Migrating infrastructure is often one of the most important steps a business can take, but also one of the most painful. The hidden cost of switching providers is usually overlap billing: paying your old provider while you’re still paying your new one. For many teams, this double payment feels like wasted spend, and it delays modernization plans.

At HorizonIQ, we believe that barrier shouldn’t exist. If you’re ready to modernize, scale, or repatriate workloads, you shouldn’t be penalized with extra bills along the way. That’s why we’re expanding our free trial program with a new migration offer designed to make the switch seamless, supported, and cost-effective.

Two Ways to Start with HorizonIQ

14-Day Free Trial

Test before you commit. HorizonIQ offers a 14-day free trial so you can:

• Validate workloads and performance in a live environment
• Test our Proxmox Managed Private Cloud or Bare Metal servers
• Experience Compass, our proactive infrastructure management tool
• Explore the value of HorizonIQ with no long-term commitment

2 Months Free with a 12-Month Contract

Ready to migrate now? When you sign a 12-month (or longer) contract, HorizonIQ will cover your first two months. This extra time is built for migrations, giving you the ability to:

• Move workloads smoothly without overlap costs
• Reduce financial strain from double paying
• Start scaling with a predictable, transparent cost model

The best part? These offers aren’t either/or. You can trial first to validate your workloads, then still receive two free months once you sign a contract. Or, if you already know HorizonIQ is the right platform, skip the trial and start migrating immediately.

Why This Matters

Our mission is to empower businesses with predictable, future-ready infrastructure. Eliminating overlap costs is part of that promise. Whether you’re testing workloads, scaling into new regions, or migrating off the public cloud, HorizonIQ gives you infrastructure on your terms.

• Applies across all HorizonIQ services: Managed Private Cloud, Bare Metal, Hybrid, and GPU clusters.
• Backed by 24/7 migration support to ensure your move is seamless.
• Designed to solve real customer challenges, not just offer a promotion.

Whether you’re testing workloads, expanding into new regions, or migrating off VMware or hyperscalers, HorizonIQ helps you take the next step on your terms.

Start Today

No matter how you begin, we make sure you don’t pay double for your infrastructure.

Test first. Migrate free. Let us cover the overlap.

With VMware licensing changes and hyperscaler pricing forcing many businesses to rethink their strategy, open-source options like Proxmox VE and XCP-ng are getting more attention. Both are free to use, backed by strong communities, and ready for production at scale.

Cost is a major factor driving people to seek alternatives. VMware’s subscription model can easily climb into the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, depending on how many cores you license and which features you need. 

On the other hand, Proxmox support subscriptions start at under $1,000 annually for a small cluster, making it far more accessible for businesses that want enterprise capabilities without enterprise pricing. Some organizations even report cutting virtualization costs by more than 80% after moving to open-source platforms.

So which is the better fit for your enterprise? Let’s explore.

 

What Is XCP-ng?

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XCP-ng is based on the Xen Project hypervisor, originally developed from Citrix XenServer. Relaunched as a community-driven project in 2018, XCP-ng has grown into a stable, secure, and scalable open-source virtualization solution.

It uses Xen Orchestra (XO) as its web-based management tool, which provides strong monitoring, backup scheduling, and VM lifecycle controls.

Key highlights include:

• High availability clustering

• Live migration with minimal downtime

• Multi-tenancy and SR-IOV for secure resource isolation

• Snapshot-based backups with Xen Orchestra

• Broad third-party backup integration (Veeam, Bacula, Commvault)

• Flexible pricing via support subscriptions from Vates

XCP-ng often appeals to service providers and HPC research labs thanks to its security model, bare-metal performance, and strong ecosystem integrations.

 

What Is Proxmox VE?

 

Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE) is an open-source virtualization platform that combines Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) for full virtualization and Linux Containers (LXC) for lightweight workloads. 

It provides a web-based interface that simplifies complex infrastructure management, allowing users to easily control VMs, containers, networking, and storage from a single location.

