Perspective
Open Access
Server Consolidation: Balancing Scalability, Overhead, and Workload Dependencies
1
Computer Science Department, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma 07122, Spain
* Corresponding Author:
Belen Bermejo,
[email protected]
Volume 1, Issue 2
2026
Received: 22 December 2025
Accepted: 22 June 2026
Published: 27 June 2026
Article Information
Abstract
Server consolidation through virtualization is the primary strategy for optimizing data centres, aiming to maximize server efficiency and reduce costs. However, the long-term success of this strategy is compromised by three interconnected factors: virtualization overhead, the difficulty of modelling representative workloads with dependencies, and scalability limitations. This perspective article argues that scalability in consolidated environments is not a hardware problem, but rather a systems engineering problem, requiring a deep understanding of the interactions and constraints imposed by hypervisor overhead.
Keywords
server consolidation
scalability
workload dependence
virtualization overhead
Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.
Funding
This work was supported without any funding.
Conflicts of Interest
Belen Bermejo served as an Associate Editor, and Carlos Juiz served as an Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Systems Scalability at the time of manuscript submission. To ensure the integrity of the peer-review process, neither Belen Bermejo nor Carlos Juiz was involved in the editorial handling, peer review, or decision-making process for this manuscript, which was handled independently by another editor. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.
AI Use Statement
The authors declare that no generative AI was used in the preparation of this manuscript.
Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate
Not applicable.
References
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Cite This Article
APA Style
Bermejo, B., Juiz, C., & Cortes, D. (2026). Server Consolidation: Balancing Scalability, Overhead, and Workload Dependencies. Journal of Systems Scalability, 1(2), 50-54. https://doi.org/10.62762/JSS.2025.511991
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TY - JOUR AU - Bermejo, Belen AU - Juiz, Carlos AU - Cortes, David PY - 2026 DA - 2026/06/27 TI - Server Consolidation: Balancing Scalability, Overhead, and Workload Dependencies JO - Journal of Systems Scalability T2 - Journal of Systems Scalability JF - Journal of Systems Scalability VL - 1 IS - 2 SP - 50 EP - 54 DO - 10.62762/JSS.2025.511991 UR - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/JSS.2025.511991 KW - server consolidation KW - scalability KW - workload dependence KW - virtualization overhead AB - Server consolidation through virtualization is the primary strategy for optimizing data centres, aiming to maximize server efficiency and reduce costs. However, the long-term success of this strategy is compromised by three interconnected factors: virtualization overhead, the difficulty of modelling representative workloads with dependencies, and scalability limitations. This perspective article argues that scalability in consolidated environments is not a hardware problem, but rather a systems engineering problem, requiring a deep understanding of the interactions and constraints imposed by hypervisor overhead. SN - 3142-7855 PB - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge LA - English ER -
BibTeX Format
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@article{Bermejo2026Server,
author = {Belen Bermejo and Carlos Juiz and David Cortes},
title = {Server Consolidation: Balancing Scalability, Overhead, and Workload Dependencies},
journal = {Journal of Systems Scalability},
year = {2026},
volume = {1},
number = {2},
pages = {50-54},
doi = {10.62762/JSS.2025.511991},
url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/JSS.2025.511991},
abstract = {Server consolidation through virtualization is the primary strategy for optimizing data centres, aiming to maximize server efficiency and reduce costs. However, the long-term success of this strategy is compromised by three interconnected factors: virtualization overhead, the difficulty of modelling representative workloads with dependencies, and scalability limitations. This perspective article argues that scalability in consolidated environments is not a hardware problem, but rather a systems engineering problem, requiring a deep understanding of the interactions and constraints imposed by hypervisor overhead.},
keywords = {server consolidation, scalability, workload dependence, virtualization overhead},
issn = {3142-7855},
publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}
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