Survey Highlights Persistent Challenges with Server Consolidation and Virtualization

Clear Lake, Iowa, July 12, 2010 - TeamQuest Corporation published study results that identify three major challenges associated with virtualization and server consolidation according to IT decision makers in North America and Europe.

The three major challenges experienced or anticipated, according to the commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of TeamQuest in April 2010, "Strategies to Improve IT Efficiencies in 2010":

• Server size needed to support the virtual containers is difficult to evaluate.
• Performance and workload of application virtualization candidates is difficult to assess.
• Major performance issues occur at peak times due to resource contention between the containers.

Study results show these challenges, initially identified in the Q4 2008 study, have become more pervasive, a likely reflection of the complexity associated with the dynamic nature of virtualization. The ability to dynamically alter the initial resource allocation requires an even more precise view of application performance behavior to avoid contention for physical resources and unexpected performance issues.

"Virtualization lowers the amount of hardware required and reduces power consumption to some extent," said Director of Product Management Scott Adams, "but it also raises management complexity since there is no longer a permanent and exclusive relationship between physical resources and the software that runs on it."

Meeting Virtualization Issues Head On
Capacity management software helps IT manage workloads in virtualized environments and hybrid cloud environments. Companies should use software that works across virtualization platforms, provides in-depth analysis capabilities and offers the ability to review historical data and plan for future service delivery needs.

"In today's environment, it's important to accurately anticipate how systems will respond when workloads ramp up or are moved as part of a server consolidation or virtualization effort," said Director of Product Management Scott Adams.

As virtualization and cloud computing battle for attention, IT organizations are realizing the value of embracing more mature processes that enable IT and business to work together.

"Optimizing IT services today takes more than a tool that focuses on technology," Adams said. "You need to establish processes for exchanging information, and identify and verify prediction scenarios. Many IT departments are on a journey that involves moving from formalized incident reporting to standardizing a toolset across technologies to measuring process efficiency and effectiveness."

Get the full study.

About TeamQuest Corporation
TeamQuest Corporation is the global leader in IT Service Optimization (ITSO), specializing in Capacity Management software. TeamQuest helps IT organizations consistently meet service levels while minimizing costs and mitigating risks. By combining performance data and business metrics, TeamQuest software enables IT organizations to provide accurate, objective information as input to critical business decisions. Companies around the world trust TeamQuest software to help them proactively improve service delivery and support best practices.

For more information, visit www.teamquest.com or call +1-641-357-2700. In Europe, Middle East and Africa, call +46-31 80 95 00, and in Asia Pacific call +61 3 9641 2288.