As server virtualization continues to mature, many organizations are moving beyond simple virtualization into public, private or hybrid cloud environments. Such environments allow authorized users to create their own virtual machines based on templates that are listed in a service cloud. However, self-service models introduce additional complexity and increase the potential for IT resources to be wasted and for costs to spiral out of control. In turn, IT departments are challenged with managing infrastructures that deploy tens of thousands of virtual machines across multiple operating systems in multiple datacenters and fulfilment centers.
