CIS-512 Week7 assignment3

Assignment 3: Virtualization Across the Board
Due Week 7 and worth 90 points

Virtualization is generally defined as the creation of a virtual version of a computer object. The computer objects may be hardware objects such as virtual machines (VMs), virtual storage disks (vdisks), or network resources such as virtual networks, virtual Central Processing Units (CPUs or VCPUs), virtual keyboards, virtual mice, and so on. The computer objects may also be software objects such as virtual operating systems (VOS), virtual desktops interfaces (VDIs), virtual memory (VMEM), virtual device drivers (VDDs), and so on. The virtualization market has seen tremendous growth as businesses embark on strategies to virtualize hardware and / or software. Companies such as VMware, Microsoft, and Citrix have invested heavily in virtualization-based solutions for these businesses. 

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Determine whether hardware virtualization helps businesses and organizations in terms of:
   • cost management
   • systems performance and scalability
   • systems management and administration
2. Determine whether software virtualization helps businesses and organizations in terms of:
   • cost management
   • systems performance and scalability
   • systems management and administration
3. Compare and contrast VMware, Microsoft, and Citrix in terms of:
   • market adoption
   • technical architecture
   • technical support
4. Determine which vendor you would recommend for a virtualization strategy and explain why.
5. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Compare and contrast the types and role of distributed software architecture
• Analyze the main classes of hardware and system software components in an enterprise context.
• Discuss network hardware devices to include switches and routers.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in enterprise architecture.
• Write clearly and concisely about Advanced Computer Architecture topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.