IT infrastructure
A strategy for hardware, software and networks that actually work together.
Nobody notices infrastructure while it works. It gets noticed when a site is unreachable, a restore takes longer than promised, or the licence invoice doubles. All three have the same cause: an environment that grew rather than being designed.
Virtualisation and replacing VMware
Since the change in VMware licensing, many mid-sized companies are evaluating alternatives. We have taken both major open-source routes into production:
Proxmox VE with Ceph as distributed storage – for environments meant to work without a SAN. At a special machinery manufacturer in Baden-Württemberg we consolidated four standalone hypervisors into a three-node cluster and migrated 45 machines with no unplanned downtime.
XCP-ng with Xen Orchestra – for environments with an existing SAN. At an agricultural wholesaler in Lower Saxony we replaced eight vSphere hosts, moved 60 machines and folded in 20 previously physical servers.
Which route is right depends on storage, operating model and what your team wants to maintain. We tell you after the assessment, not before.
Networks
Segmentation instead of flat networks, next-generation firewalls, WAN connectivity across sites, VPN and Wi-Fi with access control. We work with pfSense, OPNsense and commercial platforms – the choice follows the requirement.
At a laboratory services provider in Bavaria we redesigned the network architecture across twelve sites, introduced centralised endpoint management and cut infrastructure licensing costs considerably.
Storage and backup
A backup only counts as a backup once the restore has been rehearsed. We set up backups with immutable retention, add an off-site copy and test recovery regularly. At one client this reduced the recovery time objective for business-critical systems from twelve hours to under two.
Typical engagements
Assessment and target architecture, migration from VMware to Proxmox VE or XCP-ng, network segmentation, firewall concepts, backup and recovery planning, monitoring with Zabbix, connecting branch offices.
On firewalls in detail: pfSense, OPNsense and Zenarmor.