The Total Virtual Machine Management Guide

Virtual machine management is at the heart of modern IT operations, giving organizations the ability to run multiple systems and applications on a single piece of hardware with greater flexibility and efficiency. As businesses continue to scale and diversify their workloads, managing virtual environments effectively has become essential for optimizing performance, reducing costs and maintaining control over increasingly complex infrastructures. 

From provisioning and monitoring to security and automation, virtual machine management offers the tools to streamline operations and support everything from development to production. In this blog, we’ll explore what it is, why it matters and how to make the most of it.

Virtual machine basics

What is virtualization?

Virtualization is the process of creating virtual versions of physical resources such as servers, storage devices or operating systems. Instead of relying on one machine for one workload, virtualization uses a software layer called a hypervisor to divide a physical machine’s resources into multiple, independent virtual machines (VMs). Each VM operates as if it were its own physical computer, complete with its own operating system and applications. This allows for more efficient use of hardware and creates a flexible environment where systems can be easily managed, scaled or moved as needed.

What are the benefits of using virtual machines?

Virtual machines offer a wide range of benefits including improved resource utilization, cost savings and operational flexibility. With virtualization management, organizations can run multiple workloads on a single physical machine, reducing the need for additional hardware and lowering energy and maintenance costs. They also simplify software testing, make backup and disaster recovery easier and allow teams to quickly provision or replicate environments. Because VMs are isolated from one another, they also provide a layer of security that helps prevent system-level failures from spreading.

Common virtual machine use cases

Virtual machines are used across many industries for a variety of purposes. Common use cases include software development and testing, where VMs allow developers to simulate different environments without needing physical hardware for each setup. They’re also used to consolidate servers, enabling businesses to run multiple services on fewer physical machines. VMs support legacy application hosting, allowing outdated software to run on modern infrastructure, and are popular in training environments where users can safely experiment without risking production systems. In cloud environments, VMs provide scalable, on-demand computing resources tailored to changing workload needs.

What is a virtual machine manager?

A virtual machine manager (or VMM) is the brains behind your virtual infrastructure. It’s the software layer that spins up virtual machines, manages how they use your physical hardware and keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes. 

Think of VMMs as your command center for creating, configuring and controlling VMs with just a few clicks. These services help you scale faster, stay organized and maintain peak performance across your virtual environments. Whether you’re powering a cloud platform, testing software or running dozens of workloads in parallel, virtual machine management services give you the visibility and control to do it all — securely, efficiently and without breaking a sweat.

Benefits of using a VMM

Managing multiple virtual environments without the right tools can get messy fast. That’s where a VMM comes in, offering a streamlined way to create, deploy and oversee virtual machines from a central interface. Whether you’re running a handful of test environments or supporting enterprise-scale workloads, a virtual machine manager helps you stay efficient, secure and in control. Here are some key benefits:

Simplifies resource management

A virtual machine manager makes it easy to allocate CPU, memory and storage to each VM based on real-time needs. Instead of manually juggling resources, you get smart controls that help prevent overuse or underutilization of hardware, keeping your infrastructure balanced and cost-effective.

Increases scalability and flexibility

As your needs grow, so can your environment. Virtual machine managers make it simple to spin up new VMs or reallocate resources on the fly, letting you scale up or down quickly without reconfiguring physical hardware or disrupting operations.

Boosts operational efficiency

Automated workflows, templates and centralized dashboards reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks like provisioning or monitoring. With a virtual machine manager, IT teams can focus on higher-value work instead of getting bogged down by manual VM maintenance.

Enhances system reliability and uptime

Many virtual machine managers offer built-in features like high availability, failover and live migration. These tools help minimize downtime, reduce the impact of hardware failures and ensure your workloads stay online and responsive.

Strengthens security and compliance

By managing access controls, isolating workloads and monitoring activity across virtual machines, a VMM adds a layer of protection to your infrastructure. It also helps enforce security policies and supports audit readiness for compliance-focused environments.

