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Videos
February 1, 2011 Sponsored by VMware
Four key IT initiatives are enabled by virtualization technology.
Summary:
How do you get nine divisions, 22 bureaus and 107 sites all on the same IT page? With nearly 400 physical servers spread across the state, the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALD OT) realized that it needed to find an answer. The department, which provides a safe and efficient intermodal transportation system for residents and visitors, didn’t have the kind of control over its IT infrastructure that the agency needed to provide the most efficient and secure services to its users.
ALDOT found a solution in virtualization technology from VM ware. Virtualization technology separates applications from specific, physical servers, so the old “one server, one application” model no longer applies. With the ability to put numerous virtual machines on one physical machine, fewer physical servers are needed — reducing costs for buying, maintaining and powering equipment. And virtualization’s flexibility makes IT shops more responsive to changing business needs.
Virtualization is now a significant part of four key initiatives for ALD OT aimed at achieving greater management capabilities, lowering costs, and improving security and disaster recovery. ALD OT is using virtualization to consolidate servers in the data center located in its main office in Montgomery. Once that effort is complete, the department will virtualize the environments in its nine divisional offices. It will also virtualize its DMZ — the infrastructure between internal and public- facing networks — and improve disaster recovery for the entire department.
