Information Technology Specialist (ITS) Cybersecurity Practice Exam

What is the main advantage of using a virtual machine?

1. Improved security only

2. Resource sharing among physical machines

3. Isolation of applications

4. Only for network routing

The correct answer is: Isolation of applications

The main advantage of using a virtual machine lies in its ability to isolate applications. This isolation means that applications running within different virtual machines operate in their own virtual environments, which can be beneficial for security, stability, and management. If one application encounters issues, such as crashes or malware, it won't affect the other applications running in separate virtual machines. Additionally, this isolation allows developers and IT professionals to run different operating systems and configurations on the same physical hardware without conflict. It's particularly useful for testing, as it enables the creation of multiple environments that mimic production systems without the need for additional physical hardware. Each virtual machine can be controlled and managed separately while still utilizing the underlying resources of the host system effectively. While aspects like improved security and resource sharing among physical machines are relevant to virtualization, they are secondary to the fundamental principle of application isolation that virtual machines provide.