I just received a copy of “Foundation for Cloud Computing with VMware vSphere 4” by John Arrasjid (@vcdx001), Duncan Epping (@duncanyb) and Steve Kaplan (@roidude). I was one of the lucky people to receive a copy of this book by retweeting a message from Steve.

The timing of this book could not have been better. I am constantly working with project managers, client relationship managers and technical resources that are looking to better understand virtualization and how it relates to cloud computing. In fact, I am working on putting together a Virtualization Roadshow to deliver for several internal audiences. A similar roadshow was critical in gaining initial virtualization buy-in, and this second round is aimed at promoting internal cloud computing initiatives and driving for deeper adoption of virtualization. I can already tell you that “Foundation for Cloud Computing with VMware vSphere 4” will be the handbook to accompany many of these roadshow presentations.  This book covers a wide range of topics, with chapters ranging from “The Benefits of Infrastructure Virtualization” to “Migrating Virtualization Candidates”.

This is not a technical manual designed to walk you through a vSphere installation, this is the book that will explain why you need to develop a virtualization strategy and identify the key items that you will need to address in developing that strategy. This book is a must have reference source for people working with virtualization, whether you are deploying it, developing strategies around it, or simply looking for a better understanding of virtualization technologies and strategies.

This is the 21st book in the Short Topics series by USENIX, available on the SAGE website. In fact, I like this book so much that I will probably join SAGE to get access to more of the Short Topics series.