complete a case study of the organization you work for (use a hypothetical or “other” organization if more applicable) that will address the following prompts: • Describe the organization’s environment, and evaluate its preparedness for virtualization. • Explain Microsoft (or another product) licensing for virtualized environments. • Recommend a configuration for shared storage; make sure to discuss the need for high availability and redundancy for virtualization for the organization. • Explain Windows Azure capabilities for virtual machines and managing a hybrid cloud, including Windows Azure’s Internet as a Service (IaaS) and storage capabilities Make a recommendation for cloud computer use in the organization, including a justification for your recommendations. Submit your research paper as a single document. Your paper should meet the following requirements: • Be approximately 2-4 pages in length, not including the required cover page and reference page. • Follow APA6 guidelines. Your paper should include an introduction, a body with fully developed content, and a conclusion. • Support your answers with the readings from the course and at least two scholarly journal articles to support your positions, claims, and observations. • Be clearly and well-written, concise, and logical, using excellent grammar and style techniques

Title: Case Study of Organizational Virtualization: Theoretical Analysis

Introduction:
This case study aims to analyze the virtualization preparedness of an organization and provide recommendations for the implementation of virtualization technologies. The study will focus on evaluating the organization’s environment, understanding Microsoft licensing for virtualized environments, configuring shared storage for high availability and redundancy, exploring Windows Azure capabilities for virtual machines and managing a hybrid cloud, and making a recommendation for cloud computing use in the organization.

Organization’s Environment:
To determine the organization’s virtualization preparedness, it is crucial to analyze its current environment. This includes evaluating its infrastructure, hardware, software, and networking capabilities. Virtualization readiness can be assessed through factors such as server utilization rates, hardware compatibility, network capacity, and scalability requirements.

The organization should consider the compatibility of its existing hardware with virtualization technologies. It is essential to assess whether the organization’s servers have the necessary virtualization support, such as Intel VT (Virtualization Technology) or AMD-V (AMD Virtualization).

Furthermore, the organization’s software ecosystem should be evaluated to ensure compatibility with virtualization technologies. Compatibility with the organization’s operating systems, applications, and databases must be assessed to determine if they are supported in virtualized environments.

Microsoft Licensing for Virtualized Environments:
Understanding Microsoft licensing for virtualized environments is crucial for the organization’s compliance and cost optimization. Microsoft’s licensing policies for virtualized environments have specific requirements, which may vary depending on the product and edition being used.

For instance, organizations using Microsoft’s server products like Windows Server and SQL Server in virtualized environments need to be aware of the licensing models, such as per-server or per-processor, to accurately calculate the licensing costs. Additionally, considerations related to licensing virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), application virtualization, and management tools should also be assessed.

Configuration for Shared Storage:
Implementing virtualization requires a robust and highly available storage configuration. Shared storage enables quick and easy migration of virtual machines (VMs) between physical hosts, improves disaster recovery capabilities, and provides high availability and redundancy.

The organization should consider implementing storage area networks (SANs) or network-attached storage (NAS) systems that support advanced features like thin provisioning, snapshots, and replication. These features help optimize storage utilization and enhance data protection.

To ensure high availability and redundancy, the organization may consider using RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) levels, such as RAID 10 or RAID 5, depending on the desired balance of performance and redundancy. Employing redundant network connections, such as multipath I/O (MPIO) or link aggregation, can further enhance availability.

Windows Azure Capabilities for Virtual Machines and Managing a Hybrid Cloud:
Windows Azure offers various capabilities for virtual machines (VMs) and managing a hybrid cloud environment. The organization can leverage Windows Azure’s Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offering to create and manage VMs in the cloud. This allows for dynamic scaling, improved availability, and enhanced disaster recovery capabilities.

Furthermore, Windows Azure provides storage capabilities, such as Blob storage, Table storage, and Queue storage. These services allow for scalable and cost-effective storage solutions for the organization’s virtualized environment.

Recommendation for Cloud Computing Use in the Organization:
Based on the analysis of the organization’s environment and the capabilities of Windows Azure, it is recommended that the organization embraces cloud computing for its virtualization requirements. The use of a hybrid cloud environment, combining on-premises infrastructure with cloud services, can provide the organization with flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.

Justification for this recommendation includes the ability to dynamically scale resources based on demand, improved disaster recovery capabilities offered by cloud services, reduced infrastructure maintenance and management efforts, and potential cost savings through pay-as-you-go pricing models.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, this case study has evaluated the organization’s virtualization preparedness, examined Microsoft licensing for virtualized environments, recommended a configuration for shared storage, explained Windows Azure capabilities for virtual machines and managing hybrid cloud, and justified the recommendation for cloud computing use. By leveraging virtualization technologies and embracing cloud services, the organization can enhance its scalability, availability, and cost-effectiveness in its IT infrastructure.