VMware to Hyper-V SMB Virtualisation Refresh
12 virtual machines migrated from VMware ESXi to Hyper-V on Windows Server within an 8-day delivery window
VMware to Hyper-V SMB Virtualisation Refresh
Small Business · North America
At a glance
Executive Summary
Project Details
Industry
Small Business
Region
North America
Services Provided
- Virtualisation Assessment
- Hyper-V Deployment
- VM Migration
- Backup Configuration
Key Takeaways
- Backup coverage established for the first time, with daily on-site retention and Azure Backup offsite copies for the ERP workload.
- Project cost recovered within four months through elimination of planned VMware licensing and support expenditure.
Overview
A small business running VMware ESXi free edition faced a forced migration path after Broadcom discontinued the free hypervisor following the VMware acquisition. With 12 VMs supporting ERP, file services, and email, the business needed a clean, low-risk migration that did not require significant internal IT investment. Blue Orca Solutions delivered the full migration, backup configuration, and handover documentation under a fixed-scope engagement.
Key outcomes
24 months
Business avoided an estimated $14,000 in VMware licensing and support…
24 months
. A small business running VMware ESXi free edition faced a forced mi…
Deep dive
Case Narrative
Challenges
- VMware ESXi free edition discontinued by Broadcom, requiring migration before the client’s hardware refresh deadline.
- No existing backup solution was in place—VMs had been running without a formalised backup policy for over two years.
- No dedicated internal IT resourceall technical delivery, documentation, and training required full external ownership.
- Individual VM cutover windows could not exceed two hours due to business operations scheduling constraints.
Our Approach
- Environment Review and Migration SequencingBlue Orca reviewed the existing ESXi environment, documented VM configurations, storage layout, and network settings. A migration sequence was agreed based on workload criticality, with the ERP server scheduled last after all supporting dependencies had been validated in Hyper-V.
- Hyper-V Deployment on Existing HardwareWindows Server was installed on the client’s existing host hardware and Hyper-V enabled. Virtual switch configuration was mapped to the existing network layout. Storage was formatted as a simple volume appropriate for the single-host environment and SMB workload profile.
- VM Conversion and ValidationEach VM was converted using disk2vhd or Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter depending on OS type. Converted VMs were started in Hyper-V and validated against a checklist covering network connectivity, application start-up, and user access before the ESXi source was powered off. Average migration window per VM was 90 minutes.
- Backup Configuration and Runbook HandoverWindows Server Backup was configured with daily full backups to a dedicated external NAS. Azure Backup was enabled for the ERP VM as an additional offsite copy. A simple recovery runbook was documented and walked through with the business owner to ensure self-sufficiency post-engagement.
Results
- All 12 VMs migrated successfully within an 8-day delivery window with no application failures recorded.
- Backup coverage established for the first timedaily on-site and weekly offsite retention configured and validated.
- No individual VM cutover exceeded the agreed two-hour window; six VMs completed within 60 minutes.
- Business avoided an estimated $14,000 in VMware licensing and support costs over 24 months.
Why Blue Orca Solutions?
Blue Orca delivered a clean, fully documented migration that gave a small business enterprise-grade virtualisation and backup coverage—without enterprise-grade complexity or cost.
Plan your next engagement
Ready to achieve similar outcomes?
Talk to Blue Orca about your priorities. We’ll map a delivery approach aligned to your goals, team capacity, and risk profile.
Continue reading
Related Case Studies
Migration & Transformation
1 min readVMware to Hyper-V Multi-Site Infrastructure Transition
Read case study
Security & Compliance
1 min read