Virtualization For Dummies®

Chapter 15. Ten Steps to Your First Virtualization Project

In This Chapter

• Getting ready for the long haul

• Knowing what you need virtualization for

• Keeping an eye on office politics

• Making sure your virtualization architecture fits the bill

• Getting the right virtualization product

• Getting the right hardware

• Going for a test run

• Setting up the real McCoy

• Head ’em up (move ’em out), move ’em out (head ’em up)

• Managing what you've wrought

If you're raring to go with virtualization but want to approach your first virtualization project methodically, here are ten things to keep in mind as you create your project plan.

Recite After Me: Virtualization Is a Journey, Not a Product

Although it's tempting to jump right into implementation (and it's certainly easy, given that a number of virtualization products are available for free download), it's vital to remember that you're considering changing a part of your production infrastructure. Because critical operations of your company depend on that infrastructure, don't rush headlong into implementation — no matter how tempting it is.

Any significant project requires careful planning and monitoring. You should move through planning, implementation, and operations stages deliberately, with careful project tracking and milestone evaluation.

Virtualization makes the process of project planning even more important because of the fact that many organizations find that their virtualization infrastructure ends up getting modified over time as they realize that they'll ...