Many IT teams are reexamining their virtualization strategy because their environments now mix long-standing VM workloads with newer, cloud-native applications. Traditional, siloed virtualization platforms make it harder to manage this mix efficiently.

Several factors are driving this shift:

• Need for a common platform: Organizations want a single environment that can run both VM-based and containerized workloads, instead of maintaining separate stacks and skill sets.
• Modernization pressure: Teams are looking for a pathway to the future that lets them keep existing VMs running while gradually adopting cloud-native architectures.
• Operational efficiency: Manual processes for provisioning, patching, and managing thousands or even tens of thousands of VMs are time-consuming and error-prone.
• Cost and risk management: There’s a desire to control costs, reduce downtime, and avoid large, disruptive “big bang” migrations.

Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization addresses these needs by:

• Providing a unified platform where existing VMs and containers run side by side with consistent tools and processes.
• Offering a pathway to modernization so you can replatform and refactor applications at your own pace.
• Integrating with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management to automate operations and manage multicluster, hybrid environments.

In short, organizations are looking to reimagine virtualization as part of a broader hybrid cloud strategy, rather than treating it as a standalone technology layer.

Red Hat’s approach is designed to let you migrate and modernize on your own timeline, not on the platform’s schedule. The focus is on minimizing disruption while giving you a clear path forward.

Key elements of this approach include:

1. Unified platform for VMs and containers

• Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization is built into Red Hat OpenShift, so you can run existing VMs alongside containerized workloads in one environment.
• For VM-only needs, Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization Engine provides dedicated virtualization capabilities.
• This lets you preserve existing IT investments while preparing for cloud-native adoption.

2. Migration toolkit for virtualization

• Included with Red Hat OpenShift, the migration toolkit for virtualization helps you assess, plan, and execute migrations.
• It offers an intuitive interface to:
  • Inventory and understand which VMs you have and which you want to move.
  • Run pre-migration checks on VM configurations.
  • Execute migrations with limited downtime and minimal impact on other workloads.

3. Automation for migration at scale

• Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform lets you automate migration workflows, including related infrastructure such as networks, storage, and security tools.
• You can migrate large groups of VMs—potentially hundreds or thousands at a time—using Ansible Playbooks that apply the plans defined in the migration toolkit.
• This helps you reduce human error, maintain consistency, and shorten migration windows.

4. Cost and risk control

• Spread costs over time: Move workloads in phases instead of funding a single, large migration project.
• Mitigate risk: Gradual migration lets you handle complexities incrementally, reducing downtime and exposure.
• Include related infrastructure: Use automation to orchestrate changes to network connectivity, storage, backups, compliance, and security monitoring as part of the migration workflow.

Overall, Red Hat helps you rethink migration as a controlled, automated, and iterative process—rather than a one-time, high-risk event.

Automation is central to managing VM environments efficiently, especially when you’re dealing with thousands or tens of thousands of VMs plus their supporting infrastructure.

Using Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform with OpenShift Virtualization, you can automate across the full VM lifecycle:

1. Provisioning and Day 1 operations

• Enforce standard configurations and rulesets when provisioning new VMs.
• Orchestrate related tasks such as:
  • Attaching storage and configuring networks.
  • Enrolling VMs into security monitoring and backup tools.
  • Integrating with IT service management (ITSM) processes.
• Enable self-service for development teams to request or manage VMs with predefined configurations.

2. Day 2 operations and lifecycle management

• Automate recurring tasks such as health checks, patching, backups, and upgrades.
• Maintain an up-to-date inventory of VMs and related infrastructure.
• Use Configuration-as-Code (for example, via GitHub) as a single source of truth to reduce configuration drift and support compliance.
• Retire or tear down unused or redundant VMs quickly to optimize resources and control costs.

3. Security and risk management

• Automate security standards updates across VMs and infrastructure.
• Regularly patch vulnerabilities in operating systems, hypervisors, and applications.
• Use event-driven automation (via Ansible Rulebooks) to:
  • Respond to suspicious activity by notifying teams or isolating affected systems.
  • React to conditions like full local disk space or performance degradation.

4. Cross-domain orchestration

• Manage not just VMs, but the entire virtual infrastructure:
  • Networking: automate configuration and updates.
  • Storage: automate provisioning, backup, and recovery.
  • Backup and disaster recovery: schedule or trigger backups based on defined conditions.
• Operate consistently across hybrid and multicloud environments, whether workloads run on-premise, in public cloud, or at the edge.

By adopting end-to-end automation at scale, you can reshape VM operations—moving from manual, ticket-driven work to standardized, event-driven workflows that improve speed, reliability, and team efficiency.