Articles

The Benefits of Virtualizing Your Office

Today, virtualization plays a great role in the growth capabilities of companies at all sizes. Many businesses could benefit from substantial cost savings and flexibility by implementing a structured virtualization plan in their offices, but few executives realize how important it can be to their business.

What is Virtualization?

Virtualization is the process of establishing a simulated version of something ... one that appears to be real, but isn’t. Technology examples abound today, such as a networks, server, storage device, an operating system and the like; in addition, there are many other examples of virtualization that benefit today's business world.

Technology, the Home of Virtualzation

More than anywhere else, virtualization is used in all forms of technology. Systems can be run for different businesses on the same server, virtually, securely and separately.

A properly implemented virtualization program reduces the headaches associated with the rollout of hardware and application upgrades. Those upgrades that do take place tend to be much faster and more efficient as well. This is because virtual machines are built in the form of files, which can be copied and installed much more quickly than real devices.

The outsourcing of IT services (cloud-based phone system, hosted email, etc.) can directly save money on licensing, hardware and expertise, and it also clears physical space. Most important, predictable expenses promote effective fiscal management within the company.

Virtualization Beyond Technology

There are other forms of virtualization that don't get the amount of press as technology, but are just as important and show many of the same benefits:

• Answering Service/Call Center
  Having a call center take messages can allow very small companies and "solo-preneurs" to manage the appearance of availability. While calls come in, individuals can stay completely focused on whatever they are doing, such as working on a project or being out of the office during business hours. Call centers can also provide outbound calling, especially in medical services. Using an after-hours outbound service makes sense for scheduling patient appontments, as calls during the day are likely to be missed.
• Virtual Offices
  Not only is this a great way to expand your footprint without a lease, Virtual Centers also provide additional services, such as meeting rooms, video conference calls, mail sorting and answering services.
• Virtual Calendars
  Services allow linking of your individual calendar, which makes setting a meeting or an appointment a breeze. By making your calendar available to others, they can schedule within your availability without the back-and-forth that normally occurs ("What does your Wednesday morning look like?" "Oh, I'm not available then - how about Thursday afternoon?" "No, that's bad for me too" etc.)

The Financial Advantages of Virtualization

Among the advantages conveyed by virtualization is the substantial cost savings offered in terms of hardware and software purchases. Physical resources can be utilized to nearly 100 percent, spreading the cost of the physical resource across multiple virtual resources. This concept can be extended to numerous other areas of information technology, benefitting many areas of the business. Money can be saved by avoiding unnecessary hardware duplication. Cost saving can also be realized from lower energy usage, as fewer real devices means less energy is consumed to achieve a given task.

The non-technology examples provide strong cost-saving factors as well. Benefits such as 24-hour availability, "rent, not buy" and quick-choice scheduling make a lot of sense regardless of business size. And Virtual Offices allow a business to expand its footprint across the country, to have a local presense while building the market, and without having invested a lot of money in leases, power, phones and time.

By understanding and implementing virtualization where appropriate, your business can realize substantial cost savings, go to market quicker, all while reducing technology issues. Virtualization makes the outsourcing of responsibilities much more functional, viable and cost-effective because services can be delivered so much more efficiently.

To find out how your company can take advantage of all the benefits that virtualization has to offer, call us today at (888) 727-1994, extension 102 to consult with one of our professional Consultants.