Virtualize Active Directory, the Right Way!

Virtualizing Microsoft Active Directory domain controllers, and business critical applications in general, is near and dear to my heart.  I firmly believe that there are almost no applications left that can’t be virtualized, and this session gives me an opportunity to share my experiences and help others become successful. Business critical applications have become, for the most part, the last applications and servers that are still physical for many organizations. Getting as to close to 100% virtualization as possible is an important goal to strive for.

Why is that important? Another firmly held belief of mine is that virtualization is truly the on-ramp to the cloud. By virtualizing even your organization’s most important workloads, you take one step closer to a future state where you can start taking advantage of cloud computing in your organization.

Of course, simply having a virtual infrastructure doesn’t mean you have a cloud. Having a true hybrid cloud involves additional components to facilitate automation, orchestration and to provide users with that service catalog where they can consume IT resources on a self-service basis. Virtualizing your organization’s servers makes it easier to start layering in those cloud components, and once in place you’ll want even your business critical servers virtualized, so you can start taking advantage of what a true hybrid cloud has to offer.

It’s that time again – the annual VMworld conferences.  This is my 13th VMworld!

Twitter Image - VMworld Realize ThemeThis year I’m presenting a session called, “Virtualizing Active Directory: The Right Way!” on Tuesday, Aug 29, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.  It was a top 10 session last year, so if you’re at the conference, come by early to get a good seat.  Bring your copy of Virtualizing Microsoft Business Critical Applications on VMware vSphere or VMware vSphere: Performance and I’ll be happy to sign it.  Let me (@mattliebowitz) know what you think of the session, the book or the conference.
If you’re walking down the halls at VMworld and happen to see someone who looks like former VMware CEO Paul Maritz, stop him and say hi.  It’s probably me!

About the Author: Matt Liebowitz

Matt Liebowitz is the Global Multicloud lead for the Dell Technologies Consulting Services Portfolio. He focuses on thought leadership and service development for multicloud, automation and data center related Consulting services. Matt has been named a VMware vExpert every year since 2010 and is a frequent blogger and author on a wide range of cloud related topics. Matt has been a co-author on three virtualization-focused books, including Virtualizing Microsoft Business-critical Applications on VMware vSphere and VMware vSphere Performance. He is also a frequent speaker at the VMware Explore and Dell Technologies World conferences.