Changing virtualisation platform can look like a licensing decision. In practice, it reaches much further. Your applications, networking, storage, backups, recovery arrangements and support model may all depend on the platform beneath them.
In this interview, Tiger Computing CTO Chris Boot discusses why more organisations are reassessing virtualisation, where Proxmox Virtual Environment may fit and what you need to understand before deciding whether to stay, migrate or take a different route.
Chris also explains how Tiger approaches these conversations. We begin with what your organisation needs the environment to achieve, then work towards the appropriate technical answer – with as much or as little technical detail as you need.
Below is a summary of the interview:
Why Organisations Are Reconsidering Virtualisation
VMware has been a familiar choice for many organisations since virtualisation became a standard part of enterprise IT. Chris explains that changes following Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware have prompted some customers to reconsider that position. Cost is part of the concern, but packaging and the risk of becoming more dependent on a wider bundle of services can matter just as much.
Once a virtualisation platform supports business applications, internal services and essential data, changing it isn’t simply an infrastructure-team decision. Renewal costs may affect wider budgets, while migration can touch networking, security, backup, disaster recovery and application support.
That doesn’t mean every organisation should move. It does mean you should periodically ask whether your current platform still suits the estate you have now and the organisation you’re becoming.
Where Proxmox May Fit
Proxmox Virtual Environment is an open-source virtualisation platform based on Debian GNU/Linux. It combines virtual machines, Linux Containers, storage, networking, clustering and central management within one platform.
Chris sees it as relevant across a broad range of environments, from a single server running a small number of virtual machines to larger estates spanning multiple nodes, data centres and locations. Its Linux and open-source foundations can also offer flexibility for organisations that want greater control over their infrastructure.
Suitability still depends on the environment. If running physical infrastructure doesn’t make sense for your organisation, a cloud or hosted service may be a better answer. Particular applications may depend on vendor support that is tied to another virtualisation platform. Existing integrations or operational requirements could also influence the decision.
Tiger’s starting point isn’t to assume that Proxmox is right. It is to establish what your workloads and business require, then assess whether Proxmox can meet those needs.
A Migration Starts With Understanding What You Have
Before you select a destination platform, you need a reliable picture of the current estate. How many virtual machines are running? Are they appropriately sized? What applications and services do they support? Which systems depend on one another? How old is the hardware, and should it be reused or replaced?
Some of the most challenging migration obstacles are easily overlooked. A virtual machine may no longer have a clear owner. Its purpose may be poorly documented. An application might run technically on the proposed platform but lose formal vendor support if it moves.
Backup and disaster recovery need particular attention. If your current backup product integrates with VMware, for example, you need to establish whether it supports the new platform and what happens to recovery arrangements during the transition. Moving virtual machines while leaving a gap in recoverability isn’t a successful migration.
Chris recommends a phased approach in most cases. Moving workloads and supporting services in controlled stages gives you an opportunity to test them on the new platform before retiring the old one. It also reduces the consequences if a dependency or compatibility problem emerges.
Keep The Architecture As Simple As The Requirements Allow
Good architecture isn’t the design with the most components or the longest specification. Chris describes it as the simplest architecture that meets the organisation’s requirements.
Those requirements may include scalability, reliability, fault tolerance, disaster recovery and manageability. They won’t be identical for every workload, so the design should reflect what the business needs rather than an assumed technical ideal.
The same principle applies to value. A lower software cost may strengthen the business case for Proxmox, but it shouldn’t be considered in isolation. Hardware, migration effort, internal skills, support and the operational effect of change all belong in the calculation. Chris also points to hardware compatibility as a possible source of value, particularly where existing or less conventional hardware remains fit for purpose.
Plan For Operation, Not Just Implementation
A virtualisation platform isn’t something you install and then forget. It needs monitoring, patching, capacity planning and tested recovery procedures. Someone must respond when monitoring identifies a problem, keep the environment current and verify that backups can actually be restored.
The interview also distinguishes between a Proxmox subscription and Tiger’s services. A subscription provides access to the Proxmox Enterprise Repository and, depending on the level selected, a defined vendor-support entitlement. Tiger can assess, design, migrate and support the wider environment, including the operational responsibilities agreed with you. Where an issue needs the product vendor’s involvement, we can work with Proxmox through the appropriate support route.
Making these responsibilities explicit helps you understand who owns what before the environment becomes business-critical.
Starting With The Business Requirement
When someone approaches Tiger about virtualisation, Chris first wants to know what the organisation is trying to achieve. Technical requirements matter, but they make more sense once the business need is understood.
That approach also shapes how we communicate. Infrastructure specialists may want to explore every detail of the architecture. Other stakeholders may need the options, risks and commercial implications explained without unnecessary jargon. As Chris puts it in the interview:
We’re human and we can be as technical as you want us to be.
Tiger will also challenge a proposed technical solution if the business requirement behind it isn’t clear. Our role isn’t to recommend a familiar product automatically; it is to help ensure that the technology supports the outcome you need.
Key Takeaways
- Reassess your virtualisation strategy when cost, platform dependency, workloads or business requirements change – not only when the technology fails.
- Treat Proxmox as an option to evaluate rather than a predetermined answer.
- Understand your workloads, dependencies, hardware, integrations and application-support requirements before planning a migration.
- Include networking, backup, disaster recovery and rollback in the migration scope.
- Use a phased transition where possible so workloads can be tested before the original platform is retired.
- Choose the simplest architecture that satisfies your requirements for resilience, scale and manageability.
- Plan who will monitor, patch, support and test recovery after implementation.
- Separate the Proxmox subscription and vendor entitlement from the operational services you need around the platform.
Explore Whether Proxmox Fits Your Environment
You may already run Proxmox VE and want to strengthen the way it is managed and supported. You may be reviewing VMware or another platform, or planning new on-premises, private-cloud or hybrid infrastructure.
Tiger Computing can help you assess the current environment, understand whether Proxmox is suitable and plan a practical way forward. We’ll start with your workloads, risks and business requirements – and we won’t pretend Proxmox is the right answer if it isn’t.
Discuss Your Virtualisation Environment
