Prior to server virtualization, IT landscapes were plagued by server sprawl and underutilized capacity, which were brought on by data growth and the one-application, one-server requirement. In order to meet growing capacity demands, organizations added servers until that demand began to outstrip the ability to achieve economies of scale. Server virtualization provided a consolidation and cost-containment solution by fundamentally parsing hardware and software and dynamically allocating resources throughout the environment. Initially driven by its ability to deliver on these core use cases, server virtualization continues to guide IT and business strategy.