Technology is fascinating, but to understand where it's heading you need to understand the business drivers and economic trends behind it. For example, why are enterprises deploying next-generation technology such as virtualization and grid computing? The key business driver behind all of these technologies is the need to reduce operational costs - specifically labor, hardware and software licensing fees - and inefficient processes. To reduce costs, and increase efficiencies, enterprises are dramatically re-architecting and consolidating the data center.