Server virtualization is the foundation of modern IT infrastructure — consolidating workloads, enabling high availability, simplifying disaster recovery, and making it practical to run dozens of servers that would otherwise need dedicated hardware. ECT Consulting designs and operates virtualized environments across VMware, Proxmox VE, Nutanix AHV, and Hyper-V.
Platforms We Support
VMware vSphere / vCenter — ECT Consulting supports existing VMware environments including ESXi host management, vCenter administration, storage configuration, HA and DRS cluster tuning, and ongoing operational support. For organizations that have absorbed the Broadcom pricing changes and are staying on VMware, we provide the same depth of management and support we always have. Broadcom’s 2023 acquisition eliminated perpetual licensing, restructured product bundles, and drove price increases of 300% to over 1,000% — turning routine renewals into board-level decisions. Evaluating your options? See our Escape VMware Pricing page.
Proxmox VE — The leading open-source alternative to VMware for SMB and mid-market organizations, Proxmox combines KVM full virtualization and LXC container support with built-in clustering, high availability, software-defined networking, and native backup integration. ECT Consulting runs production Proxmox clusters on enterprise-grade hardware and manages client environments on the same platform — our recommendations are grounded in operational experience, not lab testing.
Nutanix AHV — Worth serious consideration for organizations that want a converged compute-and-storage stack with enterprise support behind it — the management tooling is polished and Nutanix Move makes VMware migrations straightforward. ECT Consulting assists with AHV deployments, cluster administration, and workload migrations.
Microsoft Hyper-V — For Windows-centric environments already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, Hyper-V remains a viable and cost-effective virtualization platform. ECT Consulting supports Hyper-V deployments including cluster configuration, live migration, and integration with System Center and Azure hybrid services.
VMware Migration Planning
Migrating off VMware is not simply a matter of copying virtual disk files. A successful migration requires careful planning around storage architecture, network continuity, workload dependencies, snapshot chain cleanup, and sequencing — and mistakes cause production outages that are hard to undo.
The migration follows a set sequence: pre-migration assessment of your existing inventory and dependencies, identification of blockers, phased workload migration starting with lower-risk systems, post-migration validation, and decommission planning. The destination platform — whether Proxmox, Nutanix, Hyper-V, or a cloud-hosted solution — is determined by your requirements, not our preference.
Backup & Recovery
Backup architecture is designed alongside the virtualization platform, not added afterward. ECT Consulting deploys and manages backup solutions appropriate to your platform and environment, including job configuration, retention policies, offsite replication, and scheduled restore testing. We test restores on a schedule — not just after something breaks.
Hardware Guidance
Moving away from VMware also means moving away from its hardware compatibility requirements. ECT Consulting helps clients evaluate and specify server hardware based on actual workload requirements and budget — whether that means repurposing existing hardware, procuring refurbished servers, or specifying new builds.
Contact ECT Consulting to discuss your current virtualization environment and where you want to take it.