09 Mar 2009

'Pilot virtualisation' before company-wide rollout

Businesses should trial virtualisation on a small scale before rolling it out across all departments, according to an expert.

Caron Alexander, head of technology for IT Assist, the shared service centre for Northern Ireland Civil Service, tells ComputerWeekly the organisation ran a pilot of the technology to test it before launching it on a big scale.

"It is important to start small and prove that the technology works in order to build confidence and get stakeholder buy-in," she adds.

The expert says the pilot allows companies to learn from lessons and phase those into the larger project, without the need for high upfront costs.

She tells the source that the importance of stakeholder buy-in was also realised at the trial stage, saying: "It was about bringing people along and keeping them involved so that they could see the benefits for themselves."

It is thought more companies will increase their uptake of virtualised technology as they look to save money in the credit crunch.