Virtualization has widely been seen as one of the most cost-saving server technologies to emerge in the last decade. The flexibility virtual machines allow to start up whole servers as and when they are needed, then shut them down when they are not, has in theory meant that general-purpose server hardware can be readily re-allocated from one task to another as necessary.

So there won’t be idle resources wasting money doing nothing, because that particular area has been over-specified. But the theory doesn’t always work this way in practice, as there can be hidden costs that the concept obscures. In this feature, we uncover some of these hidden costs, and discuss the steps a network administrator can take to address the impact.

It seems that Apple is in update mode today. As well as the launch of the OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 update, today also sees the release of iOS 8.1.1. The focus this time around is not really on delivering exciting new features, or even fixing glaring problems, but keeping owners of older devices happy. Aging iPads and iPhones are in for a treat as there are performance boosts to look forward to.

Pre-iPad 2 owners miss out, but the update is available for iPad 2 and newer a well as iPhone 4s and newer. Apple is yet to publish a changelog for the update, but check for an update on your idevice and you'll see a brief description about what to expect.

Sleep monitoring usually conjures up images of sensors placed all over the room or even in the bed making you think so much about the devices that you struggle to get off to sleep.

ResMed thinks it has the solution with its S+ system that it brags is the world’s first non-contact sleep system to come onto the market by using a wealth of data to give tips on how to sleep better.

It's only a few weeks since Apple launched Yosemite and there's already an update available. Today, Apple pushes out the OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 update to address issues that had been found in the initial release. This is a fairly minor x.1 update, and there are only ten entries in the changelog for most users, while enterprise users have two more updates and additions.

Described -- of course -- as "recommended for all OS X Yosemite users", the update fixes a problem with Time Machine that made older backups invisible. It also addresses issues with the Notification Center, and problems with entering Japanese text. It "improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac".

When USB was first introduced to consumers, it changed everything. The connection standard made adding peripherals and accessories extremely easy. Before it, adding things over parallel or serial ports was tedious and confusing for consumers.

USB has evolved and become faster over the years, however it is slowly learning new tricks too. USB is now capable of pushing high-quality video, but now it goes further. You see, mobile devices will be able to push 4K video over the upcoming USB 3.1 Type-C connection, thanks to MHL's new "Alternate Mode".

Accessing websites via an encrypted HTTPS connection is a great way to protect your personal information, and especially important when you’re using public Wi-Fi.

It’s easy to forget, of course, or use HTTP by accident. But that’s where SSL Enforcer comes in. It’s a free system-level tool which looks out for HTTP connections from any application, reroutes them to use HTTPS, or otherwise blocks them entirely.

When Microsoft announced the Lumia Denim firmware in early-September alongside Lumia 830, Lumia 735 and Lumia 730, the software giant said that it will be rolled out in a future update for existing Lumia Windows Phone 8 handsets, running lesser versions, in Q4 2014. But, as we are in the middle of the last quarter of the year, Lumia Denim has yet to make its way to most compatible Lumia handsets.

While there is still time for Microsoft to commence the much-awaited roll out, it looks like the software giant will only give Lumia Denim to most of its Windows Phone 8 customers in early 2015, according to UK mobile operator O2.

Power Zoom is a Chrome extension which makes it easier to browse thumbnail images online.

There’s no clicking, no opening images in a new page or tab, no need to click Back afterwards: just hover your mouse cursor over the thumbnail, the linked full-size image is downloaded, and displayed in a pop-up over the current page. Move your mouse away, it disappears, and you can repeat the process elsewhere.

'Tis the season to go and spend lots of money, as we approach Thanksgiving (in the US), Christmas, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and other shopping opportunities.

With November and December sales expected to top $616 billion dollars, payment processing specialist Merchant Warehouse has produced an infographic looking at what to expect from the holiday shopping season.

If you have grown tired of hardback and paperback books, then a Kindle may be your answer. Coincidentally, Amazon has released two new models, a standard and the Voyage, which my colleague Brian Fagioli reviewed recently. These complement the existing Paperwhite, which has not yet been updated.

If you've never before owned a Kindle, a club I fell into, then you'll find many interesting aspects to the device, which we'll discuss as we go along. The most prominent feature is obviously e-ink, and that isn't new to the platform. But it's important for several reasons -- one, it makes your books look like actual books, and two, it preserves battery life beautifully. You can go weeks without charging.

According to the third annual State of Mobile App Security report from application protection company Arxan Technologies, 87 percent of the top 100 paid iOS apps have been hacked.

Don’t feel smug if you're an Android user though as the report reveals 97 percent of the top 100 paid Android apps have been too. But whilst the Android figure is in line with previous years, the iOS percentage represents a jump from 2013 when 56 percent were found to have been hacked.

There are some people who just can’t get enough of Facebook. Sharing the occasional thought or ponderance is not enough for many who feel the need to live out their entire lives on Zuckerberg's social network. A lot of workplaces -- perhaps sensibly -- block access to sites such as Facebook, but new reports suggest that the social giant is keen to enter the office on legitimate terms with Facebook at Work.

At the moment, Facebook is the bane of network admins' lives as employees find new ways to bypass restrictions that may be put in place. But the Financial Times says that it may soon be welcomed with open arms as a work-centric version of Facebook is rumored to offer Office- and Google-baiting document collaboration, and LinkedIn-aping professional networking.

If you are a MacBook Air user, chances are you are pretty happy with your device. It may not be the fastest or the lightest laptop around, but it has a great keyboard, gets amazing battery life, is more affordable than ever, can run Windows, and, thanks to iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite, works great with iOS 8 devices. Even Microsoft is impressed, calling it "great" and "delightful".

Microsoft, however, believes you can do better. In a new video ad made for this holiday season, the software giant once again aims to make MacBook Air users finally see the light, and realize that the device they should be using is Surface Pro 3. But if MacBook Air is already "great" and "delightful", why would someone want to switch?

Three weeks ago, Energous announced a partnership with appliance manufacturer Haier Wireless, to add its WattUp wire-free charging transmitters to a wide range of home appliances. This will allow phones, tablets and other devices to charge over-the-air, just by being in range of an equipped appliance, such as a washer, microwave or fridge.

I spoke to Gordon Bell, Director of Marketing for Energous, to find out more about WattUp and the company's future plans.

Gartner research indicates that the rapid growth in the number of Internet-connected devices will become a powerful force for business transformation and will have a disruptive impact across all industries and all areas of society. Forecasts predict that 4.9 billion connected things will be in use by 2015, an increase of 30 percent compared to today, with the figure set to reach 25 billion by 2020.

Jim Tully, vice president and analyst at Gartner, explains how companies need to embrace IoT if they want to survive in the changing business landscape. "The digital shift instigated by the Nexus of Forces (cloud, mobile, social and information), and boosted by IoT threatens many existing businesses. They have no choice but to pursue IoT, like they’ve done with the consumerization of IT".