The concept of virtual machines is expanding drastically, with thousands of users across the globe using it. It is clear that various companies and technology firms are using dedicated virtual machines to run their applications, as for other cloud services. Cybersecurity firms are using virtual machines to test out different viruses, to ensure maximum security in their products. Even teenagers and those in technological production are using virtual machines for hosting small projects here and there. This vast concept has expanded to something else, and it is very much clear virtual machines will be utilized everywhere. Although there are still some harms to account for, the benefits definitely outweigh the harms, and it is important to discuss what these benefits are, and how to utilize them to the maximum capacity. An ideal way to use a machine of this sort is for software and virus testing. Many cybersecurity firms all over the world have resorted to virtual machines to test various malicious viruses they have used to analyze. Once they use a virtual machine, they are able to safely learn about the virus components and possibly come up with a fix to block the malicious virus from further infecting computers. This is just one example of how virtual machines can be applied in the real world, but there are many other uses as well. With these other uses come precautions and features that we have yet to discuss. To begin, a virtual machine is a technological device that acts like a computer but in reality, is not something generally physical, it is something software like that can be deployed, yet it has the same features as a regular computer. In fact, it is almost preferred for many projects that involve basic hosting, because it is a dedicated computer for hosting, however, these are where some limitations come in. When utilizing the features of a virtual machine, you have to be careful to not exceed the virtual machine resources, otherwise, it will not function properly and ultimately shut down. 

Yet, the virtual machine itself is not good without its drawbacks. Although there are very few, there are some issues with using a virtual machine rather than using something, perhaps another computer or even a cloud-based service for hosting. To further add, there are some major disadvantages to using virtual machines, due to the difficulty in deploying, intensity in resources, etc:

1. Efficiency rates are higher with a regular computer compared to a virtual machine (it is obvious that virtual machines will not have the capabilities to run fast, or faster compared to a regular machine. This is all due to the fact that depending on the way you are hosting/using it, it is likely that you are using the resources directly from your computer. This not only limits the amount of storage and capacity the virtual machine is capable of having, but also slows down your original computer. When this happens, it can cause lag spikes and overall ruin the performance of using a virtual machine, while simultaneously ruining the experience of using your own machine. Now, there are other opportunities, such as using a cloud-based service to deploy a virtual machine, but there are still drawbacks. It can get quite expensive, depending on the resources you select, and it is not likely for an average consumer to purchase.)
2. Virtual Machines can be difficult to deploy (not everything is made to click a button and turn on. In fact, it is sometimes even more difficult to deploy a virtual private server or virtual machine due to the fact that there are many things you need to know. For example, you need to know how much of your resources you are comfortable with putting in your virtual machine without having to cause a hindrance to your main computer. Remember, it is highly advised to keep your main computer running at full operations and speed because you do not want to cause a hindrance to your main computer when your virtual machine is running fast. This ultimately defeats the purpose and will cause many issues with not only your main computer but with your virtual machine as well. So, keeping in mind resource amounts can be quite difficult, as you must be fully aware and educated on how computer systems work. There are various guides, including our own, that help educate you on the parts of a personal computer)

Yet, virtual machines can not be limited to the negatives. In fact, notice how I haven’t mentioned many, if not any security issues in virtual machines? Well, that is because there are none! Besides being careful with who can log in, who has your credentials, or what you are running on a virtual machine, it becomes more or less about being careful than about the machine itself. In fact, sometimes it doesn’t matter whether or not hackers are able to get into virtual machines, because in most situations the user does not store valuable or sensitive information onto the virtual machine. There are some cases, however, that do require extra security. Per se, you host an application on a dedicated virtual private server. This VPS is now running something extremely valuable, and should not be hacked under any circumstances. There are various benefits to using a virtual machine though, depending on the project/usage:

1. Multiple Operating System environments on the same computer (this is often seen as an advantage, as this can be extremely useful. To give an example, let’s say that a user is running MACOS on their system, but they wish to run a version of windows. Many times, applications are not cross-operating systems, as they are limited to the operating system being run. This can limit some users, and sometimes many users wish to use a different operating system on their current operating system. With the luxury of virtual machines, you are able to run almost any other operating system using a virtual machine. Depending on the operating system, it can become very intense on your computer)
2. Separate but shared resource (the way a virtual machine works is it utilizes the resources from the host computer in order to build its miniature version of itself. However, when you share resources, you are giving the computer its own hard drive disk to use, so it is not literally sharing the hard drive. This can come in handy when you are running a type of virus on a virtual machine. Many times, when a user is attempting to figure out whether a website is malicious or not, they run it on a virtual machine to test whether or not it is one. This is sole because a virtual machine disk has information that can be wiped, so even if a cybercriminal is able to hack the hard drive, they aren’t going to get anything. This is the beauty of a virtual machine because the majority of what is run on it will not affect the host computer).

Virtual machines are not planning on going anywhere, and in fact, it is almost certain that they are going to be staying for some time. It is time to start looking at it more as a resource, and less as something that will be used for destruction.