Is Proxmox BSI-compliant?

The honest answer: IT-Grundschutz places requirements on operations, not on the product - a BSI certification of the hypervisor is neither required for this, nor do we claim one. The requirements of module SYS.1.5 Virtualization (2023 edition) can be addressed with Proxmox VE: separated management networks, role and permission concepts, logging, backup and hardening. We align operations with exactly these requirements and document the implementation in an audit-ready manner.

Can our data stay in Germany?

Yes, in all three reference architectures: in your own data center the data stays in-house anyway, and with STACKIT colocation and IONOS dedicated servers it resides in German data centers of German providers. Proxmox itself is open source from a European vendor (Proxmox Server Solutions, Vienna) - there is no mandatory cloud connection and no forced telemetry.

How does procurement work?

Procurement and tender consulting is not our role - your applicable procurement rules are decisive, and direct-award thresholds differ between the federal level and the states (as of July 2026: partly under reform). What we contribute: transparent, traceable prices instead of "on request", a clear service specification for your tender documents, and a model without license costs for the software itself - what you procure is essentially the service and, optionally, hardware or a subscription.

What do operations cost?

Transparently calculated by number of nodes: ongoing operations start at Managed Proxmox from €179.90 per node per month - including 24/7 proactive monitoring, updates in maintenance windows, backup management, and incident response. Setup or migration is priced as a one-time project after the scope has been confirmed.

Do you support migration from VMware?

Yes - that is currently the most common case in the public sector. We migrate VMware environments to Proxmox VE in a structured way: assessment, migration plan, VM moves and parallel operation until cutover. All details: VMware to Proxmox migration.

Proxmox for public authorities and municipalities

WZ-IT designs, migrates, and operates Proxmox environments for the public sector, in your own data centre, in German colocation, or as an agreed private-cloud architecture.

Open source instead of vendor lock
German data centers possible
IT-Grundschutz-oriented

Book an intro call Reference architectures

Reviews

IT Beratung Service Consulting Soforthilfe

Companies worldwide trust WZ-IT

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The situation

The sovereignty shift has been decided

In Germany, digital sovereignty is no longer a vision but settled policy - at both federal and state level. The virtualization layer is a central building block in this.

Schleswig-Holstein switches completely
Schleswig-Holstein is the first German state to move its administration fully to open source - around 25,000 workstations by the end of 2026. There, digital sovereignty is a government program, not a pilot project.
Administration cloud & Deutschland-Stack
With the German Administration Cloud Strategy and the Deutschland-Stack (BMDS), sovereign, standardized cloud building blocks are emerging for federal, state and municipal government - open virtualization fits this line exactly.
Cost pressure adds to it
The German federal government had VMware framework contracts worth over €600 million (netzpolitik.org). Complaints against Broadcom's licensing policy are now pending at EU level: VOICE filed a complaint in May 2025, CISPE followed in March 2026 - with reported price increases of a factor of 8 to 15 at cloud providers. Anyone re-tendering virtualization now plans the dependency out at the same time.

Find your path

Reference architectures for public administration

Three proven paths, depending on data sovereignty requirements and existing infrastructure - in all three cases, data stays in Germany.

Maximum data sovereignty
Your own data center (on-premise)
Proxmox on your hardware in your own data center. We handle setup and operations via secure remote access without open ports - your data never leaves the building.
- Proxmox setup
- Managed Proxmox
German provider, dedicated hardware
STACKIT colocation
Proxmox on dedicated hardware in STACKIT's German data centers - infrastructure from a German provider, operated by us.
- Proxmox on STACKIT
Quickly provisioned
IONOS dedicated
Dedicated servers at IONOS as a German provider - quickly provisioned, clearly calculable and without shared hardware.
- Proxmox on IONOS

Operations

Operations to public administration standards

Public administrations need more than a running hypervisor: traceable processes, solid documentation and operations oriented towards recognized standards.

