Immediately after the last VMware VMworld conference something very strange happened: as a single, concerted effort worldwide online magazines started writing articles about the complexity behind virtualization, about its lack of tools, about the real costs of technology adoption.
Nothing wrong with it but still surprising: so far the press coverage has always been enthusiastic, giving so much space to any company using (and abusing) the term virtualization.
Now, altogether, every journalist raises concerns and offers warning. Few examples:
- The Dark Side of Data Center Virtualization
- Virtualisation ahead of predictions, but failing to reach potential
- The heartburn and happiness of virtualization
- Virtualization – Hot Tech or Hot Air
- Virtualization: silicon and software salvation or technological tower of Babel?
- Mix-and-Match Trouble with Virtualization, Cloud Computing
- Lowdown on virtualization hype
- Virtualization — Problem Solver and Problem
What happened? Over 14,000 delegates reaching Las Vegas for VMworld 2008 should have demonstrated that there is a real interest for virtualization and that, financial crisis or not, companies are committed to invest on it.
Despite that, a winding pessimism seems the main theme of the last two weeks’ articles.
It’s unlikely that everybody, at the same time, realized that virtualization introduces new challenges, so what’s real reason behind this new wave of prudence?