Sneak Peek: Launch Issue

It's not often that you get to be the first in the world to do something, but that's the situation we find ourselves in. When Virtualization Review launches as a print magazine later this month, it will be the first print pub in this space -- ever. And, for now at least, the only one. That's a nice feeling, and one that an editor doesn't get very often.

We worked hard to make the issue great, and I think we've succeeded. Let me give you a sneak peek into what you'll find when you start flipping pages.

Our cover story does something that I don't think has ever been done in a magazine before: we profile the three most important and influential companies in virtualization -- VMware, Citrix and Microsoft -- and have Q&As with some of the most senior executives of each company. It's incredible coverage that's vital to understanding the virtualization landscape.

That's only the beginning. Storage virtualization is absolutely going to be a key technology in this space, and we've got a terrific overview of what it is (currently is, I mean; storage virtualization has been around for a long time under other guises -- for instace, RAID is essentially a virtualization technology. We'll be updating the definition) and why it's important for your environment.

We'll also have a feature on Microsoft's Hyper-V, from an industry vet who knows this stuff inside and out. He goes deep inside and will unveil some features (and lack of others) that are likely to surprise you. He'll also give a verdict on how enterprise-worthy Hyper-V is out of the box.

We also introduce our two columnists, Greg Shields (Virtual Architect) and Chris Wolf (Virtual Advisor). Greg will be familiar to anyone who attends 1105 Media's TechMentor conferences or reads Redmond magazine. He'll focus on broad architectural issues -- for instance, the benefits of OS virtualization over server virtualization (if you're asking "You mean there's a difference?", this column is definitely for you). (Side note: I take some pleasure in having helped "discover" Greg. He won a competition to be "Editor for a Day" way back when Redmond magazine was still Microsoft Certified Professional magazine. From then, he's grown a great deal as a writer (although he started out very strong), and he's now writing fulltime for a number of publications and Websites. He does a fantastic job, as you'll see in our pages, or have already seen elsewhere).

Chris Wolf is, quite simply, the man when it comes to virtualization. A Burton Group analyst who specializes in virtualization, he's quoted constantly in the media because of his expertise. His first column is an absolute "can't miss" about virtualization licensing -- which companies do it right, and which ones get it wrong (wonder where Microsoft fits in? You might be surprised). It's hard not to be excited about having two of the field's top virtualization experts writing for us, and is another reason Virtualization Review will be a valued addition to your magazine stack.

We also have a bunch of product reviews, including a roundup of PC virtualization products featuring VMware, Microsoft and Parallels (formerly SWsoft). So much innovation in virtualization is driven by vendors, both small and large, and we'll be covering them closely.

There's also lot of other news coverage and cool stuff. It should be out around the end of March, and in your hands shortly thereafter, if you're a subscriber. If not, it isn't too late!

I can't wait to hold the print issue in my hands. After reading it, I hope you'll share my enthusiasm for what we've begun here (and even want to be a contributor yourself. E-mail me in that case).

Posted by Keith Ward on 03/10/2008 at 12:48 PM