X2com gains agility and reliability with Proxmox VE

Facing the limits of a costly and rigid VMware environment, Dutch telecom and internet provider X2com sought a more adaptable solution. The migration to Proxmox VE gave the company a flexible, future-ready infrastructure that fully supports innovation and aligns with its business objectives.

For a modern internet and telephony service provider, infrastructure is critical. Customers expect flawless connectivity, uninterrupted telephony, and reliable digital services. For X2com, based in Rosmalen, the Netherlands, meeting those expectations had become increasingly difficult. Founded in 2008, the company employs around 30 people and works with a partner network of more than 500 resellers to deliver internet, telephony, and ICT solutions to businesses. As customer demands grew and competition intensified, X2com found itself constrained by the very systems meant to support its growth.

The VMware bottleneck

At the time, X2com’s virtualization platform was VMware, deployed in a stretched cluster with vSphere HA and vSAN for high availability and storage. On paper, this configuration promised resilience and scalability. In reality, however, it became a source of constant frustration.

The biggest challenge was vSAN. Any interruption in the system triggered lengthy resynchronizations that negatively impacted performance. For a business running SaaS applications that relied on active replication and voting, this was a critical issue. Applications slowed down, storage efficiency decreased, and engineers were forced to spend their time firefighting instead of innovating.

On top of the technical frustrations came the financial burden. Licensing costs continued to climb, locking X2com into a rigid structure with little flexibility. Scaling the environment required additional licensing and hardware, leaving the team with an expensive, inflexible system that didn’t align with their long-term vision.

Rethinking virtualization

The IT leadership team began evaluating alternatives. Their criteria were straightforward: scalability, VLAN and bonding support, robust backup with de-duplication, solid redundancy, and an architecture free from proprietary black boxes. After exploring different options, the team chose Proxmox VE as a comprehensive solution that met all requirements.

Migrating to Proxmox VE

In 2022, X2com prepared for the transition to Proxmox VE by conducting a thorough analysis of its hardware and network infrastructure. Proof-of-concept testing was conducted to compare Ceph and ZFS; ZFS was chosen for its stability and reliable redundancy. By the end of the year, a solid implementation and rollback plan ensured a safe and controlled transition.

New Proxmox VE clusters were deployed alongside existing VMware production systems, enabling a phased migration without service interruptions. Key milestones of the migration included:

• Infrastructure deployment: New hardware was installed, configured with Proxmox VE, and made ready to take over workloads.
• Network configuration: Open vSwitch was implemented, VLANs properly tagged to ensure seamless connectivity and compatibility.
• Migration preparation: Detailed procedures and maintenance windows planned to minimize impact on end users.
• Execution and decommissioning: ~300 VMs migrated, services tested and validated after each phase, VMware environment shut down.
• Backup infrastructure: New dedicated hardware for Proxmox Backup Server deployed, providing a robust, integrated backup system.

The migration was completed without major disruption. Customers noticed improved responsiveness of their SaaS applications, and the IT team felt immediate relief from the constant battle with resynchronizations.

Outstanding support every step of the way

The smooth transition was reinforced by outstanding support from Proxmox. Minor issues with Proxmox Backup Server were quickly resolved, and every ticket was handled directly by a developer or highly qualified engineer. This rare level of expertise and responsiveness gave the team confidence that Proxmox is not only a technology provider but also a trusted partner.

Overcoming technical hurdles

As with any major migration, there were challenges to address. Early performance issues with Proxmox Backup Server were traced back to SMR disks in the ZFS pool. Replacing them with more suitable drives and adding dedicated caching disks resolved the bottlenecks. MariaDB servers in replication mode combined with snapshots also caused performance drops until database files were moved to separate VirtIO disks. Another best practice was standardizing all VMs on VirtIO SCSI Single with IOthread enabled for consistent I/O performance.

Future-proof with Proxmox VE

The move to Proxmox VE quickly delivered results. X2com gained full control over its infrastructure, with reliable performance, built-in scalability, and smooth upgrades. The switch freed the company from restrictive VMware licensing, while SaaS applications became more stable, customers experienced fewer disruptions, and the IT team gained flexibility for future needs.

X2com now runs multiple clusters across three data centers and is preparing for future demands such as AI workloads and scaling microservices. With Proxmox VE as its backbone, the company feels ready for whatever comes next.

Conclusion

For X2com, moving from VMware to Proxmox VE was more than a technology shift. It aligned the infrastructure with the company’s values of openness, efficiency, and reliability. By replacing costly rigidity with an open-source solution, X2com strengthened service delivery and turned its infrastructure into a competitive advantage.

Michel Weeren
IT Manager

About X2com BV
Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Rosmalen, the Netherlands, X2com BV is a telecom and internet service provider operating in the Netherlands and Belgium. Through a strong partner network, the company delivers reliable internet, telephony, and ICT services to business customers, combining innovative technology with a focus on security and customer trust.