What is a virtual machine?

Virtual machines (VMs) are computer resource that runs applications and deploys apps using software instead of a physical computer. They can run on a single physical computer and be installed alongside other operating systems meaning that you can run macOS on a Windows PC.

Virtual machine technology is used in various ways across on-premises and cloud environments. More recently, public cloud services have begun to use virtual machines to provide virtual application resources to multiple users at once—for even more cost-efficient and flexible computing.

VMs allow businesses to run operating systems that behave like completely separate computers in app windows on desktops. They may be deployed to accommodate different processing power needs, run software that requires another operating system, or test applications in a safe, sandboxed environment.

Virtual machines are one of the most effective tools for consolidating servers, helping IT teams improve efficiency. Because the software inside a virtual machine is isolated from the rest of the system, it cannot access or change any data on the host computer. Additionally, virtual machines can perform tasks that might be too risky to carry out on a host operating system, such as accessing virus-infected data or testing new (but potentially unstable) versions of an OS.