Virtualisation is a way in which a single piece of IT hardware (i.e. a PC or Server) can be the host to a number of “Virtual Machines” or “Virtual PC’s”.

In other words, your Windows 7 PC can run within it another instance of say Windows 7 or a virtual machine running a different operating system. There can be many benefits to this – your brand new Windows 7 PC may not be able to run that favourite game from years gone by or a certain office application that you’ve been running your business on since 1995! By installing a Virtual PC, it gives you the ability to run older software within an operating system that it supports (i.e. a Windows XP Virtual machine), without the need for another physical PC. Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions are already configured and licensed to take advantage of a virtual machine running Windows XP – it just needs setting up and configuring.

Virtualisation is big news for small and medium businesses as well, because it enables them to do much more work with much less kit. By running multiple operating systems on a single server, it can save firms a fortune – so it’s hardly surprising that small and medium sized businesses are embracing virtualisation in record numbers.

For more information on Virtualisation and how it can enhance your home or business drop us an email or enquiry via the enquiry form