Server virtualization is the pooling of a single server’s CPUs, RAM, storage, and network interfaces in a centrally managed host server (hypervisor), which divides the host into multiple guest virtual machines. The picture to the right explains this better than words ever will. Essentially, virtual servers run inside a single host server, and the number of VMs one host can run is limited only by hardware capacity and licensing. Hundreds of guests can operate in one host.
ASAP Computer Services designs, builds, installs, and manages virtualization for San Antonio businesses, and we deliver it three ways: a hypervisor you own in your own rack, a hypervisor you own housed in our rack, or a virtual machine we own, host, and manage for you. Call 210-497-1424 and we will tell you which one actually fits.
Three Ways to Run Your Virtual Servers
Every business is different, so we offer virtualization three ways. The real choice comes down to two questions: who owns the hardware, and who administers it.
1. A Hypervisor You Own, In Your Own Rack
We build and configure a virtualization host, Hyper-V or VMware, on hardware you own, installed in your rack at your business. You own it, you have full administrative and root access, and your data stays on your premises. This is the classic on-premises model for businesses that want their infrastructure in-house and under their own control. We spec the host, build the hypervisor, migrate your workloads into virtual machines, and hand you the keys, with optional ongoing management if you want it.
2. A Hypervisor You Own, Housed In Our Rack (Colocation)
Same as above, you own the hardware and keep full control, but instead of living at your office, your hypervisor sits in our San Antonio rack. You get conditioned power, cooling, business-class connectivity, physical security, and technicians in the same building as your machine, without buying a server room or listening to a server fan in a closet all day. Ideal for businesses without proper server space, offices tired of the closet heat, and remote-first companies with no office at all. You still own it and hold admin access; we keep it powered, cooled, connected, and physically secure.
3. A Virtual Machine We Own, Host, and Manage For You
Skip the hardware entirely. We provision a hosted virtual server on our own hypervisors in our rack: a Windows Server virtual machine sized to your workload, which you connect to securely from anywhere. We own the underlying hardware and hypervisor, and we fully manage the VM, patched, monitored, backed up, and maintained, so you get server capability as a predictable monthly cost with no capital purchase and no hardware to age out. In this model we handle administration; you get the application access you need without carrying root or hypervisor-level responsibility. It is the right answer for small teams, remote businesses, and anyone who wants a managed server without owning one.
The Benefits of Server Virtualization
- Cost savings, electricity, cooling, and hardware costs all decrease
- Redundancy, ease of backups, replication, and migration, you can keep a replica of a virtual machine on another physical host, or in another building
- Did I mention cost savings? Two servers instead of twelve. The math is obvious
- High availability of local resources across multiple machines or locations
- Fast recovery, a failed virtual server restores to new hardware in hours, not the days a physical rebuild takes
Hyper-V and VMware, Deployed and Managed
ASAP Computer Services deploys server virtualization on both major hypervisor platforms. Microsoft Hyper-V is our default recommendation for most San Antonio businesses because it is included in the Windows Server licensing you are already buying, it clusters cleanly for failover, and it does not carry a separate hypervisor subscription that grows every renewal. VMware ESXi and vCenter remain fully supported for organizations already invested in the VMware ecosystem, and we manage, upgrade, and troubleshoot existing VMware environments daily, including guest operating systems across Windows, Linux, and BSD. If VMware’s licensing changes have you rethinking your renewal, we will give you an honest migration assessment from ESXi to Hyper-V, including what it costs and what it saves.
If your business runs more than two servers, server virtualization should be on your list, whether you want the hypervisor on your premises, colocated in our rack, or replaced entirely by a managed virtual server we host. If your team instead needs a single server they log into remotely, see our remote desktop server page. To find out where virtualization fits your network, call 210-497-1424, contact us, or e-mail us. Call ASAP Computer Services, the San Antonio server virtualization experts, today.
Server Virtualization FAQ
Do you install the hypervisor at our office or in your rack?
Either. We build hypervisors on hardware you own and install them in your own rack, or we house your hardware in our San Antonio rack under colocation, with our power, cooling, and connectivity. In both cases you own the hardware and hold administrative access. If you would rather not own hardware at all, we can host and manage a virtual machine for you on our own infrastructure instead.
What is the difference between colocation and a hosted virtual server?
Colocation means you own the physical server and it lives in our rack, with our power, cooling, connectivity, and hands. A hosted virtual server means you skip the hardware entirely: we provision and run a virtual machine for you on our infrastructure, managed and backed up, for a monthly cost instead of a capital purchase.
Should we use Hyper-V or VMware?
For most small and mid-size businesses, Hyper-V, because it is included in Windows Server licensing and clusters cleanly without a separate hypervisor subscription. VMware remains a strong platform we fully support, and for existing VMware shops we manage what you have or assess a migration honestly, whichever serves you better.
Can you move our physical servers into virtual machines?
Yes. Physical-to-virtual migration is routine work: we convert existing servers into VMs, consolidate them onto properly sized host hardware, and retire the old machines, usually with a single planned cutover window per server.
