Larger-than-life stories about startups are often more entertaining than informative, but they can demonstrate some real-life business lessons—especially the importance of server virtualization.
However, some television media manages to walk the line between art and accuracy to deliver spot-on, not-quite-a-parody representations of California's tech paradise. While tech-savvy and ordinary viewers alike can enjoy the interpersonal antics of these shows, you can take away a number of implied business lessons—the value of virtualization, for example. Let's dig in.
Quick turnaround
Speed is one of the top reasons to use server virtualization, especially for tech entrepreneurship. After all, your product or service needs to stand out and reach the market before competitors roll out similar offerings. Virtualized servers provide the backbone for this type of quick turnaround.
It's one thing to frantically code an algorithm at four in the morning and another to bounce it off servers to see what happens. Virtual machines allow you to test, test again, and retest before launching a new version or update. This ability is critical for businesses that don't have the time or money to fix ailing legacy servers or correct clashes between operating systems and new apps.
On the move
According to Vox, one startup succeeded in creating a real-life version of the "compression algorithm," once merely a plot point in Sillicon Valley. However, not all innovative ideas work quite so effortlessly.
Many companies experience growing pains in their first few years as they're forced to move because of expiring leases or substantial brand growth. Server virtualization lets you take your toys with you when you go, since virtual machines hosted off-site aren't tied to your physical space. Better yet, if you plan to open a branch or remote office, virtualized servers make it far simpler to manage the new location from afar, saving you the hassle of finding and hiring a new IT employee dedicated to an off-site location. Bottom line? Location doesn't matter, making relocation possible and less stressful.
Fixing faults
Last, but certainly not least, the top reasons to use server virtualization include troubleshooting and problem-solving.
Consider the user interface, a key component of successful app deployment. Since in-house testing can only offer so much useful feedback, you eventually need to push the service live and wait for public opinion. If it's a rousing success, celebrate and proceed to the next project. But what if consumer reaction isn't so positive?
For example, product development firm Bresslergroup uses an example from Sillicon Valley to discuss one of the problems that occurs when a signature algorithm morphs into a cloud-based storage app: complexity. Users feel overwhelmed by the number of options and the application's nonintuitive user interface.
Virtualized servers pave the way for a thorough overhaul of the user interface and overall design on-demand. Instead of leaving users stuck with features they don't need and tools that don't make sense, you can redesign on the fly and return your app to the wild as soon as possible. For many entrepreneurs, this is par for the course; the best-laid plans often go awry. However, with server virtualization, you can salvage what's usable and shift to a redesign if needed.
At the end of the day, the fictional struggles of a tech-valley company offer real-life lessons in the value of virtualization. It's not real real life, but it's close enough!
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RobertChecketts
Robert has over 25+ years of IT Marketing and Product Management leadership experience spanning country, Regional and WW organizations. Robert is a marketing executive with extensive experience in field marketing, channel marketing and product marketing on a global basis and is driven to deliver SMB’s end-to-end affordable infrastructure that’s secure from the start, optimized for every workload, packaged for many consumption models, ready to scale, and easy to manage.
