{"id":54576,"date":"2026-10-14T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/?p=54576"},"modified":"2026-10-14T09:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T16:54:08","slug":"microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re proud to share that Microsoft has been named a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/doc\/reprints?id=00ThR00000LRWXfUAP&amp;ct=261008&amp;st=sb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms<\/a>. We believe this recognition comes at an important moment for enterprise infrastructure. The question is no longer simply which hypervisor to run. It is how to create a consistent operating model across cloud, datacenter, edge, and sovereign environments. Microsoft addresses that challenge at two levels: operational consistency through Azure and <a href=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/products\/azure-arc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Azure Arc<\/a>, and infrastructure consistency through <a href=\"https:\/\/learn.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows-server\/virtualization\/hyper-v\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hyper-V<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/doc\/reprints?id=00ThR00000LRWXfUAP&amp;ct=261008&amp;st=sb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read the report<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6acfeae2e0079&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6acfeae2e0079\" class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"908\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image.jpg\" alt=\"Magic Quadrant graph for Server Virtualization Platforms.\" class=\"wp-image-54577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image.jpg 819w, https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-271x300.jpg 271w, https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-768x851.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"from-choosing-a-hypervisor-to-choosing-an-operating-model\">From choosing a hypervisor to choosing an operating model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For years, the primary virtualization decision was which hypervisor to run. Today, the more consequential decision is how infrastructure will be operated across every environment the business depends on. Virtualization remains a critical foundation, but the value of the platform increasingly depends on how infrastructure is managed, governed, secured, updated, and connected across environments. As infrastructure becomes more distributed, how it is operated becomes as important as where it runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Microsoft delivers that consistency at two complementary levels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Operational consistency:<\/strong> Azure provides common management, governance, and security across cloud, datacenter, and edge environments. Azure Arc extends those capabilities to distributed infrastructure, giving organizations a unified way to operate diverse environments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-list-item\"><strong>Infrastructure consistency:<\/strong> Hyper-V provides a common virtualization foundation across Azure, Azure Local, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows-server\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Windows Server<\/a>, helping organizations maintain a consistent infrastructure layer wherever workloads run.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together, these layers help organizations preserve choice without multiplying operational models. Workloads can move, environments can evolve, and new technologies can be adopted without requiring a separate operating model for every environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ready-for-what-comes-next\">Ready for what comes next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Operational and infrastructure consistency will become even more important as AI reshapes enterprise IT. Models, agents, applications, and data will increasingly span cloud, datacenter, edge, and sovereign environments. AI alone will not reduce the complexity of distributed infrastructure; in many cases, it will increase the need for common management, governance, security, and infrastructure foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Being named a Leader in this Magic Quadrant is an honor for us. More importantly, we believe it reflects a direction many organizations are pursuing: operational consistency across increasingly distributed environments. We remain committed to helping customers combine the flexibility to run workloads where they choose with the consistency required to manage them as one environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"is-style-inline-centered wp-block-bloginabox-theme-promotional\">\n\t\n<div class=\"promotional promotional--has-media promotional--media-right\">\n\t<div class=\"promotional__wrapper\">\n\t\t<div class=\"promotional__content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"promotional__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"recognized-as-a-leader\">Recognized as a Leader<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a aria-label=\"Read the report: Recognized as a Leader\" data-bi-an=\"Global CTA\" data-bi-ct=\"cta link\" data-bi-id=\"cta-block\" class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/doc\/reprints?id=00ThR00000LRWXfUAP&amp;ct=261008&amp;st=sb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Read the report<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"promotional__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"promotional__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CLO20b_Jean_Alain_casual_office_003.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Two people sitting at desks and working at computers.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CLO20b_Jean_Alain_casual_office_003.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CLO20b_Jean_Alain_casual_office_003-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CLO20b_Jean_Alain_casual_office_003-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CLO20b_Jean_Alain_casual_office_003-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CLO20b_Jean_Alain_casual_office_003-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-body-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Server Virtualization Platforms, Tony Harvey, Daniel Bowers, Paul Delory, Tony Iams, Owen Marino, 14 September 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-body-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Gartner does not endorse any company, vendor, product or service depicted in its publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner publications consist of the opinions of Gartner\u2019s business and technology insights organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this publication, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-body-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Gartner and Magic Quadrant are trademarks of Gartner, Inc., and\/or its affiliates. This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gartner.com\/doc\/reprints?id=00ThR00000LRWXfUAP&amp;ct=261008&amp;st=sb\">Microsoft here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We&#8217;re building operational consistency through Azure and Azure Arc, and infrastructure consistency through Hyper-V.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":76,"featured_media":54628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_classifai_error":"","_classifai_text_to_speech_error":"","_alt_title":"","ms-ems-related-posts":[],"footnotes":"","azure_community_cta_settings":[]},"categories":[1466],"tags":[1790],"audience":[3054,3055],"content-type":[1481],"product":[1468,3320],"tech-community":[],"coauthors":[3261],"class_list":["post-54576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hybrid-multicloud","tag-gartner-magic-quadrant","audience-business-decision-makers","audience-developers","content-type-thought-leadership","product-azure-arc","product-azure-local","review-flag-1680286581-295","review-flag-and-o-1680286581-349","review-flag-gartn-1680286585-730","review-flag-new-1680286579-546"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms | Microsoft Azure Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn why we were named a Leader by Gartner\u00ae in 2026 Server Virtualization and how we&#039;re creating a consistent operating model across environments.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms | Microsoft Azure Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn why we were named a Leader by Gartner\u00ae in 2026 Server Virtualization and how we&#039;re creating a consistent operating model across environments.