Internet betting firm Betfair is using virtualisation software to create a secure environment for testing its online tools and services.

The company regularly adds new applications to its web site, which must be thoroughly tested prior to being released to the public. But these tests can create additional challenges for the business.

"Whenever we launched a new product, we were adding more and more physical hardware into the staging environment,” said Tony Rigby, information systems manager at Betfair.

“As our growth continued to accelerate, this practice threatened to create a significant bottleneck in our ability to get new products to our customers quickly – which is at the heart of our competitive advantage."

The tools from Fujitsu Siemens have allowed Betfair to use virtual environments in the place of physical technology, reducing the need for servers to be dedicated to specific applicationsa dn significantly reducing the time taken to trial new programs.

“Prior to working with Fujitsu Siemens Computers, creating a staging environment for a new offering could take between two to three days," said Rigby.

"With the new solution, it only takes a few hours – with the same number of technical staff and no additional hardware, connections, cooling requirements or floor space."