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Top 10 Server Virtualization platforms
August 04, 2025 | Editor: Michael Stromann
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Server virtualization platforms allow to setup virtual servers with needed operation system, port and run business applications. They also allow to create virtual desktop infrastructure and software-defined storage.
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Build your own cloud infrastructure in your datacenter and remote sites on VMware vSphere the world’s leading server virtualization platform. Virtualize your x86 server resources and aggregate them into logical pools for allocation of multiple workloads. Get network services optimized for the virtual environment, along with simplified administration and management. Reduce the complexity of back-end storage systems and enable the most efficient storage utilization in cloud infrastructures.
2
KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V). It consists of a loadable kernel module, kvm.ko, that provides the core virtualization infrastructure and a processor specific module, kvm-intel.ko or kvm-amd.ko. KVM also requires a modified QEMU although work is underway to get the required changes upstream.
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Proxmox Virtual Environment is a complete server virtualization management solution, based on KVM virtualization and containers. Powerful and easy to use - Complete server virtualization management with KVM and containers.
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Citrix Hypervisor (formerly Citrix XenServer) is a leading virtualization management platform optimized for application, desktop and server virtualization infrastructures. Consolidation and containment of workloads on Citrix Hypervisor enables organizations of any vertical or size to transform their business IT compute infrastructures.
5
Microsoft Hyper-V provides enterprise-class virtualization for your datacenter and hybrid cloud. Bolster IT efficiency and flexibility with the faster application deployment and maintenance that Microsoft virtualization solutions deliver. Reduce costs by consolidating more workloads on fewer servers and increase agility using the same virtualization platform on-premises and in the cloud.
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The industry’s most popular hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution. Effortlessly leverage cloud-like agility and ease of use, coupled with on-premises security and control, as you leave behind the complexity and cost of legacy solutions.
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Xen Project is a type-1 hypervisor, providing services that allow multiple computer operating systems to execute on the same computer hardware concurrently.
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Oracle VirtualBox is a powerful virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2. See "About VirtualBox" for an introduction.
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Red Hat Virtualization is an open, software-defined platform that virtualizes Linux and Microsoft Windows workloads. Built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux and the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), it features management tools that virtualize resources, processes, and applications—giving you a stable foundation for a cloud-native and containerized future.
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OpenVZ is container-based virtualization for Linux. OpenVZ creates multiple secure, isolated Linux containers (otherwise known as VEs or VPSs) on a single physical server enabling better server utilization and ensuring that applications do not conflict. Each container performs and executes exactly like a stand-alone server; a container can be rebooted independently and have root access, users, IP addresses, memory, processes, files, applications, system libraries and configuration files.
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Virtuozzo Containers is an operating system virtualization solution that maximizes your investment in server hardware. Virtuozzo Containers is uniquely suited to Cloud server virtualization, enabling near instant provisioning and on-the-fly modification of hosting and Cloud server plans while delivering maximum density, cost efficiency and application performance.
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HiveIO's Hive Fabric enables customers to deliver virtual desktops, virtual servers, and software defined storage, in a single install, within 45 minutes, and without the need for specialists.
Important news about Server Virtualization platforms
2022. Broadcom to acquire VMware in massive $61B deal
Broadcom has announced it's acquiring virtualization giant VMware in a massive $61 billion deal. VMware was was spinned out from Dell last year. With VMware, Broadcom gets more than the core virtualization, which the company was built on. It also gets other pieces it acquired along the way to diversify like Heptio for containerization, Pivotal, which helps provide support services for companies transitioning to modern technology. At the same time it bought Pivotal, it also acquired security company Carbon Black. Broadcom already spent over $18 billion in 2018 to buy legacy enterprise software company CA Technologies and another $11 billion a year later for Symantec’s legacy security business.
2022. Citrix to be acquired for $16.5B, merged with Tibco
Citrix, the long-in-the-tooth virtualization giant that had been making a slow transition into cloud computing, is being acquired by PE firms Vista Equity Partners and Evergreen Coast Capital for $16.5 billion. Vista plans to combine Citrix with Tibco, which it acquired in 2014 for $4.3 billion. Prior to this deal Citrix paid $2.25 billion to acquire project management platform Wrike. Combining it with TIBCO's analytics software could bring real-time access to faster, smarter insights from the increasingly large volumes of data available to them.
2021. Microsoft launches Windows 365 - simple virtual desktop service
Microsoft today launched Windows 365, a service that gives businesses the option to easily let their employees access a Windows 10 desktop from the cloud (with Windows 11 coming once it’s generally available). Microsoft already offers Azure Virtual Desktop that gives businesses the option to let their employees access a Windows PC in the cloud. But the difference seems to be that Windows 365 is far easier to use and involves none of the complexity of setting up a full Azure Virtual Desktop environment in the Azure cloud. Windows 365 is a service for smaller companies. It’s available through a basic subscription service.
