Three key technology issues - virtualisation, optimisation and consolidation - will be addressed at a seminar in Cape Town this month organised by the Technology Solutions division of JSE-listed Square One Solutions Group and the international US-based VMware group.

The seminar in the BMW Pavilion Conference Centre at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on 14 August will examine the future of virtualisation, which Gartner forecasts will be the "highest impact trend in infrastructure and operations" over the next four years.

Companies using virtualisation already have an average of 24% of their servers virtualised, according to Forrester, and this is expected to almost double to 45% by 2009. Maintaining server infrastructures can consume more than 60% of IT budgets and management costs are rising faster than hardware costs are falling.

Chris Norton, regional manager of VMware, will highlight the issues companies face over server sprawl, rising management costs, decreasing server utilisation and environmental impacts (one blade server generates four tons of carbon dioxide a year).

VMware provides technology and solutions to counter "server sprawl" and reduce costs for companies by growing their computer server power and networks without having to invest in new hardware to add capacity. Square One's Technology Solutions division is a VMware Enterprise Partner and reseller focused on server consolidation and containment, business continuity, enterprise desktop and the management and automation of data centres.