Since then, of course, research firm IDC has stated that spending on virtualization software and services is expected to exceed $15 billion worldwide by 2011 - up from $6.5 billion in 2006. So Kertzman was right on the money!

In short, virtualization is fast becoming a key requirement for every server in the data center, enabling increased workloads in server consolidation projects, efficient software development and testing, resource management for dynamic data centers, application re-hosting and compatibility, and high-availability partitions.

But, in truth, it's not the "next" big thing. IBM already introduced virtualization commercially in 1967, so it's been around for over 40 years. It just recently was embraced and exploited by the x86 world, with both AMD and Intel finally stepping up and putting the hardware features in to support it better, features that have existed on other platforms for years.

There are three logical virtualization layers, which Paul Giangarra, with IBM's e-Business Solutions Services team, places historically as follows:

• Hardware virtualization (goes back to 1967) includes not just the processor and memory, but also storage, network, I/O
• Middleware virtualization (goes back to the early '80s at least)
• Service (SOA) virtualization, more recently formalized

The sessions in the conference program will also look at business questions such as: How can enterprises adopt virtualization technologies to address real business problems? Is it just another consolidation technology? How are other businesses using virtualization? How does it help drive competitive advantage, business efficiency, security, and compliance?

The aim is to help delegates understand the answers to all of these questions and show them in detail what the key business drivers are for virtualization, where to expect significant benefits, and how to make sure that virtualization delivers strategic advantages to their business. It's not just IDC that's got the hots for virtualization, as you will be able to see and hear first-hand.

As for Mitchell Kertzman, he doesn't just talk the virtualization talk, he also walks the walk. In February he joined the board of a Virtual Management startup, VKernel, as part and parcel of a $4.6M Series A investment round in which Hummer Winblad participated, leading the round together with Polaris Venture Partners.

Considering the growing popularity of virtual servers in enterprise IT shops, VKernel is likely to have a bright future, along with competitive start-ups like Fortisphere, ToutVirtual, Veeam, Vizioncore and Virtugo Software. And that's just in the server virtualization market!

There's probably never been a better time to play catch-up. Perhaps, as conference chair of the Virtualization Conference & Expo 2008 East, I shall have the pleasure of seeing you in New York in June?