Running VMs and Containers Side by Side Without Two Toolchains

Most enterprises run a mix of virtual machines and containers. Virtual machines host traditional applications, databases and systems that have run reliably for years. Containers host newer, cloud-native applications built around microservices. Both are likely to coexist for a long time. The challenge is that virtual machines and containers have traditionally been managed with entirely separate tools, by separate teams, using separate processes. This duplication adds cost and complexity.

Why Both Will Persist

Not every application can or should be rewritten for containers. Many traditional applications work well in virtual machines, and rewriting them would be expensive with little benefit. Meanwhile, new development increasingly favors containers for their portability and efficiency. The realistic future is coexistence.

The Cost of Two Toolchains

Separate management stacks mean duplicate infrastructure, separate monitoring, separate security policies and separate skill sets. Applications that span both, such as a containerized front end connected to a database in a virtual machine, become difficult to manage as a whole. Visibility is fragmented.

Unified Platforms

Modern platforms can run virtual machines and containers on the same infrastructure, managed through a common interface. Some run virtual machines within container orchestration environments. Others integrate container management into virtualization platforms. Either way, administrators gain a single view and consistent operations.

Consistent Policies and Security

A unified approach allows security, networking and governance policies to apply consistently to both. This reduces gaps and simplifies compliance.

Streamlined Provisioning

Self-service catalogs can offer both virtual machines and containers, allowing developers to request what they need through the same process.

Gradual Modernization

Running both on a common platform eases modernization. Teams can containerize components of an application gradually while the rest continues in virtual machines, without managing two separate environments.

Skills and Organization

Unified platforms encourage collaboration between traditional infrastructure and platform engineering teams, breaking down organizational silos.

Considerations

Organizations should verify that unified platforms deliver adequate performance and feature parity for both workload types. A phased adoption, beginning with new applications, allows teams to build confidence before bringing existing workloads onto the unified platform.

The Bottom Line

Virtual machines and containers will coexist in most enterprises for years. Managing them with separate toolchains adds cost, complexity and risk. Unified platforms provide consistent operations, policies and provisioning for both. They also ease gradual modernization and encourage collaboration between teams. Organizations that consolidate their management approach will operate more efficiently while modernizing at their own pace.