Major players in virtualization like Dell, HP, IBM, Microsoft, VMware, and Citrix are behind OVF. The fact that these last three companies are involved indicates the importance the virtualization providers attach to this initiative, and raises the probability that the standard will be widely adopted.

OVF is not perfect, of course. To this point, it is focused on packaging and deployment, not management or, crucially, migration. This latter capability is critical for future real-world use. DMTF has announced that these latter two capabilities are priorities for it, so the standard will undoubtedly address them in the (one hopes) near future.

With installation and configuration eased by wider virtual appliance use, the potential of virtualization for completely transforming IT operations is at hand. While it would be unrealistic to expect that no manual administration will be necessary in tomorrow's IT operations groups, the need for costly, low-payoff manual dogsbody work will be diminished enormously, allowing IT organizations to focus on their ultimate charter: helping the overall business operate more nimbly and efficiently.

So OVF: Look for it in your future.

Bernard Golden is CEO of consulting firm HyperStratus, which specializes in virtualization, cloud computing and related issues. He is also the author of "Virtualization for Dummies," the best-selling book on virtualization to date.