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IT & Digital · Proxmox Virtualisation

Proxmox virtualisation for Adelaide businesses

Proxmox lets you run multiple virtual servers on a single physical machine — same performance, far less hardware, and none of the licensing costs that come with VMware. We set it up, manage it, and keep it running. Local Adelaide support from a team that actually uses Proxmox day in, day out.

What is Proxmox virtualisation?

Proxmox VE is an open-source platform that lets you run several virtual machines and containers on one physical server. Instead of buying a separate box for your file server, email server and application server, you run them all on one machine — isolated from each other but sharing the hardware. It saves money on equipment, power and licensing, and makes backups and recovery much simpler.

What we set up and manage

Proxmox installation & configuration

Fresh Proxmox VE deployed on your hardware, configured for your workload with storage, networking and access controls set up properly.

VM & container setup

Virtual machines and LXC containers created for your applications — each one sized and configured for what it actually needs.

Backup & disaster recovery

Automated backups scheduled and tested, so if something goes wrong you can restore a VM in minutes, not hours.

Clustering & high availability

Multiple Proxmox nodes linked together so a hardware failure doesn't take your services offline.

Migration from VMware or Hyper-V

Existing virtual machines moved across to Proxmox with minimal downtime and no data loss.

Ongoing management & updates

Regular updates, monitoring and support so your virtualisation platform stays healthy and current.

Who it's for

  • Businesses running ageing physical servers that are due for replacement or consolidation.
  • Companies hit by VMware licensing changes looking for a practical, cost-effective alternative.
  • Organisations that need multiple server environments but don't want to buy and power separate hardware for each one.
  • Any business that wants proper virtualisation without the enterprise price tag.

How it works

  1. Assess your needs. We look at what servers you're running, what they do, and how much resource they actually use.
  2. Design the setup. We plan the Proxmox configuration — how many nodes, storage layout, networking, and how your VMs will be organised.
  3. Build and migrate. Proxmox installed, VMs created or migrated from your existing platform, and everything tested thoroughly.
  4. Set up backups and monitoring. Automated backups configured and monitoring in place so we know if something needs attention before you do.
  5. Ongoing support. We keep the platform updated, handle changes when your needs shift, and provide support when you need it.

Why WaTo for Proxmox virtualisation

  • We use Proxmox ourselves — this isn't something we read about and added to the website. We know the platform.
  • Practical advice on whether virtualisation makes sense for your situation, not a sales pitch.
  • Local Adelaide support — when something needs attention, you're not waiting on an overseas ticket queue.
  • We handle the full stack — hardware, virtualisation, networking and backups — so everything works together.
  • Adelaide owned since 2001, supporting businesses that want real value from their IT.

Proxmox virtualisation questions

Is Proxmox reliable enough for business use?

Yes. Proxmox VE is used by businesses and organisations worldwide, from small offices to large data centres. It's built on Debian Linux and KVM, both well-established and widely trusted. With proper setup and monitoring, it's as reliable as any commercial platform.

How much does Proxmox cost compared to VMware?

Proxmox itself is free to use. Optional support subscriptions start from around $130 per socket per year. Compare that to VMware, which can run to thousands per year for the same hardware. The savings are significant, especially for small and mid-size businesses.

Can you move our existing VMware VMs to Proxmox?

In most cases, yes. We migrate virtual machines across with minimal downtime. The process depends on your current setup, but we'll walk you through the plan and timeline before we start.

What happens if the physical server fails?

If you're running a single node, we restore from backups — which is why we set those up properly from day one. For businesses that can't afford any downtime, we configure a cluster with high availability so VMs automatically restart on another node.

Ready to consolidate your servers?

Let's have a chat about what you're running and whether Proxmox is the right fit — no obligation, just a straight conversation.

No two businesses are the same — so nothing we do is off-the-shelf. Every solution is built around yours, and kept simple.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do your plans and pricing work?

Whatever suits you — a fixed contract, a monthly retainer, prepaid blocks of hours, or simple hourly rates. You pick the model that fits your business, and we keep it transparent with no surprise bills.

How quickly do you respond?

