— Practice / Migrations
VMware to Proxmox, done properly.
Broadcom’s licensing changes turned a stable line item into a moving target, and a lot of teams are looking for the exit. Proxmox VE is the credible one — open, no per-socket licensing, production-grade. We plan and run the migration end to end, with rollback at every step and restores that have actually been tested.
— Why us
We run Proxmox for a living.
We design and operate Proxmox VE clusters — high-availability, Ceph or ZFS storage, Proxmox Backup Server, off-site replication — and we have done VMware-to-Proxmox migrations end to end, with rollback plans and verified restores. This is not a side skill we picked up for the Broadcom wave; it is the on-prem half of our practice.
A 64-core Proxmox node with 256 GB RAM at a dedicated host runs about CA $200/month. Equivalent compute on AWS or GCP is five to ten times that, before egress — so for steady workloads that do not need elasticity, owning the metal wins by a wide margin, provided someone competent runs it.
— What we do
The migration, without the drama.
Assessment and target design
We inventory the VMware estate — VMs, storage, networking, dependencies — and design the Proxmox target: node sizing, cluster topology, HA, and Ceph or ZFS storage matched to the workload.
Migration with rollback
VMs moved in planned waves, each with a rollback path. Nothing is decommissioned on the VMware side until the Proxmox side is verified — so a bad cutover is a step back, not an outage.
Backup that has been restored
Proxmox Backup Server with off-site replication, and a restore we have actually performed. A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a backup.
Networking and hardening
VLANs, firewalling, and a CIS-baseline hardening pass — so the new environment is not just running but defensible.
Observability
Prometheus, Grafana, and alerting sized to the organisation, so you find out about a failing node before your users do.
Ongoing administration
Optional — we run the cluster for you, or hand it over with an operations handbook and a walkthrough, so your team owns it with confidence.
— How it works
The engagement.
Same five-step method as every SetKernel build — Brief, Architect, Sprint, Ship, Operate — each with a written artefact you review. We start from a short written brief: the size of the VMware estate, the constraints (downtime windows, compliance, data residency), and the deadline. You get a scoped price and a fit / no-fit answer within one business day.
— Where we work
Atlantic Canada, and worldwide.
We are a complete technology partner in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. On-prem work benefits from someone who can be hands-on for the physical layer, so we prioritise Atlantic-Canada engagements for the rack-and-cabling stage — but the design, migration, and ongoing administration are done remotely for teams well beyond the region.
— Questions
Before you write.
Why Proxmox specifically, and not another hypervisor?
Proxmox VE bundles what a self-hosted environment needs — KVM virtualisation, LXC containers, clustering, high availability, and backup — with no per-socket licensing. That combination is why interest rose sharply after VMware’s pricing changes. It is production-grade and open, and the work that matters is the design around it: storage, networking, and backups that have been restored.
How much downtime does a migration take?
Most workloads move with minimal downtime, in planned waves during agreed windows. Live migration and staged cutover mean the bulk of the work happens while the VMware side is still serving; the actual switch for a given VM is short. We size the windows to your constraints in the architecture step.
What does it cost compared to renewing VMware?
It varies with the estate, but the recurring picture is usually decisive: no per-socket licensing, and dedicated or on-prem compute that runs a fraction of equivalent cloud pricing. We put real numbers in the engagement memo so you are comparing the actual total cost, not a headline.
Can you run it after we migrate, or do we own it?
Either. Some clients want us to operate the cluster ongoing; others want it handed over with an operations handbook and a walkthrough so their team runs it. We build it the same way regardless, so you are never locked into us to keep it running.
How do we start?
Send a short written brief — the size of the VMware estate, your constraints, and the deadline. We reply in writing within one business day with fit / no-fit and, if fit, a scope and price. No discovery call before the brief.
— Engage
Facing a VMware renewal you would rather not pay?
Tell us the size of the estate and your constraints in two paragraphs. We reply in writing within one business day.