Key highlights include:

• High availability clustering

• Live migration between hosts

• Flexible storage with Ceph integration

• Built-in backup and restore

• Open-source licensing with optional enterprise support

 

How Do Proxmox and XCP-ng Handle Backups?

Proxmox:

• Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) is fully integrated, offering incremental backups, deduplication, encryption, and compression.

• Backups can be scheduled directly in the web interface.

• Recovery is flexible, you can restore entire VMs or individual disks.

XCP-ng:

• Relies on Xen Orchestra for scheduling and management.

• Supports snapshots, full backups, and incremental backups.

• Strong ecosystem with third-party backup solutions like Veeam.

Takeaway: Proxmox provides a native, all-in-one enterprise backup stack. In contrast, XCP-ng leans on flexibility and integrations with existing and third-party tools.

 

What Storage Options Are Available?

Proxmox:

• Local storage: LVM, ZFS.

• Shared storage: NFS, iSCSI, SMB/CIFS.

• Distributed storage: Native Ceph integration for hyper-converged deployments.

XCP-ng:

• Local pools and NFS/iSCSI shared storage.

• Uses VDI format for VM disks.

• Third-party storage systems are often required for redundancy.

Pro tip: Proxmox is the better choice for built-in hyper-converged storage (via Ceph). XCP-ng fits if you’re maintaining a SAN/NAS-based architecture.

 

How Does XCP-ng vs Proxmox Compare on Networking?

Proxmox:

• Supports Linux Bridges, VLAN tagging, and VXLAN encapsulation.

• Open vSwitch provides advanced topologies for complex enterprises.

• Proven in multi-VLAN deployments where segmentation and compliance are critical.

XCP-ng:

• Offers SR-IOV networking for near bare-metal performance.

• Strong fit for HPC clusters and research facilities with high-throughput workloads.

Takeaway: Proxmox wins in flexible enterprise networking, while XCP-ng excels at performance-focused networking.

 

How Do They Perform in Enterprise Production?

At HorizonIQ, our Proxmox Private Cloud has delivered measurable performance, resiliency, and cost efficiency:

• Powers a 19-node HA cluster with 760 vCPUs, 9.7 TB RAM, 90 TB Ceph storage, and 225 TB flash-backed storage, supporting hundreds of production and dev/test workloads.

• Provides live migration across nodes with no downtime, ensuring seamless maintenance and load balancing.

• Uses Ceph hyper-converged storage for built-in redundancy and scalability.

• Integrates with Proxmox Backup Server for incremental, deduplicated, and encrypted backups across the cluster.

• Delivered cost savings of $285K–$519K/year down to $15K/year, reducing VMware licensing expenses by more than 94%.

At Ikoula, a French cloud provider running XCP-ng in production, has found the following success pairing XCP-ng with CloudStack:

• Operates 100+ hosts across 8 zones, serving over 6,600 customers in a multi-tenant environment.

• Performs live updates and upgrades with zero downtime, maintaining service continuity during maintenance.

• Leverages XCP-ng’s isolation model for secure, large-scale multi-tenancy, supporting thousands of independent workloads.

• Reduced reliance on third-party vendors, achieving greater autonomy and lower costs with an open-source virtualization stack.

Verdict: Both deliver enterprise-level performance. Proxmox has proven itself as a VMware replacement at scale, enabling us to cut licensing costs dramatically while maintaining enterprise resiliency. When paired with CloudStack, XCP-ng is validated in large-scale, multi-tenant cloud hosting environments like Ikoula’s, demonstrating its stability and efficiency under continuous production demands.

 

How Do Pricing and Support Compare?

Feature	Proxmox VE	XCP-ng
License Model	Open-source (free)	Open-source (free)
Enterprise Support	Subscription-based (€110–€1,495/year per node)	Paid support from Vates (€340–€1,020/year per node)
Updates	Enterprise repository access with subscription	All users receive updates; support adds SLA & hotfixes
Backup	Built-in Proxmox Backup Server	Built-in via Xen Orchestra, third-party support
Storage	Ceph, ZFS, iSCSI, NFS, SMB	NFS, iSCSI, local pools, VDI format
Networking	VLAN, VXLAN, OVS, Bridges	SR-IOV, VLANs, virtual switches
Best Fit	Hyperconverged, VMware alternative, mixed workloads	Service providers, HPC, third-party ecosystem reliance

Takeaway: Both are dramatically cheaper than VMware, Nutanix, or large cloud providers. Proxmox is cost-effective at a large scale, while XCP-ng support tiers appeal to smaller clusters or service providers.

