Enterprise Virtualisation
Proxmox VE
Deploy enterprise-grade virtualised infrastructure with Proxmox VE — the open source hypervisor replacing VMware vSphere at 60–80% lower cost. Local integration, migration and support in Tunis.
VMware licences
on node failure
Linux containers
storage without SAN
zero vendor lock-in
What Proxmox VE brings to your infrastructure
Proxmox VE integrates in a single platform everything that previously required vSphere + vCenter + vSAN + NSX from VMware.
High Availability (HA)
Automatic VM restart on node failure. 3-node quorum. STONITH fencing. VMware HA equivalent — without the licence premium.
Live migration
Move VMs between nodes without service interruption — equivalent to VMware vMotion. Ideal for planned hardware maintenance.
Snapshots & Replication
Instant ZFS/Ceph snapshots. Async replication to DR site. VM restore in seconds. Integrated with Proxmox Backup Server.
Ceph distributed storage
Native Ceph cluster in Proxmox VE — replaces a 30,000+ TND SAN. 3x replication, automatic self-healing, scalable without downtime.
KVM + LXC
KVM VMs for Windows Server, SQL Server, Exchange. LXC containers for Linux workloads (Nginx, PostgreSQL, Redis) — near-native performance, maximum density.
Built-in SDN & VLAN
Virtual router, VLANs, per-VM firewall, VRF, VXLAN. Software-defined networking without additional hardware. Native OPNsense integration.
Proxmox VE vs VMware vSphere — 2026 Comparison
Since Broadcom's acquisition of VMware (2023), licences have increased 300–1000%. Proxmox VE delivers the same enterprise features without vendor lock-in.
Licence cost
VMware : vSphere Foundation ≈ 6 000 USD/an par socket (Broadcom 2024). Proxmox : 0€ (open source) + support optionnel à partir de 119€/an par nœud.
VMware: vSphere Foundation ≈ $6,000/year per socket (Broadcom 2024). Proxmox: €0 (open source) + optional support from €119/year per node.
HA features
VMware : HA + vMotion + DRS (toutes fonctions disponibles). Proxmox : HA + migration à chaud + Ceph auto-balance — parité fonctionnelle complète.
VMware: HA + vMotion + DRS (all features available). Proxmox: HA + live migration + Ceph auto-balance — full functional parity.
Vendor dependency
VMware : Formats propriétaires VMDK/VMFS. Lock-in Broadcom. Proxmox : Formats ouverts (qcow2, raw). Exportation libre. Aucune dépendance fournisseur.
VMware: Proprietary VMDK/VMFS formats. Broadcom lock-in. Proxmox: Open formats (qcow2, raw). Free export. Zero vendor dependency.
Our VMware → Proxmox migration approach
Risk-free migration: your VMware infrastructure remains operational until full Proxmox production validation.
Audit & mapping
Inventory of existing VMs, network dependencies, storage, application licences. Documented migration plan with switchover order and rollback plan.
Proxmox cluster deployment
Proxmox VE installation on physical servers (or alongside VMware). VLAN network config, Ceph or NFS storage, LDAP/AD auth, TLS certificates.
Phased migration & validation
VMDK→qcow2 conversion via `qemu-img`. VM-by-VM switchover. Full application testing before each switch. VMware kept in parallel until final validation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Proxmox VE truly replace VMware vSphere?
Yes for 95% of use cases. Proxmox covers HA, live migration, snapshots, replication, SDN, Ceph distributed storage. The main gap is the absence of a direct vSphere Distributed Switch equivalent — compensated by OPNsense integration.
What does a VMware → Proxmox migration cost?
For a 3–10 node cluster: 3–10 integration days. Convergent provides a documented plan, pre-switchover test validation, and post-migration support. VMware licence savings are typically recovered in under one year.
Does Proxmox support Windows Server and SQL Server?
Yes. Proxmox VE virtualises Windows Server 2012 R2 to 2025, SQL Server, Active Directory, Exchange. VirtIO drivers deliver near-bare-metal performance. Windows licences remain unchanged.
What is the minimum configuration for an HA cluster?
Minimum 3 nodes for Proxmox quorum (avoids split-brain). Each node: x86-64 CPU with VT-x/AMD-V, minimum 32 GB RAM, SSD storage for critical VMs. Dedicated network recommended for Ceph/replication traffic (1–10 Gbps).
Complementary services
Pare-feu OPNsense NGFW
Secure your Proxmox cluster: VLAN segmentation, Suricata IDS/IPS, WireGuard VPN, HAProxy load balancer. Native Proxmox SDN integration.
Backup immuable — TrueNAS + PBS
Proxmox Backup Server (PBS) + TrueNAS ZFS: deduplicated incremental backups, immutable snapshots, granular file or full VM restore.
Audit exposition cyber — CERA
Is your virtualised infrastructure properly secured from the outside? DNS, SSL, IP reputation, CVE analysis. Free PDF report within 24h.
Reduce your VMware costs by up to 80%
Planned, risk-free Proxmox migration with local support in Tunis. Free feasibility study for your environment.