<p>Once again, the <a href="http://www.openvirtualizationalliance.org/">Open Virtualization Alliance</a> (OVA) is demonstrating the progress it is making to popularize <a href="http://www.linux-kvm.org/page/Main_Page">KVM</a>, the kernel based virtual machine software that is a standard part of the Linux kernel. The message this time is that the organization is experiencing significant growth in membership in emerging markets. Cloud computing suppliers are interested in finding ways to deliver products and services that are heavily reliant on virtual machine technology at a lower cost. Quite often these companies see the commercial offerings from VMware, Citrix and Oracle as being too costly or have too-restrictive licensing or terms and conditions attached to their use. OVA points out that KVM offers key advantages to these companies because it is open, doesn't lock them in to a single vendor's virtual machine software solution.
</p>
<h3>A majority of OVA members are involved with cloud computing
</h3>
<p>A large percentage of OVA members, more than 50 percent, are focused on providing cloud computing products or services. The alliance believes that KVM is an attractive solution because it helps these companies reduce their software costs, increase the number of virtual servers a physical system can support, improve overall workload performance for cloud computing environments. The technology, OVA comments, should also improve security and workload scalability as well.
</p>
<h3>KVM fits the needs of companies in emerging markets
</h3>
<p>OVA is growing rapidly in emerging markets such as Asia Pacific and Latin America. Companies in these markets have strong requirements to be able to start and maintain their operations with a minimum of investment. Open source software fits those requirements very well. OVA believes that KVM will follow the same trajectory as other open source software projects, such as Linux or MySQL, and quickly become an important standard in these markets.
</p>
<h3>OVA membership grows to over 200
</h3>
<p>OVA also announced that more than 200 technology companies have joined the organization since its launch three months ago. At its launch in May 2011, the OVA founding members included BMC Software, Eucalyptus Systems, HP, IBM, Intel, Red Hat and SUSE. OVA announced the addition of 65 members in June 2011. OVA just announced that it has added another 134 new members, including: 6WIND, AccelOps, Acronis, ACT750, aiCache, Aleux, ALOG Datacenters do Brasil, Alphinat, Altern-IT, Appnovation, AppZero, Authernative, Avere, Bacula Systems, Balidea, Bloombase, Bobcares, Broadcom, CA Technologies, Canonical, Centec Networks, Chelsio, CiRBA, ClassCat Co., Ltd., CloudPassage, CloudRows, CloudShare, Cloudsoft Corporation, Cloudspace, Colfax International, ComputeNext, Coraid, CoreDial, LLC, coreFusion, CumuLogic, Cybera, DataStax, DCH LLC, Defcon-IT, Dyn, Eaton, ElasticHosts, ElasticStack, Emulex, Endace, Ennoia Systems, Exelanz, Exetra ICT, FOSS-Group GmbH, Fujitsu, Guida Advisory, HelpSystems, Hitachi, Hitachi Data Systems, Igelamerica, Infosim, InfraStacks, LLC, Interface Masters Technologies, IPe, iSencia, IT Linux, Jambu, Jaspersoft, Jinfonet Software, Jinny Software, Joyent, JW Electronic Co. Ltd., K35, Kamp.de, Leading Edge, Linbit, LinuxIT, m2mi, Mamatec, Manage Operations MO, ManageIQ, Mellanox Technologies LTD., Midokura, MiTAC International Corp., MKNOD, NEC, Neebula, NetApp, Net Direct Systems, NetView, Netweb Technologies, Nexenta, NoLogin, Nubefy, Obsidian Systems, OnApp, op5 AB, OpenCrowd, OpenFabrics Alliance (OFA), Persistent Systems, Platform Computing, PLX Technology, Pragmatech Solutions Inc., Puppet Labs, QLogic, QNAP, Quest Software, Radware, RAID Inc., Raima, ReasonNet b.v., Savant Tecnologia da Informação, ScaleMP, ScaleXtreme, SecludIT, Securelinx, Silicom, Silver Peak Systems, SkyLinux, Soporte Libre, Sourcefire, Splunk, StreamWIDE, Sublime IP, Summan, System Fabric Works, Texas Memory Systems, Tripwire, Unitrends, VaraLogix, Virtensys, Virtual Open Systems, Vision Solutions, Vizuri, VKernel, WiKID Systems, Inc., Xsigo and Zenoss.
</p>
<h3>Snapshot analysis
</h3>
<p>The rapid growth of industry interest in KVM can be attributed to a number of factors including the following:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p style="0in">KVM's performance, reliability and manageability are at levels that make it good enough for all but the most extreme tasks. It can compete effectively with VMware's ESX, Microsoft's Hyper-V, Oracle VM, and Citrix's XenServer.
</p> </li>
<li>
<p style="0in">The fact that it is open source software and can be used <em><strong>as needed</strong></em> by organizations rather than used only as suppliers allow makes it attractive to service providers and others.
</p> </li>
<li>
<p style="0in">The pricing model does not amount to a "hypervisor tax" on an organization's processing.
</p> </li>
<li>
<p>The emergence of the <a href="http://www.openvirtualizationalliance.org/">open virtualization alliance</a> demonstrates that there is a healthy ecosystem supporting this technology.
</p> </li>
</ul>
<p>The rapid growth of OVA appears entirely consistent with other major IT trends. It is similar to the move to adopt technologies such as PCs, client/server computing, relational databases, UNIX and Linux. There is a common tread of wanting to do more with less. When the technology gets to the point that it is "good enough" and the pricing and conditions are more attractive than well established alternatives, the technology takes off.
</p>
<p>It is clearly the time for KVM.
</p> 