 

Which Use Cases Does Each Platform Excel At?

Proxmox excels at:

• VMware replacement for enterprise IT.

• Hyper-converged storage deployments.

• MSPs delivering VPS hosting with HA.

• Compliance-heavy industries that need integrated backup/DR.

XCP-ng excels at:

• Service providers offering multi-tenant environments.

• HPC workloads that need SR-IOV networking and GPU passthrough.

• Enterprises relying on third-party backup/storage ecosystems.

• SMBs that need low-cost entry virtualization.

Which Platform Should Your Enterprise Choose?

Test both platforms in your environment, as performance and suitability depend on specific workloads and hardware. The choice between Proxmox and XCP-ng comes down to priorities:

• Choose Proxmox if you want: Integrated backup, Ceph-based hyper-converged storage, container support, flexible networking, and a proven VMware alternative that can scale to hundreds of nodes.

• Choose XCP-ng if you want: SR-IOV networking, strong multi-tenancy, and integration with third-party backup and monitoring ecosystems.

With VMware’s dominance waning, enterprises have more freedom than ever. At HorizonIQ, we’ve proven that Proxmox delivers enterprise-grade performance, resiliency, and economics. If you’d like to determine if Proxmox VE is the right fit for your environment, we encourage you to try our 14-day free trial today.

Why Are Businesses Comparing Proxmox, Nutanix, and VMware in 2025?

Private cloud is making a comeback. According to a Barclay’s survey, 83% of companies plan to repatriate workloads from public cloud back to private environments. Rising cloud bills, compliance headaches, and a need for predictable performance are driving this shift.

At the same time, the virtualization market is changing. VMware’s Broadcom acquisition has reshaped licensing models and left many mid-market businesses questioning long-term viability. Nutanix has strengthened its hyperconverged approach, while Proxmox has gained traction as a cost-efficient open-source alternative.

For IT leaders evaluating their next move, the decision often comes down to these three platforms. So, how do they compare?

What is VMware vSphere?

VMware vSphere has been the enterprise standard for nearly two decades. It provides a robust feature set and ecosystem that few competitors can match.

Key strengths of VMware vSphere:

• Mature ecosystem: Broad ISV and hardware vendor support.
• Enterprise features: vMotion, DRS, HA, and Tanzu Kubernetes Grid for container orchestration.
• Proven reliability: Trusted for mission-critical workloads in Fortune 100 data centers.

Challenges with VMware in 2025:

• High and rising costs: Broadcom’s licensing changes introduced minimums such as 72-core packs, making it costly for smaller deployments.
• Complexity: Requires significant in-house expertise and often a larger operations team.
• Lock-in risk: Customers tied deeply to VMware’s ecosystem face challenges pivoting to other architectures.

Best fit: VMware remains a strong option for large enterprises with established VMware investments and the budget to sustain ongoing licensing costs.

How Does Nutanix Compare to VMware?

Nutanix offers an alternative approach with its hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). Nutanix AHV integrates compute, storage, and networking under one management plane, with an emphasis on cloud-like simplicity.

Key strengths of Nutanix AHV:

• Turnkey experience: Prism UI makes deploying and managing clusters straightforward.
• Cloud extensibility: Nutanix Cloud Platform integrates with AWS and Azure for hybrid needs.
• Enterprise partnerships: Supported by leading OEM vendors, Citrix, and Red Hat.

Challenges with Nutanix in 2025:

• Premium pricing: More affordable than VMware in some cases, but still a premium solution.
• Ecosystem lock-in: Simpler than VMware, but Nutanix customers are encouraged to stay within its ecosystem.
• Scale bias: ROI improves as cluster sizes grow; smaller deployments can feel expensive.

