Week 1: Virtualization and Remote Access

This week in class I learned about virtualization and remote access.  I have been introduced to these topics before in the past, but not in very much depth.  I have very little experience with virtualization.  In the past, the most I have used it was running a virtualization player on my desktop so I could use a Linux environment on my Windows PC.  I had no idea there was so much to the virtualization field.  The reading materials and research paper really helped me understand just how complex and useful virtualization is becoming especially within corporations.  The concept of virtualization really makes sense for companies and helps eliminate a lot of the wasteful practices that were common in older server configurations such as using a single dedicated server for each application.  Virtualization allows for multiple virtual application servers to be housed on a single physical server.  This in turn saves on hardware, staffing, and energy costs which makes this technology more affordable for smaller businesses.  I also learned how virtual machines are used within the industry for practices such as testing and development or small applications utilization.

The topic of remote access was also touched upon this week.  Again, I have used remote desktop applications in the past but had never really put much thought into what was happening "under the hood" or how this connection was achieved.  The readings for this week helped clear up some of the questions I had had about the subject.  I had no idea there were so many types of remote access methods and protocols.  I learned a great deal about VPNs and their use within the industry.  I have never used a VPN before but have heard about them in my Information Technology endeavors.

This week was challenging for me due to the newness of the topics being presented.  While I had heard of virtualization and remote access, they had not really been explained to me in much detail.  I was struggling to grasp some of the concepts presented within the reading materials especially trying to determine the differences between some of the remote access methods.  The topic of virtualization itself is kind of confusing to me in general.  I am a very concrete thinker, so the concept of "virtual" anything kind of takes me awhile to comprehend.  I am also having issues accessing the Lab Manager application on the MCCADC server.  I cannot seem to find the link to the application and cannot seem to find a reference to it in any of the reading handouts or videos.

The topics covered this week will be very helpful as I continue on my Information Technology studies.  Virtualization has become a very large topic within the field and it continues to grow as its possibilities are further discovered.  Remote access has always been a big topic within the Information Technology field and continues to be so due to its flexibility and convenience.  Basically, both topics will be very useful as I continue my Information Technology studies and seek employment in the future.  As I was completing the assigned work for the week, I had to do quite a bit of outside research to write my report and complete the weekly quiz.  This is helping me to sharpen my researching skills for the future since in some cases the answer that I will be looking for will not always be readily available.