How many physical servers do you have? 100? 1,000? More? If you're thinking about virtualization, then you've probably wondered how to go about converting all of those physical machines to virtual servers. You've also probably thought that it will be time-consuming and expensive. Well, it can be, but it doesn't have to be.

There are a bunch of automated physical-to-virtual conversion tools out there and most work well with Virtual Iron. PlateSpin PowerConvert, for example, will automatically migrate your data, applications and operating systems from physical servers to Virtual Iron's virtual infrastructure. Another option is Invirtus, uses a "snapshot-based cloning technology" in their Enterprise VM Converter to make this process seamless.