Best fit: Nutanix is well-suited for enterprises that want a turnkey HCI platform and are willing to pay for simplicity, scalability, and vendor partnerships.

Why Is Proxmox Emerging as a VMware Alternative?

Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE) is an open-source platform that combines KVM virtualization with LXC containers. It has surged in popularity among IT teams seeking flexibility and cost control.

Key strengths of Proxmox VE:

• Affordability: The core platform is free, with optional enterprise support.
• Flexibility: No restrictive licensing; native support for containers and Ceph-backed storage.
• Performance: Near bare-metal speeds with clustering for scale.
• Community-driven: Open development model with rapid innovation.

Challenges with Proxmox in 2025:

• DIY burden: Out-of-the-box Proxmox requires expertise to configure for enterprise production.
• Ecosystem maturity: Fewer “out-of-the-box” integrations compared to VMware.
• Perception gap: Some enterprises still view open-source as risky without a trusted partner.

Best fit: Proxmox is ideal for mid-market businesses and cost-conscious enterprises that want freedom from vendor lock-in and affordable scalability.

This is where HorizonIQ steps in. We offer the first U.S.-based fully managed Proxmox private cloud, making it business-ready with production-grade infrastructure, Ceph storage, Compass monitoring, and 24/7 support.

How Do Nutanix vs VMware vs Proxmox Compare?

Criteria	VMware vSphere	Nutanix AHV	Proxmox VE (Managed by HorizonIQ)
Cost Model	Premium licensing; costly per-core packs	Subscription-based HCI pricing	Free core; low-cost support; HorizonIQ adds predictable month-to-month
Scalability	Enterprise-grade, global scale	Strong for large clusters; node-based	Modular growth; AI-ready hardware options
Ease of Use	Mature but complex	Intuitive Prism UI	Simple web UI; HorizonIQ removes DIY complexity
Ecosystem & Integrations	Broadest ISV/hardware support	Strong vendor ties, hybrid extensions	Open APIs, container-native, growing ecosystem
AI & Modern Workloads	Supports GPUs + Tanzu	GPU-enabled HCI nodes; hybrid AI	Optimized for ML/AI with GPU-ready hardware
Support Model	Enterprise VMware support	Nutanix enterprise support	HorizonIQ-managed with white-glove, 24/7 support
Best Fit	Large enterprises w/ sunk VMware costs	Enterprises wanting turnkey HCI	Mid-market or enterprises seeking cost savings + freedom

 

Which Platform Is Best for Your Business?

The right choice depends on your size, budget, and goals:

• Choose VMware if you’re a Fortune 500 company with deep VMware investments and mission-critical workloads that rely on its ecosystem.
• Choose Nutanix if you want a simple, cloud-like private infrastructure and have the budget for premium HCI.
• Choose Proxmox if you want an affordable, open, and flexible platform that scales  without being trapped by licensing or vendor lock-in.

How Does HorizonIQ Make Proxmox Business-Ready?

For many businesses, Proxmox checks the boxes on cost and flexibility but requires expertise to deploy securely and at scale. HorizonIQ bridges that gap by offering:

• Managed deployment & scaling: No need for in-house Proxmox experts.
• Enterprise-grade reliability: Ceph-backed HA storage and redundant clusters.
• Compass platform: Unified visibility into costs, performance, and monitoring.
• Predictable pricing: Month-to-month contracts with savings up to 70%.
• AI-optimized infrastructure: Hardware tiers purpose-built for ML/AI and GPU-heavy workloads.
• White-glove support: Dedicated engineers acting as an extension of your IT team.

In other words, HorizonIQ gives you the enterprise polish of VMware and Nutanix without the enterprise price tag.

Why HorizonIQ Recommends Proxmox

VMware and Nutanix will continue to dominate at the top of the market. But for businesses that need enterprise-grade performance without the enterprise price tag, Proxmox offers the sweet spot: flexibility, cost efficiency, and scalability. 

At HorizonIQ, we run our own internal infrastructure on Proxmox. It’s proven to deliver the same enterprise-grade performance of VMware—without the enterprise price tag.

