Virtual v’s Physical Appliances – 4 Compelling Reasons for Change
Redundancy and Backup - part II
A virtual appliance encapsulates all of the required "bits" for that server in an image file. It is possible to back up the image file on a nightly basis and to automatically copy the image to an off-site facility using the Internet. As the appliances within the organization become virtual, the mechanism for backing them up becomes standard across all appliances. Eventually, an automated task can perform the backup operation for all of the virtual images. In the event of a disaster, the image can be redeployed and the only loss to the organization will be the data produced since the last backup, which will often be inconsequential. By using virtual server images, the organization can even redeploy its server pool without needing to replace much hardware. Several companies offer a "hot standby" site which can be tailored to virtual server images, allowing staff to resume work almost immediately.
