Are you too small for server virtualization? There are many reasons to virtualize a server, but for a small organization, it comes down to resiliency. If your organization has only one server and you are running Microsoft Small Business Server, you can still virtualize your server with no additional cost. Virtualization provides the ability to easily transport your entire SBS server to a new hardware platform. This could be handy if you experience a serious hardware problem and need to bring in a replacement server that is not identical to the server that went bad. Once the new server has the basic virtualization environment created the SBS server can be placed on the new hardware platform and you are up and running. The only downside to creating a virtualized environment for a small business is a little bit of added complexity that is well worth the effort.
Another benefit that is not often taken advantage of is the ability to take a snapshot of your environment. With a snapshot, you can quickly restore the server to a previous state. This is handy if you are doing a major upgrade to your software and something goes wrong. The snapshot feature lets you roll your system back to just before you attempted the updates, essentially creating a safety net. The only downside to creating a virtualized environment for a small business is a little bit of added complexity, but is it is well worth the effort.
