Hidden dependencies
We map which servers talk to each other and plan the waves around that, so an application moves as a whole.
Works with
We move your servers to another platform and take their settings with them.
From VMware to HPE Morpheus, from physical hardware to Hyper-V, or VMs out of Azure, AWS or a VPS. We copy your servers with our backup technology, prepare them for the new platform, test them and switch over in a maintenance window. Where possible we take over settings such as IP and MAC addresses, so the switch goes more smoothly. Until you sign off, the way back stays open.
Old platformVMware, Hyper-V, Azure, AWS, physical
runningcopy and prepare
Test networkEvery server started and checked
testedswitch in a maintenance window
New platformSettings carried over where possible
liveway back until you sign off
Your server moves. Its identity stays.
Where possible we keep the MAC addresses, the VLANs and the settings, so your users notice as little as possible.
How we move your servers from any platform to any other, without a weekend of downtime.
We migrate the same way we recover: from backups. Your current environment keeps running until the moment of switching, and stays available as a way back. VMware to HPE Morpheus is a common route, but the method is the same for every combination.
01 / 05
Plan the waves
We list your VMs and work out what depends on what. A database goes after the domain controller it needs, an application after its database. That gives you a few waves you can schedule, instead of one big bang.
02 / 05
Take a full copy
We make a full backup of each wave to our data centre while the current VMs keep running. The recovery points are locked straight away, so from this moment you also have an extra, immutable safety net.
03 / 05
Convert and test
We prepare every VM for the new platform: disks in the right format, the old guest tools out and the right drivers in. Then the VMs boot in an isolated test network and we check logons, the ERP and file shares with you.
04 / 05
Switch over
In an agreed maintenance window we sync only the blocks that changed since the full copy, shut down the old VMs and start them on the new platform. Settings such as IP addresses, MAC addresses and VLANs come along where possible, so the switch stays smooth for users.
05 / 05
Keep a way back
The source environment stays untouched and the recovery points stay locked. If something turns up in the first days, we can go back. Only when you sign off do we plan the next wave or clean up the old environment.
You change platform on your own schedule, in small steps, with a tested way back at every stage. The same team that runs your backups does the migration.
Technical detail
- Backup-based migration: full seed while the source runs, then a final incremental sync of changed blocks in the maintenance window.
- Disks, guest tools and drivers are prepared for the target hypervisor. Network mapping keeps IP addresses and VLANs.
- Test boots in an isolated network before cutover. The source environment and the immutable recovery points remain as a rollback path until sign-off.
Example migration. Downtime per wave depends on data change rate, number of VMs, dependencies and checks. We confirm the source and target platforms and versions before we start.
How it works, from inventory to sign-off.
Inventory
Which servers, how they depend on each other and in which waves they move.
dependencies · wave planCopy
Through the hypervisor or with an agent on the server we make a full copy. That also works for VMs in Azure, AWS or at a VPS provider, Windows and Linux.
your servers keep runningPrepare and test
Each server gets what the new platform needs: disk layout, drivers and guest tools. Then it starts in an isolated test network first.
test boot before the switchSwitch
In the maintenance window we sync only the last changes and start the servers on the new platform.
short planned stop per waveSign off
Until you sign off, the source stays in place. After that, backups can continue on the new platform.
a way back until sign-off
What you notice: Because settings come along where possible, your users have little to adjust. The switch happens in a maintenance window you choose.
Where platform migrations usually go wrong.
Copying the servers is rarely the problem. The trouble is in dependencies nobody wrote down, downtime that runs longer than planned, and having no way back.
Downtime
We copy in advance and only sync the last changes at the switch. Per wave that is usually a short maintenance window.
No way back
Your current environment stays untouched until you sign off, and the recovery points are immutable.
What we move, and how.
Any source, any target
VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox, Nutanix, HPE Morpheus VM Essentials and physical servers. We confirm the combination per project.
Ready for the new platform
Every server gets what the new platform needs: the right disk layout, the right drivers and the right guest tools.
Settings carried over
Where possible we take over IP addresses, MAC addresses and VLANs, so clients, printers and integrations need as few changes as possible.
Tested in isolation
Every server is started and checked in a separate test network before the real switch.
In waves, with a plan
We group servers by application and dependency and agree a maintenance window per wave.
Backup straight away, if you want
After the move we can keep backing up on the new platform, with the same immutable protection.
Why so many companies are changing platform now.
Licence changes, hardware at the end of its life, or simply a better fit. Since Broadcom took over VMware, for example, licences have become a lot more expensive for many organisations, and HPE Morpheus VM Essentials has become a popular alternative.
Changing platform sounds like a big project. For us it is mostly what we already do every day: take a server from a backup and start it somewhere else, with its settings carried over. Which platform it came from and where it goes matters surprisingly little.
Backup-based, so the source stays untouched
Your current environment keeps running while we copy, prepare and test. Nothing is switched off until you say so.
Tested before the switch
Every server boots on the new platform in an isolated test network first, so your application owners can check it.
Short downtime per wave
At the switch we only sync the blocks that changed since the last copy. How long it takes depends on the size and number of changes.
A way back until sign-off
The source and the immutable recovery points remain. If something is wrong, we go back.
From any platform to any other, in five steps.
FromVMware vSphereMicrosoft Hyper-VProxmoxNutanix
Physical serversAzure VMsAWS EC2 and VPS
→VMware vSphereMicrosoft Hyper-VProxmoxNutanixPhysical serversAzure VMsAWS EC2 and VPSToHPE Morpheus VM EssentialsMicrosoft Hyper-VProxmoxNutanixVMware vSphere
HPE Morpheus VM EssentialsMicrosoft Hyper-VProxmoxNutanixVMware vSphere- 01
Inventory
Servers, dependencies, licences and migration waves.
- 02
Copy
Full backup to Immutec, the source keeps running.
- 03
Prepare and test
Servers made ready for the new platform and tested in isolation.
- 04
Switch
Final sync, settings carried over, users back to work.
- 05
Secure
If you want, backups continue on the new platform.
We confirm the source and target platforms, versions, operating systems and applications before the project starts. Product names and logos belong to their respective owners.
Technical papers
The engineering behind it.
Short papers in English for engineers who read the details: how it works and what we measured on our own platform.
All technical papers
Technical paper 02 · Disaster recovery
Same machine, different metal
Same virtual hardware, same MAC addresses, same VLANs, same clock. Why our DR copies boot without driver injection or re-IP.
Download PDF2 pages · 199 KB
Technical paper 04 · Failback
Coming home
Failback that sends back only what changed. The original keeps its identity and its backup chain.
Download PDF2 pages · 179 KBWhat it means for you.
For management
Leave a platform or licence model behind on your own schedule, with short maintenance windows and a way back.
For IT partners
We carry out the migration, you stay in charge of the client.
Questions we get a lot
Something else? Call us on +31 (0)85 482 3400.
Is this a separate service or part of backup?
A separate project with a clear start and end. You don’t need a backup contract for it, although many customers keep the backups running with us afterwards.
How long are the servers down?
That depends on the size of the servers and how much changes between the last copy and the switch. Per wave it is usually a short maintenance window. We measure the real time in the test round first, so you plan with your own numbers.
Which platforms can you migrate between?
In principle from any platform to any other: VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox, Nutanix, HPE Morpheus VM Essentials and physical servers. We confirm the exact combination and versions before we start.
What if an application doesn’t work after the switch?
Until you sign off, the source stays intact. We can switch back while we solve the problem.
Send us your inventory.
Which platform you are on, where you want to go and roughly how many servers. We’ll plan the waves and the test round with you.