Critical infrastructure replacement
- CLIENT
-
- Bitset d.o.o.
- Slovenia
- YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION
-
- 2025
Project by the numbers
VMware has discontinued the option of using its software for free, which significantly increased costs. Since Proxmox still offers a free version that meets Bitset's needs, by changing the virtualization platform we eliminated licensing costs.
Thanks to the creation of an alternate virtual environment, system downtime was minimal. Each server was temporarily shut down for less than one hour.
By migrating to Proxmox, using templates, and automating, we simplified the management of virtual servers. The process is now up to 50 % faster than in the VMware environment, with greater efficiency and fewer errors.
Challenge
Precise migration planning for uninterrupted operations
The key challenge in the transition from VMware to Proxmox, two leading server virtualization platforms, was to ensure minimal downtime, as it is important for the company that back-end servers run without interruption.
Establishing an alternate environment for uninterrupted server migration
To ensure seamless availability and uninterrupted operations during the migration, we established an alternate virtual environment for Bitset, to which we successfully migrated key servers. This step allowed systems to operate in real time even during the complex reconfiguration of the infrastructure, ensuring a smooth transition without service interruption.
Backup modernization for reliable data protection
We carried out a comprehensive overhaul of the backup system using the Veeam solution. We implemented a two-tier setup: the primary backups run locally on Bitset's infrastructure, and the secondary backups are at a remote location within our own server infrastructure.
- A Backups of critical data
- B Primary location: Humanfrog data centers
- C Secondary locations
- D The entire system ensures communication with online and physical stores where Bitset sells computer equipment - across Europe
3-2-1
The system is designed according to the 3-2-1 principle, meaning at least three copies of data stored across two different types of locations, one of which is physically separated (off-site). As one of the largest regional cloud providers, we ensure full control over data, secure application connectivity, and reliable and secure communication with external services.
Results
For Bitset, we executed the migration from VMware to Proxmox while ensuring uninterrupted operation of critical infrastructure. By establishing an alternate virtual environment and updating the backup system, we enabled a smooth migration with less than one hour of downtime per server. The move to Proxmox also eliminated virtualization platform costs and delivered long-term savings, as the free version fully meets Bitset's needs.