IT-Grundschutz orientation
We align operations with the requirements of the IT-Grundschutz module SYS.1.5 Virtualization (2023 edition) - from separated management networks and role/permission concepts to logging.
Audit-ready documentation
Every change to the environment is documented traceably - ready for handover to auditors or a new provider.
Coordinated maintenance windows
Updates and upgrades run in firmly agreed maintenance windows - coordinated with your administration's specialist applications, session weeks and public service hours.
24/7 proactive monitoring
We proactively monitor hosts, VMs, storage, and backups around the clock with agreed alert and escalation paths.

Publicly documented

References from the public sector

Proxmox in public administration is not an experiment - publicly documented cases range from a university hospital to a city administration.

University hospital

University Medicine Essen

24 hosts / 3 clusters
~420 VMs in total
>= 85 % reported savings

Scope boundary and notes

A university hospital with over 8,000 employees runs 24 hosts in 3 clusters with a total of around 420 VMs on Proxmox VE, backed by two Proxmox Backup Servers - and reports cost savings of at least 85% compared to its previous proprietary solution (proxmox.com case study).

City administration

City administration of Trento

3 clusters
~80 VMs
3 sysadmins

Scope boundary and notes

The city administration of Trento (around 100,000 inhabitants, over 1,200 workstations) has been running Proxmox in production for many years: 3 clusters with around 80 VMs, looked after by 3 system administrators. Not a fresh migration, but long-term evidence that Proxmox carries day-to-day administration for years.

Procurement

Transparent prices instead of "on request"

Traceability matters especially for procurement offices. The specific scope is confirmed in advance.

Managed Proxmoxfrom €179.90 excl. VAT / node and monthincluding monitoring, updates, backup management, and incident response

Book an intro call View Managed Proxmox

Other routes

Migration

From VMware to Proxmox

Assessment, migration plan, VM moves and parallel operation until cutover.

View migration →For professional secrecy holders

Operate Proxmox in the Section 203 Managed Cloud

If Proxmox processes client, patient or other professional secrets, WZ-IT plans the application, infrastructure, access, backups and ongoing operations within a purpose-built operating model.

View the Section 203 Managed Cloud →

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the most important questions

Knowledge

Further Proxmox guides

In-depth knowledge from our Proxmox knowledge base.

Guides

Matching solutions for your project

Reviews & projects

Proxmox proof from real projects

Customer feedback on virtualization, backup, VPN, security and ongoing cluster operations.

WZ-IT moved our studio infrastructure from decentralised individual devices to a central platform: every site is securely connected via VPN, new devices are onboarded automatically and an entire site is provisioned from a template, without manual steps on location. What impressed me most is the breadth and depth of their knowledge: Timo and Robin are not a typical IT provider who sets up a server and leaves. The two of them think their way into highly complex infrastructure and software topics, work through every requirement we put in front of them, and build networking, provisioning and operations so that everything fits together in the end. WZ-IT is an excellent partner for complex software, network and architecture projects.

Steve KirchnerManaging Director, nextGYM GmbH

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International

Built in Germany's Ruhr Valley. Running worldwide.

WZ-IT designs, develops and operates infrastructure and software for clients in Germany and internationally. We deliver projects remotely and continue supporting them in ongoing operations after go-live.

Selected projects

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Enquiry

Assess Proxmox for your organisation

Name sites, users, workloads, and organisational requirements.

Straight with Timo and Robin - no sales team, no pitch
An honest take, including when we are not the right fit
Concrete next steps for infrastructure, software or AI

No risk: worst case, you leave with a clearer understanding of your project than before.

WZ-IT's advice on our Azure migration was technically sound and completely non-binding right from the intro call - we took away a great deal.

Jakob ÖschlbergerInno7 GmbH

Email[email protected]Phone+49 2922 875068

WZ-IT's advice on our Azure migration was technically sound and completely non-binding right from the intro call - we took away a great deal.

Jakob ÖschlbergerInno7 GmbH

Proxmox for public authorities and municipalities

The sovereignty shift has been decided

Schleswig-Holstein switches completely

Administration cloud & Deutschland-Stack

Cost pressure adds to it

Reference architectures for public administration

Your own data center (on-premise)

STACKIT colocation

IONOS dedicated

Operations to public administration standards

IT-Grundschutz orientation

Audit-ready documentation

Coordinated maintenance windows

24/7 proactive monitoring