Service Virtualization : Basics

Service Virtualization is used for emulation of component based applications for software development life cycle hiding the service infrastructure details. Service virtualization is an upcoming trend for providing a infrastructure for building and managing a complex services. In this article, we will go in to small detail on Service Virtualization.

What is Service Virtualization

Today, as because many software is dependent on third-party for the development, various other factors like policy enforcement and dynamic service management information needed to be hidden from the end consumers.

If you carefully think, this prototype of Service Virtualization basically in very crude is used by the automobile industry. Volkswagen uses some minor parts, yet important for the car’s functioning, from Audi.

Just like our visible automobiles, there are few patterns which enables Service Virtualization. Service Bus, Inventory, Policy and a Redundant environment are such crucial patterns.

What is usage and prospect of  Service Virtualization

The keyword is of Service Virtualization is Virtual Asset. Virtual Asset can be as easy as a simple MySQL database or can involve simple to complex Web Services Description Language, one of such example is XML. Service Virtualization is mainly related to service-oriented architecture or SOA.

The major implementation of  Service Virtualization is in SaaS, where it is possible to hide the technology behind from the end user or client, the intermediate body will not be perceived by the client rather the user will understand the input and output, in terms of result. Service virtualization include Application Behavior Virtualization, virtual services, virtual integration environment (VIE), service-oriented virtualization (SOV), test virtualization, and virtual service environment (VSE).

For example HP has HP Service Virtualization offerings, which according to HP Speed up release cycles, Reduce budgets and Reduce downtime risk. The last point of Service Virtualization is very important. This part of Service Virtualization can be compared with the third parties who acts as an intermediate body in the online shops for transaction through Credit Card.