Virtualization Tools from IBM For Small Business

IBM is launching tools that can help smaller companies explore the server consolidation technology. IBM on Wednesday expanded its Consolidation Discovery and Analysis Tool with new modules that make it a better fit for small to medium-sized businesses.

IBM is looking to capitalize on widespread interest in the technology with a slew of new hardware, software and services offerings.

By employing virtualization in their data centers, businesses can reduce the number of physical servers they need to maintain resulting in reducing hardware and energy costs. CDAT is designed to identify untapped resources on Intel based servers and map out a plan for virtualization -- a process that splits individual servers into multiple, 'virtual' machines capable of running numerous, independent tasks.