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Microsoft Azure Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/microsoftazure\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-14T19:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Maria Bledsoe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@azure\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@azure\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maria Bledsoe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/\"},\"author\":[{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/maria-bledsoe\\\/\",\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@name\":\"Maria Bledsoe\"}],\"headline\":\"Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/\",\"description\":\"Learn why we were named a Leader by Gartner\u00ae in 2026 Server Virtualization and how we're creating a consistent operating model across environments.\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-14T19:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":545,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Hybrid + multicloud\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/\",\"name\":\"Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms | Microsoft Azure Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-14T19:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn why we were named a Leader by Gartner\u00ae in 2026 Server Virtualization and how we're creating a consistent operating model across environments.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Graphic reads, \\\"Virtualization, without silos, with Azure\\\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Hybrid + multicloud\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/hybrid-multicloud\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Microsoft Azure Blog\",\"description\":\"Get the latest Azure news, updates, and announcements from the Azure blog. From product updates to hot topics, hear from the Azure experts.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Microsoft Azure Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/microsoft_logo.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/microsoft_logo.webp\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Microsoft Azure Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/microsoftazure\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/azure\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/microsoftdeveloper\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/16188386\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/windowsazure\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f6bd96471c5cccbb0fba6215ff75487\",\"name\":\"Garry Guseltsev\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/83a74bb3ab966350e715f8643c1a8f9f3a83a0efa041588812dbb016511a7ced?s=96&d=mm&r=g274ffc5994a3bc5b55c175a3a525e30b\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/83a74bb3ab966350e715f8643c1a8f9f3a83a0efa041588812dbb016511a7ced?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/83a74bb3ab966350e715f8643c1a8f9f3a83a0efa041588812dbb016511a7ced?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Garry Guseltsev\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/azure.microsoft.com\\\/en-us\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/garryguseltsev\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms | Microsoft Azure Blog","description":"Learn why we were named a Leader by Gartner\u00ae in 2026 Server Virtualization and how we're creating a consistent operating model across environments.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms | Microsoft Azure Blog","og_description":"Learn why we were named a Leader by Gartner\u00ae in 2026 Server Virtualization and how we're creating a consistent operating model across environments.","og_url":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/","og_site_name":"Microsoft Azure Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/microsoftazure","article_published_time":"2026-10-14T19:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Maria Bledsoe","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg","twitter_creator":"@azure","twitter_site":"@azure","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Maria Bledsoe","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/"},"author":[{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/maria-bledsoe\/","@type":"Person","@name":"Maria Bledsoe"}],"headline":"Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms","url":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/","description":"Learn why we were named a Leader by Gartner\u00ae in 2026 Server Virtualization and how we're creating a consistent operating model across environments.","datePublished":"2026-10-14T19:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/"},"wordCount":545,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg","keywords":["Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122"],"articleSection":["Hybrid + multicloud"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/","url":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/","name":"Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms | Microsoft Azure Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-14T19:00:00+00:00","description":"Learn why we were named a Leader by Gartner\u00ae in 2026 Server Virtualization and how we're creating a consistent operating model across environments.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Virtualization-without-silos-with-Azure-Static-A.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"Graphic reads, \"Virtualization, without silos, with Azure\""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/microsoft-named-a-leader-in-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-server-virtualization-platforms\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog home","item":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hybrid + multicloud","item":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/category\/hybrid-multicloud\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Microsoft named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner\u00ae Magic Quadrant\u2122 for Server Virtualization Platforms"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/","name":"Microsoft Azure Blog","description":"Get the latest Azure news, updates, and announcements from the Azure blog. From product updates to hot topics, hear from the Azure experts.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/#organization","name":"Microsoft Azure Blog","url":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/microsoft_logo.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/microsoft_logo.webp","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Microsoft Azure Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/microsoftazure","https:\/\/x.com\/azure","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/microsoftdeveloper\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/16188386","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/windowsazure"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8f6bd96471c5cccbb0fba6215ff75487","name":"Garry Guseltsev","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83a74bb3ab966350e715f8643c1a8f9f3a83a0efa041588812dbb016511a7ced?s=96&d=mm&r=g274ffc5994a3bc5b55c175a3a525e30b","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83a74bb3ab966350e715f8643c1a8f9f3a83a0efa041588812dbb016511a7ced?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83a74bb3ab966350e715f8643c1a8f9f3a83a0efa041588812dbb016511a7ced?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Garry Guseltsev"},"url":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/garryguseltsev\/"}]}},"bloginabox_animated_featured_image":null,"bloginabox_display_generated_audio":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Microsoft Azure Blog","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/76"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54576"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54632,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54576\/revisions\/54632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54576"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=54576"},{"taxonomy":"content-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-type?post=54576"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=54576"},{"taxonomy":"tech-community","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tech-community?post=54576"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=54576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}