Virtualization--particularly server virtualization--is a very hot topic right now in industries of all types and organizations of all sizes. However, in the rush to embrace the technology and its manifest benefits, its implications and challenges can all-too-easily be overlooked. Nothing in IT is a panacea. To be crystal clear, virtualization is both a tremendously powerful concept and tool that is delivering enormous value, but--like most things that appear perfect initially--it creates challenges as well. This paper outlines the main challenges that server virtualization brings and examines how its full value can only be obtained when users do two things:

• View it as a part of an overall virtualized infrastructure
• Evaluate and prepare, rather than assuming it is universally an automatic blessing