With HorizonIQ’s managed Proxmox offering, businesses get:

• Up to 70% cost savings with predictable contracts.
• Full compliance and security in dedicated, single-tenant environments.
• Scalability across 9 regions, ensuring low latency and global reach.
• Proactive monitoring through Compass, eliminating IT blind spots.

The private cloud resurgence is about finding the right balance of cost, control, and scalability. That’s what HorizonIQ’s Proxmox solution delivers.

Final Takeaway

If your business is reevaluating virtualization in 2025, the choice comes down to legacy stability (VMware), turnkey HCI (Nutanix), or open flexibility (Proxmox).

At HorizonIQ, we believe the future belongs to those who demand performance without complexity, and scale without surprises. That’s why we invested in making Proxmox business-ready for organizations that want enterprise-grade infrastructure without the cost or lock-in. 

And if your workloads rely on VMware, we got you covered. HorizonIQ continues to support VMware alongside our Proxmox Managed Private Cloud, giving customers the freedom to choose the platform that best fits their needs.

Explore HorizonIQ’s Managed Private Cloud and see how we can help you cut costs, simplify IT, and scale with confidence.

Learn More About Private Cloud Platform Comparisons

Looking to dive deeper into how different virtualization and private cloud platforms stack up? Check out our other comparison guides:

• Proxmox vs Hyper-V: Which Hypervisor Is Right for You?
• Proxmox vs VMware vSphere: Architectural Differences Explained
• VMware Alternatives in 2025: Best Options for Cost, Flexibility, and Scale

As virtualization strategies evolve and businesses reassess their infrastructure choices, two hypervisors often come up for comparison: Proxmox Virtual Environment (Proxmox VE) and Microsoft Hyper-V.

Whether you’re moving away from VMware, building a cost-efficient private cloud, or looking for better performance and flexibility, understanding the technical and business trade-offs between Proxmox and Hyper-V is essential.

What Are Proxmox VE and Microsoft Hyper-V?

Proxmox VE is an open-source virtualization platform based on the Linux Kernel Virtual Machine (KVM) and LXC containers. It offers:

• Virtual machines and containers in one interface
• Native Ceph storage integration
• Cluster management and live migration
• Web-based management UI

Microsoft Hyper-V is a Type-1 hypervisor built into Windows Server and available as a standalone Windows Hyper-V Server (though the free edition was discontinued). It supports:

• Windows and Linux VMs
• Integration with Active Directory
• Failover clustering
• Live migration and replication

Why Compare Proxmox vs Hyper-V in 2025?

The hypervisor market is shifting. Following VMware’s acquisition by Broadcom, many organizations are reevaluating virtualization strategies to avoid higher licensing costs, rigid contracts, and reduced flexibility.

At the same time:

• Private cloud usage is resurging — 83% of companies plan to move workloads from public cloud back to private infrastructure, citing security, compliance, and control.
• Cloud cost management is a top concern — Many enterprises struggle to predict and manage cloud spend.
• Vendor lock-in risk is increasing — Prompting demand for open, flexible platforms.

Both Proxmox and Hyper-V can serve as VMware alternatives, but they differ significantly in architecture, pricing, and scalability.

How Do Proxmox vs Hyper-V Differ Architecturally?

 

Feature	Proxmox VE	Hyper-V
Hypervisor Type	KVM-based Type-1 with LXC container support	Type-1, built into Windows Server kernel
VM & Container Support	VMs + LXC containers in one platform	VMs only
Storage	Ceph, ZFS, NFS, iSCSI; storage replication	SMB 3.0, iSCSI, Fibre Channel
Networking	Linux bridge, Open vSwitch, VLAN, SDN-ready	Hyper-V virtual switches, VLANs, NVGRE/SDN
Cluster Management	Built-in web UI for node clusters	Failover Clustering (Windows feature)
OS Compatibility	Linux + Windows guests	Windows + Linux guests

 

For businesses looking to run containers alongside VMs, Proxmox has a clear advantage. Hyper-V is more tightly integrated with Windows environments, making it a natural choice for organizations heavily invested in Microsoft licensing.

