Small Businesses Able to Adapt to Virtualization Movement Thanks to Server Rental Options

You don’t need to be a Fortune 500, multi-million dollar corporation to afford a move to virtualization – as many small business owners are finding out.

We live in a competitive world, and every bid counts – which is why there has been a push towards adapting to virtualization in the first place. But when it come to small businesses (SMBs), owners may be reluctant to convert due to a lack of knowledge or an undue concern over expenses.

That hesitance is fast evaporating, however, as information becomes more common.

We can attest to it personally, because between our North American branch, Vernon Computer Source, and our European affiliate, Hamilton Rentals, we stock over $40 million in server rental inventory. And we are finding that, every day, our clients tend to be a mix small-, medium- and large-sized businesses. The only difference tends to be the capacity of the server they intend to rent.

For the higher end customers, we’ve got blade servers, racks, and enclosures – as well as solid state arrays.

But for the little guys, we carry a vast inventory of IBM x86 and Sun Fire units, among other options.

In ChannelProSMB magazine, Lauren Gibbons Paul wrote an article entitled “Desktop virtualization for SMBs: Is it Time?” Gibbons Paul addresses some of the issues facing SMBs, but points to a common bottom line: total cost of ownership (TCO).

Often times, it is cheaper for SMBs to invest in virtualization rather than upgrading the overall PC package, but it isn’t necessarily a money saver. It is, in fact, a way to optimize performance in a cost structure that makes sense.

Michael Silver, vice president of research at Gartner, recently looked at the TCO factor. In a report, Silver said “The emergence of alternative client architectures provides the opportunity to reduce client computing TCO, but requires new measurement methodologies to evaluate them.” He added, “Organizations should select the right technology for their users based on need and should consider TCO as one criterion. Complexity is an issue that organizations need to keep in mind as they select their computing models and devices. Too many architectures could increase TCO, especially in smaller organizations.”

What this means is – if you’re a small business, virtualization might be for you. Just make sure you investigate it first.

And a server rental might be the ideal way to achieve the pathway – for a price that makes sense.