Cloud technology is a must-have for most businesses now, providing a secure and efficient way to store documents and files so they aren’t lost, should the computer they are saved on break or malfunction. The two main elements involved with cloud technology are virtual machines (VMs) and containers.
It is critical to know the difference between the two as both have their pros and cons for your business. You need to decide which is best for your business use and which would be best for your company. A managed service provider can also help you set them up. Here are the differences between the two and their uses.
What is a virtual container?
Put simply, a virtual container enables you to run applications with their own separate resources, negating the need to emulate a virtual machine for each one. Containers sit on top of the host operating system of a physical server and share the OS kernel. The most common is Linux, Windows or Docker containers that are made up of control groups.
What are the pros of a virtual container?
Virtual containers have a range of pros that make it a viable option for your business. The first of these is that it is a streamlined way to deploy, test and build applications in multiple environments. They have great efficiency and a more consistent operation. No matter where applications are deployed, they will run the same.
Virtual containers are also cheaper to run as they require fewer system resources than traditional methods and they don’t need operating system images. A further benefit to a VC is that it is portable and can be deployed with ease to a range of hardware platforms or operating systems.
What is a virtual machine?
A virtual machine runs on a hypervisor which is essentially a firmware, software or hardware manager. With its own visualized hardware a virtual machine acts like its own separate computer and runs on a physical computer. This can also be known as the “host machine.” It is from this source it gets its resources such as RAM and CPU.
What are the pros of a virtual machine?
There are a host of benefits when it comes to using a virtual machine for your business. Being essentially a computer within another computer, it can allow multiple operating systems to run and exist at the same time. Virtual machines also make it easy for personalization and are much more flexible in the way that they run.
It can be configured to run specific user settings in a session and to reset these when a new session commences. There is also no need for expensive hardware as the virtual hardware means that it can be accessed from anywhere. Employees can work from home if they need and still be able to access what they need. You can also run multiple operating systems such as Microsoft Office working on a Mac, or vice versa.
Both virtual containers and virtual machines can be beneficial and they each have their own set of pros and cons. It is down to you to analyze which will be the most beneficial for you and your business.