In the present arena Virtualization and Cloud Computing, are the two most talked about technologies. Similar to the technologies that were only available to large-scale enterprises in their initial stage, Virtualization and Cloud Computing have also scaled down for small-scale enterprises as well. Although both these technologies share a common conception of maximizing computer resources, there underlies a huge difference in them. In layman language, the biggest difference between the two is that Virtualization is a technology and Cloud Computing is the service that is based on this technology. Due to a nebulous knowledge of the two technologies, even the administrators at times get confused.
So here we are. Let us begin with an introduction of Virtualization and Cloud Computing and understand what they actually are.
Virtualization is defined as the process of separating physical infrastructures for creating separate dedicated resources. This makes it possible to run multiple operating systems or applications on the same server at the same instance. The technology behind this process is Virtual Machine Monitor that does the task of separating environments from physical infrastructure. There are different kinds of virtualization like server virtualization, which divides a single server into multiple servers.
As discussed earlier, cloud computing is a service whose foundation is based on Virtualization. Cloud computing cannot exist without Virtualization. In this, the shared computing resources, data or software are delivered on service per demand basis via internet. This is most preferred by small-scale organizations as they get their hands on massive applications and resources via Internet.
Both Virtualization and Cloud Computing have their deployment perks. They both aim at maximizing the applications and resources whilst providing flexibility to the users. The organizations should process their requirements and incorporate the technology that suits them better.