Key features of a virtual machine manager

A VM manager is more than just a tool for running virtual machines — it’s the engine that powers virtualization with control, efficiency and flexibility. Whether you’re managing a few VMs for testing or orchestrating hundreds across an enterprise, a VMM helps ensure that everything runs smoothly. Here are some of the core features and functions you can expect from a VMM:

• Virtual machine provisioning. Easily create, configure and deploy VMs from templates or custom settings.
• Resource allocation. Assign CPU, memory, storage and network resources to each VM based on your needs.
• Monitoring and performance tracking. Get real-time visibility into VM health, usage and system performance.
• Live migration. Move running VMs from one host to another with minimal or no downtime.
• High availability and failover. Automatically restart or relocate VMs in the event of hardware failure to maintain uptime.
• Access and security controls. Set role-based permissions and isolate workloads to maintain secure environments.
• Integration with orchestration tools. Connect to platforms like Kubernetes or cloud management tools for broader infrastructure control.
• Hypervisor management. Coordinate and manage one or multiple hypervisors to run VMs across different physical hosts.
• Virtual storage management. Manage virtual disks, allocate storage dynamically and optimize data storage across your virtual environment.

Best practices for implementing VM management

Whether you’re managing a handful of VMs or running a large-scale virtual infrastructure, having a solid approach to virtual machine management can make a huge difference in performance, security and efficiency. A well-structured management strategy helps prevent sprawl, reduces downtime and makes it easier to scale as your organization grows. Below are key best practices to follow when implementing virtual machine management:

Plan your VM lifecycle from the start

Before creating VMs, define a clear lifecycle for each one, from provisioning to decommissioning. Knowing when and how VMs will be created, monitored, updated and eventually retired helps reduce clutter, avoid waste and keep your environment organized. You can also tailor your VM manager to your industry. For example, a retail manager system is perfect for retail companies. 

Standardize VM templates and configurations

Using standardized templates for operating systems, security settings and resource allocation ensures consistency across your virtual machines. This simplifies provisioning, supports compliance and reduces the likelihood of configuration errors that can lead to performance or security issues.

Monitor performance and resource usage regularly

Proactive monitoring helps you identify resource bottlenecks, detect anomalies and right-size your VMs for optimal performance. Regularly reviewing metrics like CPU, memory and disk usage helps avoid overprovisioning or underutilization, both of which can waste valuable resources.

Enforce strong access controls

Limit who can create, modify or delete virtual machines by applying role-based access controls. This helps protect critical systems from accidental changes, reduces security risks and ensures that only authorized users can manage sensitive workloads.

Automate where possible

Use automation tools and scripts to handle repetitive tasks such as provisioning, patching or backup scheduling. Automation not only saves time but also improves consistency and reduces the chance of human error.

Maintain regular backups and snapshots

Backups and snapshots are essential for recovering from failures, system crashes or user mistakes. Establish a backup policy that fits your business needs and test your recovery processes regularly to make sure they work when you need them most.

Virtual machine management with SUSE Virtualization

SUSE offers a modern approach to virtual machine management through SUSE Virtualization, formerly known as Harvester. Built on open source technologies, SUSE Virtualization provides a unified platform to manage virtual machines alongside container workloads, making it ideal for hybrid and cloud-native environments. It delivers a streamlined, secure and scalable virtualization solution that integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes, enabling IT teams to manage VMs with the same agility and automation as containers. 

Virtual machine management: Final thoughts

Virtual machine management has become a cornerstone of modern IT strategy, offering businesses greater flexibility, improved resource efficiency and stronger scalability. By moving to virtualization, companies can consolidate infrastructure, streamline operations and respond faster to changing demands — all while reducing costs and boosting performance. If you’re looking to get more from your virtualization investment, now is the time to explore smarter, integrated solutions in this IDC report.

Virtual machine management FAQs

What are the benefits of using virtual machines?

Virtual machines offer flexibility, cost savings and efficient use of hardware by allowing multiple systems to run on a single physical machine. They make it easy to test software, isolate workloads and scale environments without investing in additional infrastructure.

Are virtual machines secure?

Virtual machines can be secure when properly configured with access controls, encryption and regular updates. Their isolation from one another adds a layer of protection, but they still require strong security practices to defend against vulnerabilities.

What is a hypervisor?

A hypervisor is software that creates and manages virtual machines by allocating hardware resources from a physical host. It enables multiple VMs to run independently on the same hardware, each with its own operating system and applications.