Why Your Business Should Start Taking Advantage of Virtualization

black and white terminal control mainframe in data center ranks among supercomputers. taking advantage of virtualization

Businesses use a lot of technology to keep themselves competitive and operationally efficient. One way that organizations use to make their technology infrastructure more accessible is through taking advantage of virtualization. Let’s discuss what virtualization is, how it benefits businesses and some examples of how you might consider leveraging virtualization to your company’s benefit.

Virtualization for Hardware and Software

Virtualization in its most basic sense is taking something and making it virtual. In regards to hardware and software, it involves taking these parts of your technology infrastructure and making them available in a virtual environment. Virtual applications and hardware solutions can be deployed to the cloud. Then they can be accessed by any online device. Some examples of virtualization might include creating virtual machines, like workstations and server units. These are hosted in a virtual environment for as-needed access.

What Benefits Are There to Virtualization?

Virtual machines are great for organizations that want to consolidate their infrastructure and improve the accessibility of resources. For example, let’s say that you have three server units for your business. One is dedicated to legacy applications that are not supported on the latest operating systems. Consequently, you might run a virtual machine to allow these applications to do what they must with the need to run multiple servers just to make ends meet. In other words, consolidating your infrastructure allows you to simplify it and invest fewer resources to accomplish the same tasks. You also improve security, as each instance of an operating system can be isolated.

Desktop virtualization is also an incredibly useful tool that can let you run instances of operating systems on machines that might otherwise not be able to run them, and it’s all thanks to the computing power of the host machine. For example, you might utilize “thin” computing hardware, or slimmed-down desktops, for your company’s workstations. The operating system and desktop infrastructure are then accessed through the virtual environment. It’s a great way to reduce costs and simplify your infrastructure as a whole.

How Can Your Business Start Taking Advantage of Virtualization?

If your business is ready to start taking advantage of virtualization, we recommend working with 4Corner IT to determine which aspects of your business would do well in a virtual environment and what you should avoid. All businesses are different, and one solution that works for other organizations might not work for yours. We can perform a comprehensive IT evaluation to help you make this determination.

4Corner IT can help you begin taking advantage of virtualization solutions in a way that is in line with your organization’s goals. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at (954) 474-2204.

Going Paperless Offers More Value Than You Think

green computer key that reads "Go paperless"

Paper documents have always been a major part of doing business. Whether it’s signing contracts between you and your clients or employee paperwork from when you make new hires. The thing with paper documents, however, is that they can take up a ton of space in filing cabinets. Also, depending on your habits, they can quickly become unorganized.

There are several benefits to going paperless, and your organization can take steps toward making this happen through the use of great technology solutions.

The Benefits of Going Paperless

Here are some of the benefits to going paperless for your business:

  • Protecting documents from being lost, stolen, or destroyed
  • Improved security and privacy through the use of digital filing systems
  • Greater access to important documents for both customers and employees alike
  • Less wasted capital on paper, ink, and toner
  • Less storage space utilized on-premises
  • Ease of editing and sharing documents

Scanning Important Documents

While all of these benefits are great and can contribute to a more effective work process as a whole, it’s important to remember that, depending on how long you have been in business, you probably have a ton of documents that must be converted to a digital file format. One way to do this is by scanning files and converting them into a PDF file format. PDFs are great for accessibility, but they cannot be easily edited. Depending on the solution you are using, you can include fillable forms in your PDF documents that make them ideal for forms you might send to employees or customers.

Digital Signage Solutions

Digital signage solutions are perfect for finding an easier way to draw up things like contracts or consent forms. Basically, digital signage solutions allow whoever is signing the document to “e-sign” or electronically sign a document in much the same way they would if they were physically writing out their signature. Digital signage solutions can make sharing documents in this way easier and more efficient, smoothing out workflows and decreasing service time.

Cloud-Based Document Storage Systems

The real benefit of going paperless comes from the solutions that enable it, like a cloud-based document storage system. These systems give anyone with the appropriate permissions access to view or edit documents. Furthermore, documents stored in these systems can be searched for, meaning no more digging through filing cabinets when you need to find a very specific document.

4Corner IT can help your business take the appropriate steps toward a paperless office. To learn more about what we can do for your business, reach out to us at (954) 474-2204.