Chapter 1. To Virtualize or Not to Virtualize?

That’s the first question you’ll have to answer for yourself before investing any significant amount of time or money in a virtualization project. Your first step into virtualization should be to try out some virtualization products for yourself: Demos and screencasts just aren’t the same as experiencing it firsthand.

This chapter is for those who haven’t quite decided to make the virtualization commitment yet. This chapter explores reasons to use virtualization products and reasons not to. After you have read this chapter, you can make a more informed decision about whether virtualization will work for you.