Virtualization technology is on a roll, driven by adoption of x86-based servers. While the software market ecosystem around virtualization is heating up, hardware vendors are leveraging that momentum and creating platforms that are optimized for virtualization. 

SQL Server performance is highly dependent on how you configure your server's storage subsystems. With that in mind, this e-guide dives into a benefit/cost comparison of the increasingly popular solid-state drive (SSD) trend and explains some of the top mistakes people make when purchasing hardware for SQL Server. 

With a bit of planning, a specific tiering-out of your system priorities and a dash of virtualization, you can breathe new life into your old servers -- even as you bring in replacements with all of their powerful new capabilities. Read this e-book to learn more. 

In this expert e-guide, find out how to optimize SQL Server with the right choices for hardware, storage devices, and virtualization. Inside, find articles on: what not to do when purchasing hardware; if solid-state storage devices are worth the cost; hardware and risk considerations for an inevitable virtualization initiative. 

All Servers are essentially the same, featuring the same basic hardware. The appearance and performance of the hardware in a particular server is what makes the difference. Learn more about Server Hardware such as Processors, Hard Drives, RAM, RAID, and Network Controller Cards in this video. 

Advances in server technology promise tantalizing benefits, such as higher consolidation ratios and reduced costs. Read this special report to discover the new capabilities updated software provides. You'll also learn the advantages of modern hardware and garner best practices on upgrading to newer software and hardware. 

This white paper discusses eight must have Dell Compellent technologies that combine to create new levels of efficiency and flexibility while cutting cost now and in the future. 

By turning to a virtual-ready infrastructure, IT has the opportunity to create a next-generation architecture that fundamentally changes the way data centers work for the future. In doing so, IT has the opportunity to transform its own value to the organization by making the infrastructure more flexible and ready to move at the speed of business. 

Dell's adaptive infrastructure management (AIM) framework has something competitors don't: support for heterogeneous hardware. In a nutshell, it's possible to have a completely automated infrastructure using all Dell gear, or a nearly completely automated infrastructure using an array of hardware from other vendors. 

Quocirca looks at the case for mobile printing in the enterprise and suggests best practices for a mobile print strategy. 

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we mark the 10th anniversary of Microsoft’s Bill Gates announcing the Trustworthy Computing initiative, and ask if it has made IT more secure. We look at what Oracle’s latest developments mean for its software users running rivals’ servers, and conclude our Buyer’s Guide to IT consumerisation. Download the issue now. 

Understanding the costs and trends associated with server virtualization is very important, as well as understanding the role of virtual platforms for your business.