverless computing: What it is and why it matters

Enterprises might be forgiven for thinking serverless computing is just the latest in a long line of hyped technology concepts, but there is serious substance to it Continue Reading
News 14 Mar 2018

Cost and compliance deter users from public clouds

Hyper-converged server provider Nutanix argues that Azure and AWS are not the best option for running predictable workloads Continue Reading
News 08 Mar 2018

Component shortages and price hikes drag down fourth-quarter server shipments in Emea

Ongoing semiconductor and DRAM component shortage is driving up server prices, prompting IT buyers to delay purchases, according to Gartner Continue Reading
News 07 Mar 2018

VMware Cloud for AWS goes live in Amazon’s UK datacentres as hybrid cloud demand grows

Technology tie-up between VMware and AWS continues to go from strength to strength as the pair confirm a European expansion of their combined hybrid cloud-enabling service Continue Reading
News 26 Feb 2018

Ideal Standard standardises in Emea with Nakivo virtual backup

Bathroom multinational strips out country-based systems to virtualise across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Nakivo beats Veeam on cost to provide VMware disk-based backup and slashes restore times Continue Reading
News 26 Feb 2018

OpenStack gains early foothold in Australia

Although the open source technology has its cheerleaders, OpenStack has yet to crack Australia’s mainstream and challenge the market share of proprietary cloud suppliers Continue Reading
News 30 Jan 2018

IT Priorities 2018: Datacentre infrastructure investments show no signs of slowing

The 2018 Computer Weekly/TechTarget IT Priorities poll suggests datacentre infrastructure revamps could be on the cards at enterprises across the UK and Europe, as the push to consolidate their server farms picks up pace Continue Reading
Blog Post 15 Jan 2018

The Express Route to a hybrid Azure platform

The recent launch of Microsoft's Azure Stack platform provides a means for organisations to create a far more flexible and consistent hybrid private/public cloud environment. However, unless the ... Continue Reading
News 15 Jan 2018

Case study: Gleadell Agriculture supports cloud-first push with change in backup strategy

Commodity trading firm Gleadell Agriculture won the prize for Best Data Security and Data Protection Project at the Best of VMworld 2017 Awards, with its account of how an overhaul of its disaster recovery practices has set it up to become a cloud-first organisation Continue Reading
News 08 Jan 2018

IT Priorities 2018: ANZ ups ante on cloud services and software

Organisations in Australia and New Zealand are bullish on IT spending, particularly in cloud infrastructure services, cloud applications and all-flash storage arrays Continue Reading
News 04 Jan 2018

Meltdown and Spectre: AWS, Google and Microsoft rush to patch cloud chip flaws

Amazon, Google and Microsoft rush to fix chip flaws that could leave cloud customers at risk of having their data accessed or stolen by other users Continue Reading
News 04 Jan 2018

Claire House Children’s Hospice opens up about its digital transformation triumphs

Claire House Children’s Hospice took home the Best of Show prize at the Best of VMworld 2017 Awards by sharing details of how technology is helping it achieve its aim of reaching every family who needs its help across the north-west of England Continue Reading
News 18 Dec 2017

Top 10 cloud stories of 2017

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 cloud stories of 2017 Continue Reading
E-Zine 14 Dec 2017

CW Europe: Eurosport pumps up digital technology for cycling fans

Read how Eurosport is using a novel combination of technology and information to develop immersive viewing experiences for sports fans across a range of platforms. Also find out how Russian state bank Vneshekonombank expects to become a vehicle for a blockchain revolution in the country’s public sector, and what the European Parliament's approval of a new electronic system to store biometric information might mean for UK citizens after Brexit. Continue Reading
News 29 Nov 2017

As Meg Whitman steps down, HPE fleshes out hybrid ambitions

Hybrid IT represents a $100bn business, and is a segment HPE has set its sights on Continue Reading
News 28 Nov 2017

Dutch digital coin miners offered datacentre space to reduce costs

The Netherlands’ Datacenter Group is providing digital coin miners with space in a professional datacentre Continue Reading
Feature 14 Nov 2017

The multi-cloud myth: Why workload portability is still a pipe dream

While IT providers are fond of suggesting moving workloads between clouds is as easy as dragging and dropping apps between environments, the reality can be far more complex Continue Reading
Feature 07 Nov 2017

What ‘born in the cloud’ means for developers

When it comes to building cloud-native apps, developers must code with an inherent appreciation for where processing, storage and analytics happens Continue Reading
E-Zine 24 Oct 2017

Where will artificial intelligence take us?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, artificial intelligence (AI) enthusiasts and sceptics debate the opportunities and risks of the much-hyped technology – we listen in to the House of Lords investigation. Our latest buyer’s guide examines the benefits and challenges of cloud-native applications. And we look at the best practice in defending email systems from cyber attacks. Read the issue now. Continue Reading
News 18 Oct 2017

Cloud service spending almost matches traditional IT outsourcing

Traditional outsourcing spending has plummeted in the latest three-month period, but spending on cloud-based IT services is going some way to filling the void Continue Reading
News 22 Sep 2017

CIO interview: Russell Harte, group technology director, DFS

The furniture store’s group head of IT speaks to Computer Weekly about how customer experience can be used internally Continue Reading
News 12 Sep 2017

Best of VMworld 2017 Europe User Awards: The winners

Find out who won what, including the best of show prize, at the 2017 VMworld Europe User Awards in Barcelona Continue Reading
News 07 Sep 2017

Stockholm Data Parks welcomes first Greenfield tenant to renewably-powered datacentre hub

Multigrid Data Centers named as as one of the first operators to take up space in Stockholm's heat-reusing, green energy-powered datacentre hub Continue Reading
Feature 31 Aug 2017

Hyper-converged choices: DIY HCI software deployments

What are the advantages of do-it-yourself hyper-converged infrastructure deployment and who are the key suppliers of HCI software? We run the rule over the DIY hyper-converged market Continue Reading