(This is the last article in a five-part series.)

Some organizations find that the hardest aspects of introducing virtualization aren’t technology issues. They’re people issues.

For example, many business executives have trouble understanding what virtualization is and how it works. As a result, they often balk at funding virtualization initiatives, or object to entrusting critical line-of-business applications to a virtual server. “Every organization we face has some level of resistance from people who don’t yet understand how virtualization works, and therefore need to be educated to see the benefits,” says Casey Crellin, president of Virtual Technologies LLC, a virtualization integrator in Denver. Crellin uses customer success stories, concrete ROI studies, and small-scale proof-of-concept deployments to counter such executive anxieties.

You may need to use similar tactics with your company’s internal application developers too. Development teams often resist porting their systems onto virtual servers. “It’s another set of things that can go wrong,” explains Bob Gill, managing director of server research for analyst firm TheInfoPro Inc. of New York, N.Y. Gill advises virtualizing a small number of less critical applications initially, to offer developers tangible proof that their systems will continue to perform properly on virtual hardware.

Resistance probably won’t be an issue with your IT staff, but readying them for virtualization is vital just the same. Though most technicians have a conceptual understanding of virtualization, they’re likely to commit painful administrative errors unless you provide thorough training. “It’s enough of a paradigm shift that it’s very important for these guys to get trained appropriately,” says Marty Kacin, chief technology officer of KACE Networks Inc., a maker of systems management products based in Mountain View, Calif. Many virtualization software vendors offer online or in-person training courses, and virtualization integrators will often provide staff instruction as well.

Training is ultimately but one illustration of an important truth: Rolling out virtualization properly takes substantial investments of time and money. “It’s not a slam dunk,” Kacin observes. Just the same, he continues, the advantages virtualization offers make tackling its initial challenges well worth the effort.

Rich Freeman is a Seattle, Wash.-based freelance writer who covers business and technology.

Other articles in this series:

Mastering basic virtualization challenges, part one: Budgeting

Mastering basic virtualization challenges, part two: Planning

Mastering basic virtualization challenges, part three: Management

Mastering basic virtualization challenges, part four: Security