How can a manager use a workload chart?

A workload chart for virtualization systems can be a real asset to an IT manager, or anyone else with responsibilities and interests in enterprise architecture. Like other kinds of visual dashboards, the virtualization workload chart presents complex information in an easily digestible way. Unlike many other types of charts and graphs, a tailored virtualization workload chart reveals information about the utilization of virtual machines and system components at a glance.

A virtualization workload chart generally shows various utilization states by presenting a utilization index (UI). The workload chart will show host and datastore utilization, and identify underutilized or overutilized virtual machines.

Since the specific creation of a virtualization workload chart is rather obscure in IT, one of the best examples is the workload chart tool developed by Turbonomic, a company offering unique automation tools to the IT community. The Turbonomic workload chart is color-coded to show utilization states of different numbers of virtual machines, and updates in real-time to show changes.

Using the workload chart, managers can identify overutilized virtual machines and move them to an environment where they will be more efficiently supported. Using custom graphs with presets, managers can also delve into various details about host and guest relationships, specific storage techniques and more.

In the most fundamental sense, the workload chart enables users to identify problems and execute solutions toward a desired state that balances optimized performance with minimal resource use. By working through an architecture environment in real time, companies can avoid overinvesting in resources, while still assuring that their applications and systems will have a certain standard of performance as well as high availability.