See Enterprise Strategy Group???s recent research report on the benefits of SAN switch virtualization <a href="http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns674/networking_solutions_sub_solution_home.html">http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns674/networking_solutions_sub_solution_home.html</a> Newer yet is the idea of virtualized appliances, be they network components, security systems, or other devices.