Virtualization: Just how far are we wiling to take it?
The comparison between the power of a modern PC and a 1960's mainframe is often made in conjunction with a smug "look how far we've come" look.
But the way virtualization is headed today it's likely that mainframe holdouts will turn that smug look back on us with a blithe, "yes, you've gone all the way back to beginning."
If we're not careful, by the time we're through deploying virtual everything we're going to end up with a single PC comprising our data center. Which is pretty much like a mainframe, isn't it?
We're certainly headed that way. Virtual appliances for security, for switching, for many functions handled by network infrastructure are arriving daily. And we're lapping them up like a cat given cream.