 

Which Offers Better Performance and Scalability?

Proxmox VE

• Near bare-metal performance with KVM
• Horizontal scaling through cluster nodes
• Ceph storage enables high-availability setups across nodes
• Low overhead for container workloads

Hyper-V

• Optimized for Windows Server workloads
• Supports large VMs (up to 48TB RAM in Datacenter edition)
• Scales via Failover Clustering
• Slightly higher resource overhead compared to Proxmox for Linux workloads

In HorizonIQ’s managed environments, we often see Proxmox clusters outperform Hyper-V in mixed workload scenarios, while Hyper-V shines in Windows-exclusive, AD-integrated deployments.

What About Licensing and Cost Models?

Proxmox VE

• Free to use under the GNU AGPL v3 license
• Optional paid enterprise support subscription
• No per-core or per-VM licensing fees
• Predictable month-to-month pricing with HorizonIQ’s managed Proxmox service

Hyper-V

• Requires Windows Server Standard or Datacenter licenses
• Per-core licensing with CAL requirements
• Higher upfront and renewal costs for large core counts

TCO impact: For growing environments, Proxmox’s open licensing can mean up to 70% cost savings when paired with HorizonIQ’s managed infrastructure.

 

How Do They Compare on Security and Compliance?

Both platforms support secure configurations, but implementation differs:

Proxmox VE

• Linux-based security model
• Built-in firewall, two-factor authentication
• Role-based access control (RBAC)
• Ideal for single-tenant, compliance-focused deployments (HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR) when hosted on dedicated hardware

Hyper-V

• BitLocker drive encryption
• Shielded VMs and secure boot
• Tight integration with Windows security policies
• Suited for Microsoft-compliance stacks

At HorizonIQ, we deploy Proxmox in isolated, single-tenant private clouds to give customers physical and operational control over their infrastructure. A major plus for regulated industries.

Which One is Easier to Manage?

Proxmox VE

• Intuitive, lightweight web UI
• REST API for automation
• CLI tools for advanced administration
• Quick learning curve for Linux admins

Hyper-V

• Managed through Hyper-V Manager, Windows Admin Center, or PowerShell
• Familiar for Windows system administrators
• Requires more complex setup for multi-node environments

HorizonIQ customers gain access to our unified management portal that provides cost tracking, performance monitoring, and proactive alerts for both platforms, removing much of the operational overhead.

What’s the Best Fit for AI and High-Performance Workloads?

• Proxmox: Excellent GPU passthrough support, container orchestration with Kubernetes, ideal for ML/AI training and inference in private cloud.
• Hyper-V: Supports GPU virtualization (Discrete Device Assignment), but less container-native.

For AI workloads, Proxmox’s flexibility in hardware tuning and container-native deployment makes it a better fit — especially when paired with HorizonIQ’s GPU-enabled clusters.

When Should Businesses Choose Proxmox Over Hyper-V (and Vice Versa)?

Choose Proxmox if:

• You want open-source flexibility with no licensing lock-in
• Your workloads mix VMs and containers
• You prioritize cost efficiency and predictable scaling
• You need Linux-first optimization

Choose Hyper-V if:

• You are heavily invested in Microsoft licensing and tooling
• Your workloads are predominantly Windows Server-based
• You require tight AD integration

Final Take: How HorizonIQ Delivers the Best of Both Worlds

At HorizonIQ, we deliver fully managed Proxmox private clouds: enterprise-grade infrastructure without the complexity or cost unpredictability of proprietary licensing. We also help businesses evaluate other platforms, like Hyper-V, to determine the best fit for their workloads and long-term strategy. We have years of experience managing Windows infrastructure. While we do not offer a managed Hyper-V solution, our team can set up the underlying infrastructure, install Windows, and make any ongoing patches. We have helped a number of companies use this model to successfully migrate from VMware and other popular platforms.

