What is a benefit of server and storage virtualization working together?

The collaboration of server and storage virtualization significantly optimizes the use of physical hardware resources. By allowing multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical server, and likewise, enabling various storage systems to be accessed by multiple virtual machines, organizations can maximize the capacity of their existing infrastructure. This effective utilization leads to reduced hardware costs, less power consumption, and lower cooling needs in data centers, creating a more efficient and cost-effective IT environment.

In contrast, operational redundancy may increase due to virtualization, but the primary benefit here revolves around optimal resource use. Complete separation of services is typically not the primary goal of virtualization; instead, virtualization often aims to improve flexibility and resource allocation rather than complete isolation. While increased licensing requirements may arise in some contexts, this is not a benefit of virtualization but rather a potential challenge associated with licensing software for multiple virtual instances. Thus, the most significant advantage lies in leveraging physical resources more effectively.