As if we all aren’t already in gusto talking about the several colours of virtualisation, Marie Hattar, Cisco Systems vice president of network systems and security solutions this week summarised our emotions calling virtualisation a “chameleon concept” at Interop in New York. Speaking about the ins and outs of emerging technology, and how it evolves into cloud computing, Hattar said virtualization holds the promise to transform the way that we work, the way that we learn, the way that we live and the way that we play,” she said, later adding that “it allows you to dynamically partition resources off to use on the fly when you need them.”

Cisco itself, found that before virtualization, it used only about 20 percent of its server arrays. After virtualization, it now uses 68 percent, she said. Additionally, going virtual delayed building out a new data center to the tune of $40 million per year in savings.

Ultimately, she said, virtualization and cloud computing can lead to better provisioning, boosted productivity and differentiation, reduce environmental impact and strengthen business continuity, all while saving money and getting more out of network infrastructure.

Calling them both cutting edge technologies, she said the future for both is super exciting.