Finding More Servers

I wrote previously about the need to find ways to increase security without (much) spending.  I'd like to use this first post in the series to highlight two areas in which you may be able to find additional server resources, which may be necessary for some of the future ideas in the series.

The first is through virtualization.  Although virtualization is already catching on, it is still under-utilized and most servers sit around slacking off most of the time.  Most operating systems now come with multiple guest instances included in their license.  That means if you are running a single OS on a server, you may be missing out on some benefit.  Here's a sample of some of the OS vendors and what they offer:

What virtualization technology could you use to run these?  Microsoft includes Hyper-V with most Windows licenses, and you may have gotten a license to use it if you've got Software Assurance (they offer a Windows Server license without Hyper-V now as well). RedHat includes Xen virtualization as part of the operating system. VMWare offers ESXi and VMWare Server for free.  Also, Sun offers VirtualBox as open source.

The second way to find additional server resources is through the use of recycled servers.  When most companies refresh their server hardware, the old servers go to a recycling company.  Rather than sending them off, these servers could be re-purposed for less critical tasks that can be run on older, (presumably) less reliable hardware.  Linux runs well on older hardware, and you'd be surprised what Windows Server will run on too.