At a glance
- Simulate central hardware components such as CPU, RAM, and storage.
- A hypervisor manages resources and securely separates VMs from the host system.
- Multiple VMs with different operating systems can be run in parallel.
- Enables flexible, scalable, and isolated IT environments.
- A central building block in cloud strategies and modern BI infrastructures.
What is your question about virtual machines?
Your input is sent to an AI service to answer it and is stored to improve the answers. Please do not enter any personal data. Privacy policy
Virtual machine definition
A virtual machine (VM for short) is a fully software-based image of a physical computer. It simulates central components such as the processor (CPU), main memory, data storage, and network interfaces, running in isolation on a so-called host system – a physical machine that provides its hardware resources.
These resources are dynamically allocated and managed by a special piece of software – the hypervisor. A virtual machine has its own operating system and can be used like a physical computer: to run applications, store data, or access networks.
Through the complete separation between physical hardware and virtual environment, multiple VMs with different operating systems can be run simultaneously on a single machine – securely, in isolation, and independently of one another.
„We first test new DeltaMaster versions in a virtual machine before rolling them out to production. This way we avoid risks to our ongoing analysis and reporting processes.“Head of Controlling
Industrial company
What do you need a virtual machine for?
Fundamentally, virtual machines are used wherever flexible, scalable, and isolated IT environments are needed. Since virtual machines enable several operating systems to run simultaneously on a single physical computer, they are especially suited for software testing, training environments, or the development of platform-independent applications.
In business intelligence, virtual machines allow, for example, the risk-free testing of new versions of BI software such as DeltaMaster in isolated environments before they are used in production. Virtual machines are also a central building block for efficiency, security, and resource optimization in the cloud strategy of many companies.
Trusted by market leaders and hidden champions
What is a hypervisor and how do virtual machines work?
The central element of virtualization is the so-called hypervisor, which is required to use virtual machines. A hypervisor is virtualization software that makes it possible to run several virtual machines on a single physical host system. This special software layer sits between the host's hardware and the virtual machines and handles the central management of resource allocation. The hypervisor abstracts the physical hardware and dynamically assigns CPU power, RAM, storage space, and other resources to the individual virtual machines. It also ensures that each virtual machine is executed securely and in isolation, so that it comes into conflict neither with other virtual machines nor with the host system.
Fundamentally, two types of hypervisors are distinguished:
- Type 1 hypervisors (so-called bare-metal hypervisors) run directly on the physical hardware and are used primarily in professional server environments, as they work especially efficiently and with high performance.
- Type 2 hypervisors, by contrast, are installed within an existing operating system and are ideally suited for use on desktops or laptops. Well-known examples of virtualization software are Oracle VirtualBox, VMware Workstation, VMware vSphere, or Microsoft Hyper-V. They enable the easy creation, management, and scaling of virtual machines – both locally and in cloud-based infrastructures.
What are the advantages of virtualization?
Virtualization offers companies and IT departments a wide range of advantages that go far beyond mere resource utilization. Some advantages of virtual machines are, for example:
What does a company need for virtual machines?
Successfully operating virtual machines requires a few technical and organizational foundations.
Application examples: Where are virtual machines used?
Virtual machines are used wherever flexible, isolated, and scalable IT environments are needed. Typical areas of application range from software development to BI infrastructure.
Where would you like to use a virtual machine?
Your input is sent to an AI service to answer it and is stored to improve the answers. Please do not enter any personal data. Privacy policy
Virtual machines and Bissantz
In the context of business intelligence with Bissantz, virtual machines offer decisive benefits:
- Test and development environments: New versions of DeltaMaster or configurations for DeltaApp can be tested safely in virtual machines – without affecting production systems.
- Scalability: VMs make it possible to scale BI systems such as DeltaMaster as needed, for example for parallel analysis, planning, or reporting instances.
- Security zones: The isolation of virtual machines makes it easy to map multi-tenant architectures or compliance requirements.
- Disaster recovery and high availability: Snapshots and images of virtual machines allow rapid recovery and minimal downtime – including for BI applications.
- Cloud integration: Many customers run DeltaMaster in virtualized IaaS environments (Infrastructure as a Service), for example via Microsoft Azure or VMware vSphere.
Virtual machines are thus a central technological building block in flexible, high-performance, and secure BI infrastructures of the kind valued by Bissantz customers.
| Function | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Test and development environments | safely test new DeltaMaster versions without affecting production systems |
| Scalability | scale BI systems as needed for analysis, planning, and reporting |
| Security zones | map multi-tenant architectures and compliance requirements through isolation |
| Disaster recovery | achieve rapid recovery and minimal downtime via snapshots and images |
| Cloud integration | run DeltaMaster in virtualized IaaS environments such as Microsoft Azure |
„By running DeltaMaster in virtualized environments, we can scale our BI systems as needed and restore them quickly via snapshots. This noticeably reduces downtime for us.“IT Manager
Retail company
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual machine, explained simply?
A virtual machine is a computer within a computer: a physical machine is divided up by software so that several independent “computers” run on it at the same time – each with its own operating system, its own programs, and its own data. They look and behave like real computers but are entirely software-based. Comparable to a house that is divided into several self-contained apartments – each apartment is independent, but they all share the same building.
How many virtual machines can a physical server run?
This depends on the available hardware resources (CPU, RAM, storage) and the requirements of the individual VMs. Modern servers can run dozens to hundreds of VMs simultaneously – provided the resources are carefully allocated by the hypervisor and no single VM is overburdened.
What is a snapshot of a virtual machine?
A snapshot is a point-in-time capture of the current state of a virtual machine – including operating system, applications, and data. It can be created at any time and restored when needed. Snapshots are especially valuable before updates or configuration changes: if something goes wrong, the previous state can be restored within minutes.
Summary
Virtual machines are one of the fundamental technologies of modern IT infrastructures: they enable flexible, isolated, and scalable environments on shared physical hardware – with considerable benefits for resource efficiency, security, and operating costs. In a business intelligence context, they provide Bissantz customers with a foundation for secure test and development environments and reliable disaster recovery concepts.