The use of static x86 server configurations is quickly becoming an outdated concept with the introduction of modern solutions based on blade architectures, which can offer both intelligent configuration and management and the ability to perform physical-to-virtual migration to promote uptime and efficient resource usage.

When combined with the quickly maturing x86 hypervisor technologies available from a variety of solution providers, the synergy of blade architectures and virtualization offers customers the ability to dramatically increase utilization of their server investments, boost uptime, provide a more resilient and available infrastructure, and roll out new infrastructure and services more quickly.

But equally important, these same technologies can also lower costs both directly, through an immediate reduction in power and cooling costs, and indirectly (but not with a lesser impact), through a reduction in IT administrative costs associated with server hardware and the layers of infrastructure software management.

IDC analysis of the potential to lower IT costs by moving to a virtualized infrastructure finds that the savings can be significant.