"If you're looking to hit the ground running with any virtualization project, large or small, this book is going to give you the start you need, and along the way will offer you some cautionary tales that will even take some seasoned virtualization veterans by surprise." --From the foreword by Chris Wolf, Senior Analyst, Burton Group

Transform your IT infrastructure into a leaner, greener datacenter with expert guidance from a pair of industry professionals. Through clear explanations, examples, and a five-step deployment plan, Virtualization: A Beginner's Guide shows you how to maximize the latest technologies from Citrix, Microsoft, and VMware. Consolidate your servers, set up virtual machines and applications, and manage virtual desktop environments. You'll also learn how to implement reliable security, monitoring, and backup procedures.

* Select a virtualization platform and develop rollout plans
* Perform pre-deployment network and workstation tests
* Configure virtual machines, storage devices, and workloads
* Set up and secure a fully virtualized and highly available server environment
* Manage a centralized, on-demand application delivery framework
* Handle volatile and persistent desktop virtualization
* Use hypervisors to facilitate workload delivery
* Implement failsafe system backup and recovery strategies