With Proxmox, you get:

• Tailored deployments in 9 global regions for low latency
• 100% uptime SLA with redundant systems
• Proactive management via Compass
• White-glove support that acts as an extension of your IT team

This post kicks off our “Hypervisor Showdown” blog series, where we’ll be comparing today’s leading platforms, including Proxmox and VMware, Hyper-V, XCP-ng, Nutanix, and more. We’ll break down the technical differences, business implications, and real-world performance data to help you choose the right platform for your private cloud strategy.

Ready to explore the right hypervisor for your business?
Contact us today and discover how we can optimize your private cloud strategy for performance, compliance, and cost efficiency.

 

Are you looking for a VMware to Proxmox VE migration process that minimizes downtime, preserves rollback options, and creates workload compatibility in the new environment? At HorizonIQ, we’ve walked that path ourselves.

We used to rely on a VMware-based infrastructure to power our managed services. It supported hundreds of VMs across clustered vSphere environments, using vSAN for storage and NSX for software-defined networking. 

We transitioned our entire private cloud to Proxmox VE to modernize our environment while increasing flexibility, improving performance, and regaining full control over our virtualization roadmap. Today, our internal Proxmox cluster spans:

• 19 compute nodes 
• 760 vCPUs 
• 9.7 TB RAM 
• 90 TB Ceph-backed storage 
• 225 TB of flash-backed storage for latency-sensitive workloads

This open-source cluster supports over 300 VMs across customer environments, internal tools, containers, and development pipelines.

The migration wasn’t guesswork. We engineered a safe, repeatable process that our customers can follow. Let’s walk through the same step-by-step approach we used internally, centered around a temporary migration LUN that helped us bridge both platforms during the cutover.

Step 1: Storage and Cluster Preparation

To safeguard your migration and simplify rollback if needed, we recommend using a temporary LUN for initial disk transfers.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Create a temporary ‘migration’ LUN on a HorizonIQ-hosted storage array. 
2. Connect all vSphere hosts in the VMware cluster to this new datastore. 
3. Connect all Proxmox hosts to the same datastore, ensuring cross-platform visibility.

This shared storage layer allows both environments to access the virtual machine disks during transition.

Step 2: Virtual Machine Preparation

Before migrating any VMs, you need to prep them to ensure they’ll operate properly under Proxmox’s virtualization stack.

For each VM:

1. Uninstall VMware Tools to avoid conflicts in the new hypervisor environment. 
2. Install the QEMU Guest Agent, which is optimized for Proxmox and enables better VM management. 
3. Remove all snapshots to reduce disk complexity and ensure a clean migration.

This step helps avoid issues related to guest OS drivers, agent compatibility, and snapshot corruption.

Step 3: Virtual Machine Migration Process

Once storage and VMs are prepared, follow these steps for each virtual machine:

1. Perform a storage vMotion to move all VM disks to the migration LUN. 
2. In Proxmox, create a new VM that matches the source VM’s CPU and memory specs. Add disks using the VMDK format, stored on the migration LUN. 
3. Shut down the VM in vCenter to avoid data inconsistency. 
4. Copy the VMDK files from the vSphere environment to the new VM’s directory in Proxmox. 
5. Power on the VM in Proxmox and verify that it boots and functions as expected. 
6. Live migrate the disks to the destination LUN in your Proxmox environment. During this step, convert disk formats from VMDK to QCOW2 for optimized Proxmox usage. 
7. Once verified, delete the original VM in vCenter to complete the migration. 

Need Help with Your VMware Migration?

This migration method using a shared temporary LUN gives you a safety net, allowing quick rollback if needed while providing full control during the transition. By preparing the VM environment properly and leveraging both hypervisors’ capabilities, you can migrate to Proxmox with minimal disruption.

If you’re planning a VMware to Proxmox migration and want expert support at every stage, HorizonIQ is here to help. As a Proxmox Gold Partner with expertise in both open-source and enterprise virtualization, we’ve helped organizations move confidently into our managed private cloud. Our platform offers predictable performance, flat-rate pricing, and full control without the complexity of proprietary infrastructure.

Let us help you build a future-ready environment on Proxmox. Contact us today to get started.