Fast. You talk to a real person, not a call queue — and for urgent issues we're often on-site within the hour across Adelaide, with remote support Australia-wide.

Do you only do IT support?

No — IT & Digital, cyber security, websites & hosting (via Whosts.au), business solutions and currency equipment, all from one local team. One number to call.

What does it cost?

It depends on your size and the cover you need. We keep pricing simple and transparent, with no surprise bills — call us for a tailored quote.

Do you support businesses outside Adelaide?

Yes. We're Adelaide-based and provide remote support Australia-wide, with on-site visits across South Australia.

Will you work with our existing IT person?

Absolutely. We often co-manage — taking on monitoring, security and after-hours cover alongside your in-house team.

Why we're different

Not your typical IT company

We keep it simple, and fix things for the future — not just patch them today.

A typical IT company
WaTo Consulting
You wait in a call queue
A real person on the WaTo team answers
One rigid plan — take it or leave it
Contract, retainer, blocks or hourly — your choice
Patch it today, deal with it again later
Fix the root cause — and what it could cause next
Jargon and over-engineering
Kept simple and explained in plain English
IT only — you juggle other vendors
IT, cyber, web, business & currency under one roof
Hosting resold from someone else
Our own Australian hosting — Whosts.au
WaTo character — happy to help

Still not sure what you need?

Tell us what's slowing you down and we'll point you to the right fix. You're a partner, not a client.

Call (08) 7123 0805 Email info@wato.com.au
Why clients choose us

Trusted by Adelaide business since 2001

★★★★★

"No sales spiel, no waiting in line on the phone — and always an effective, quick result when needed."

SA Construct
★★★★★

"Our IT consultant since 2010. Always quick to respond, and we're very happy with our website and every system he's maintained."

Major Real Estate
★★★★★

"They took the hassle out of setting up our restaurant — website, point of sale, even HR advice. Professional and great value. Highly recommended."

RAF Group
★★★★★

"Outstanding service since 2013 — from website design to any IT issue, always prompt and informative. I've recommended WaTo to many of my own customers."

Trymoss Engineering
★★★★★

"Their ability to grasp and apply product-specific technical process has allowed us to meet all customer KPIs."

Cummins Allison
★★★★★

"Often on-site within the hour. Knowledgeable, dependable, and he can explain IT in plain layman's terms. An incredible asset to our business."

Major Pub / Hotel
★★★★★

"As a non-geek, I appreciate that Wato's always got my back and never makes me feel I'm imposing. Local and reliable — Wato's your man!"

Mike, Mike Roberts Music
★★★★★

"We sleep easy at night knowing our data is safe and secure. Quick to act whenever we have a problem."

CRS Accessories
★★★★★

"Streamlined our medical practice IT, reduced operating costs and simplified backups. 100% quality customer service to small business."

Lasers in Medicine, Adelaide
Cummins Allison CRS Accessories Emali Early Learning Centre Trymoss Engineering SA Construct Norwood Day Surgery Glenelg Psychology Flo Medical HAIMS Health Day Lawyers Munro Property Group Mike Roberts Music Olive Tree Food & Wine PLM Wines Kitchensmith Adelaide Appliance Gallery VIP Home Services Future You

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Our story

Built in Adelaide, since 2001

WaTo Consulting was founded by John Watson in Adelaide in 2001. Over two decades it's earned a name for tailored work across a wide range of industries — helping businesses of every size run more smoothly, work more efficiently and grow steadily, without blowing the budget or disrupting the day-to-day.

Emma Watson (née Dickenson) played a significant part in shaping what WaTo became. She brought real expertise and a clear vision for where it could go — expanding the business, bringing in new systems and fresh thinking, and raising the standard of how things are done. A great deal of what WaTo is, we owe to her.

Today it's all tailored, never off-the-shelf — IT & Digital, Business & Web Hosting, built around what each client actually needs. Over the years those areas have come together under one roof: our IT & Digital, Currency, Business and Web work (through Whosts.au) now all sit within WaTo Consulting — one team, one standard, looking after the lot.

When you work with us, you're not a client — you're a partner.