--- title: "Virtualization and storage: which platform is right for you?" description: "We choose the platform from your workloads and a five-year cost comparison, then deploy it and move you over. Proxmox VE, Nutanix AHV, Hyper-V, VMware vSphere, TrueNAS, Synology DSM and UniFi Drive, with hardware and platform designed as one architecture." url: "https://unifiedit.tech/services/virtualization" lastmod: "2026-10-27" type: "page" --- [All Services](https://unifiedit.tech/services) # Which platform is right for you? We answer it with your workloads and a five-year cost comparison, then deploy it and move you over. [Talk to an Engineer](https://unifiedit.tech/schedule-call) [Something else?](https://unifiedit.tech/schedule-call) 01 · Choose ## Which platform fits your workloads We inventory the workloads, shortlist two platforms that meet the requirements, and run both in our lab against your data before recommending one. 1. 1 Workload inventory Every VM, share, backup job and camera stream, with measured CPU, memory and IOPS rather than the numbers they were sized for. 2. 2 Requirements Availability targets, recovery time and point objectives, licensing constraints, budget, and who operates it day to day. 3. 3 Shortlist two Two platforms that meet the requirements, with the trade-offs documented. 4. 4 Lab validation Both built in our lab with copies of your workloads. We pull a host, restore from backup and run an upgrade, and time each. 5. 5 Written recommendation One platform, a bill of materials and a migration plan, in writing. How a recommendation is made Your workloads VMs · databases · line-of-business apps Requirements Availability · RPO/RTO · licensing · budget Shortlist ![Nutanix AHV](https://unifiedit.tech/images/platforms/nutanix.png) ![Nutanix AHV](https://unifiedit.tech/images/platforms/dark/nutanix.png) ![Proxmox VE](https://unifiedit.tech/images/platforms/proxmox.png) ![Proxmox VE](https://unifiedit.tech/images/platforms/dark/proxmox.png) Lab validation Failover, restore and upgrade, timed Recommendation Platform · BOM · migration plan The shortlist shown is one outcome. Yours comes from the inventory. 02 · Source ## Hardware, new or secondhand, compared on five-year cost We do not resell hardware. We write the spec, price each option over five years including the renewal you would otherwise sign, and introduce you to the partners we buy from. You purchase direct; we take no margin. ### New Current-generation nodes on the platform’s hardware compatibility list, with manufacturer warranty. Required where the support contract or an audit depends on it. We introduce an authorized reseller ### Secondhand Off-lease servers and drives, burned in and warranted by the partner, at a fraction of list price. We introduce a refurbisher Five-year total cost, side by side Illustrative Renew what you have vSphere on aging hosts New nodes, new platform Nutanix AHV Refurbished nodes, open platform Proxmox VE Hardware Licensing & subscriptions Support & power Example proportions, not a quote. Yours is built from the inventory and partner pricing. 03 · Deploy & migrate ## Build the new cluster, then move the workloads in waves Shown: VMware to Nutanix. The target cluster is built and tested first. VMs move in waves inside scheduled windows using Nutanix Move, and vSphere stays live until every VM is verified on AHV. The same plan runs VMware to Proxmox, Hyper-V to Proxmox and Synology to TrueNAS. ![VMware vSphere](https://unifiedit.tech/images/platforms/vmware.png) ![VMware vSphere](https://unifiedit.tech/images/platforms/dark/vmware.png) Today · 16 VMs ![Nutanix AHV](https://unifiedit.tech/images/platforms/nutanix.png) ![Nutanix AHV](https://unifiedit.tech/images/platforms/dark/nutanix.png) Target · AHV Week 1 Inventory Weeks 2–3 Build target cluster Week 4 Pilot wave Weeks 5–7 Cutover windows Week 8 Decommission vSphere Weeks are illustrative; the real plan comes out of the inventory. ## Hardware and platform, designed together Most virtualization problems are design conflicts between layers that were bought separately. We treat compute, storage, networking and configuration as one architecture. Physical infrastructure ### Hardware - Server selection and sizing - CPU and memory planning - Storage architecture - Network design for virtualization - Redundancy strategy - Cluster node planning - Hardware compatibility review - Lifecycle and refresh planning Hardware decisions set the ceiling on performance, resiliency and how maintainable the environment is in year four. Platform configuration ### Software - Cluster architecture - Host configuration standards - Storage configuration - Virtual switch and network design - Workload placement strategy - HA and resiliency settings - Performance tuning - Operational standards and documentation Configuration should match the infrastructure underneath it and the workload profile on top of it. Rarely does it match either by default. ## What we do on each platform Where each one fits, what it costs relative to the others, and the trade-offs we would raise before you buy. Where it fits - Clusters of any size where licensing has to stay near zero - Ceph for distributed storage, or ZFS per node - Integrated backup to Proxmox Backup Server - Direct import of VMs from ESXi Trade-offs - Support is a subscription from Proxmox, not a vendor field team - HA works well; upgrades are less automated than Nutanix - Fewer third-party integrations than vSphere Relative cost Free to run. Support subscription priced per CPU socket. Where it fits - Hyperconverged compute and storage under one console - Rolling upgrades and failover with little operator effort - Scale by adding nodes - Migration from vSphere with Nutanix Move Trade-offs - Hardware comes from the compatibility list - Three nodes is the practical minimum Relative cost Subscription per core. Where it fits - Organizations standardized on Microsoft with on-prem infrastructure - A few VMs per host without a new platform to learn - Failover Clustering, and Storage Spaces Direct on Datacenter, when HA is required - Active Directory and System Center integration Trade-offs - Thin management without System Center or Windows Admin Center - Standard licensing climbs as VM counts grow - Storage design is on you Relative cost No hypervisor fee. You pay for Windows Server. Where it fits - Large estates with mature operations - The widest choice of backup, monitoring and automation integrations - Teams already certified and running it well Trade-offs - Subscription only; perpetual licenses are no longer sold - Renewal quotes have climbed sharply - We right-size the renewal, or plan the migration off it Relative cost Subscription per core. Where it fits - Large capacity at low cost per terabyte - ZFS snapshots, replication and end-to-end checksums - SMB, NFS and iSCSI targets for Proxmox, Hyper-V or VMware - Runs well on refurbished hardware; some compute via apps and VMs Trade-offs - Community Edition means you are the support - Dual-controller HA requires TrueNAS Enterprise on iXsystems hardware - Storage first, compute second Relative cost No licensing. Enterprise HA is sold with the hardware, with no per-terabyte fee. Where it fits - Active Backup for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, included - Surveillance Station, Drive and the rest of the app catalog - High-availability pairs; models from desktop to large flash and HDD arrays - Near-zero training for the people who run it Trade-offs - Btrfs rather than ZFS; fine for files and apps, not our pick for primary enterprise storage - Proprietary hardware - Performance ceiling below TrueNAS at scale Relative cost Appliance pricing. No software licensing for most apps. Where it fits - Sites already on UniFi: one console for network, cameras and storage - Shared files for offices and video editing workgroups - ENAS runs ZFS and presents iSCSI, so it can serve as a SAN for a cluster - An archive target for UniFi Protect footage Trade-offs - Young platform; the feature set is still growing - No app catalog, unlike Synology - Check feature parity before replacing a Synology Relative cost No licensing. Hardware only. ## Talk to an engineer about your cluster. A short call to see whether we are the right fit for the design or the migration. [Talk to an Engineer](https://unifiedit.tech/schedule-call)