15.06.2026
Hetzner price increase June 2026: CPX and CCX up to +176% - our take
For many - us included - Hetzner was the obvious answer to expensive hyperscalers for years: cheap, solid, operated in the EU. That is exactly...
Before the first VM starts, the architecture decisions must be right: cluster topology, storage strategy, hardware sizing, network design. We advise independently - not vendor-bound, not hardware-driven.
The following are trademarks of their respective owners: Proxmox VE (Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH). WZ-IT is an independent service provider and has no business, partnership, or contractual relationship with these companies. We offer independent migration, installation, hosting, and operations services.
Six central architecture questions that determine the success or failure of your Proxmox project.
Single-node, 3-node quorum cluster or multi-node HA setup. We design the topology to match your workload and budget.
Which storage architecture for your IOPS and redundancy requirements? Ceph for hyperconverged clusters, ZFS local, NFS/iSCSI with existing SAN.
CPU, RAM, NIC, NVMe - we calculate the right hardware based on VM count, storage needs and HA requirements.
Separation of cluster, storage and VM traffic. Corosync on separate link, vSwitch/vRack/VLAN strategy for secure multi-tenant setups.
Migrate existing VMware/Hyper-V environment or build from scratch? We evaluate risks, effort and downtime requirements.
Do you need enterprise subscription? privacy-focused locations, BSI C5, ISO 27001 - we advise on the right compliance strategy.
Concrete instead of "it depends": the six pivotal choices of every Proxmox architecture - with the thresholds at which each option pays off.
ZFS works from a single node: local performance, snapshots and asynchronous replication to a second node. Ceph pays off from 3 nodes and requires 10 GbE or faster, disks on an HBA instead of a RAID controller and around 8 GiB RAM per OSD. We evaluate both options against your workload.
A single node covers dev environments and non-critical workloads. Two nodes plus a QDevice provide quorum without a third full node. Real high availability with automatic failover starts at 3 nodes. We size for your availability target, not by catalog.
Corosync needs its own low-latency link - otherwise you risk losing quorum under storage load. We separate management, storage and VM traffic via VLANs; MTU and bonding are defined before the build instead of being patched afterwards.
Proxmox Backup Server locally for fast restores, plus an offsite sync to a second PBS for the worst case: ransomware, fire, data center outage. Deduplication and incremental backups keep storage demand low. Retention rules and restore tests belong in the architecture, not in the afterthoughts.
Windows Server on Proxmox raises licensing questions: Standard or Datacenter, per-host core licensing, and what applies during live migration between nodes. We set these switches in the architecture before an audit does.
From VMware, the import wizard built into Proxmox moves VMs directly from ESXi into the cluster. For Hyper-V we use disk import of the VHDX files. Sequence, downtime windows and fallback are planned per VM group - not across the board.
A structured process that leads to a robust architecture proposal in 2-4 weeks.
In a 2-hour online workshop we capture your current infrastructure, workloads, performance requirements and budget framework.
You receive a detailed architecture document with hardware sizing, storage layout, network topology and migration plan.
For critical workloads we build a small PoC cluster to validate performance and failover behavior.
We build the infrastructure, or you take over with detailed documentation. A managed service with a selectable service level is available as an option.
Every format ends with a written artifact you can work with - whether with us or without us.
For existing environments
For new builds and migrations
For validation before the investment
All formats at a fixed price after scoping - between €2,500 and €12,000 depending on scope. The initial consultation is free and non-binding.
A concrete architecture document that you can implement yourself or have us implement.
All Proxmox servicesTopology, sizing, storage, network
Concrete models with prices
Steps, sequence, risks
CapEx vs. OpEx over 3 years
Consulting ends with a clear recommendation and complete documentation - not with a contract for follow-up business. You can implement the architecture document yourself or hand it to a system integrator of your choice. And if you do not want to build or operate yourself, we take on both - cleanly separated from the consulting mandate.
We build the planned architecture: cluster, storage, network and backups - including handover-ready documentation.
View Proxmox setupWe take over ongoing operations: 24/7 monitoring, updates, backup verification and incident response - from €179.90 per node per month.
View Managed ProxmoxIn-depth knowledge from our Proxmox knowledge base.
Describe the decision, architecture question, or specific problem.
15.06.2026
For many - us included - Hetzner was the obvious answer to expensive hyperscalers for years: cheap, solid, operated in the EU. That is exactly...
24.05.2026
Proxmox VE 9.2 has been available since May 21, 2026. On paper, it is a minor release. In practice, it matters much more for many...
08.05.2026
Three critical Local Privilege Escalation vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel within two weeks — all three sitting in the code for nine to twelve years....
The initial consultation (1-hour online meeting) is free and non-binding. A complete architecture consulting including workshop, documentation and PoC costs between €2,500 and €12,000 as fixed price depending on scope. We give you a binding price range upfront.
From first workshop to finished architecture document typically takes 2-4 weeks. For very complex setups (multi-site, mixed-workload) it can take up to 8 weeks. We define the timeline bindingly after the first call.
Yes, absolutely. Our consulting is provider- and implementer-agnostic. You can hand the architecture document to any IT team or system integrator. Optionally we offer implementation as managed service, but that's not a requirement.
It depends on the use case. Ceph: with 3+ nodes, hyperconverged, high redundancy, dynamic scaling. ZFS: with single-node or small clusters, local performance, simple maintenance. SAN/NFS: with existing storage infrastructure. In the workshop we clarify your requirements and recommend concretely.
For production workloads we recommend the enterprise subscription (~€1,000/year per socket) - you get tested updates and prioritized support. For development/test the no-subscription repository is sufficient. In the consulting we clarify the right licensing strategy.
Hardware resellers earn from hardware sales - we don't. We recommend the hardware that fits your requirements, not the one with the highest margin. You buy directly from Hetzner, Thomas-Krenn, Dell or Supermicro - we just verify the configuration.
For a greenfield design workshop: no. For an architecture review of an existing environment: yes, read access via web UI or SSH is usually sufficient. During the consulting phase we do not change anything on your systems, and every access is documented.
Yes. If Proxmox is not the right platform for your case - for example because specific business applications are only supported on a particular hypervisor - we say so clearly and with reasoning. Consulting that always arrives at the same conclusion is not consulting.
Remote by default: workshops via video call, reviews via remote access. On-site visits are possible on request, for example for a hardware walkthrough in your own data center, and are billed by effort.
Always a written artifact, depending on the format: a recommendation paper with prioritized actions (review), an architecture document with topology, sizing, storage and network design plus migration plan (workshop), or a measurement report with a go/no-go recommendation (PoC).
The free initial consultation usually takes place within a few business days. The workshop typically starts 1 to 2 weeks after commissioning. If it is urgent - for example due to expiring VMware contracts - tell us and we prioritize accordingly.
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.”
Customer feedback on virtualization, backup, VPN, security and ongoing cluster operations.
Whether a specific IT challenge or just an idea - we look forward to the exchange. In a brief conversation, we'll evaluate together if and how your project fits with WZ-IT.
Timo Wevelsiep & Robin Zins
Managing Directors of WZ-IT
