The creation of a conceptual (rather than actual) version of something, such as an operating system, server, storage device or network resource. Virtualization represents a paradigm of data transmission that is multipoint-to-multipoint in many different physical locations. Virtualization allows organizations to run tens (or even hundreds) of virtual operating systems on the same physical server. Virtualization provides tremendous efficiency of scale; however, can introduce risks and greater difficulty in tracking and protecting data.
