The Role of Proxmox Virtualisation and Open-Source Software in Defence
A hypervisor touches every workload. A storage platform touches every dataset. Ross Collins, Head of Engineering at Novatech on why inspectability, air-gapped operation, and freedom from vendor lock make open-source virtualisation the right foundation for defence infrastructure.
Executive Summary
- Open-source software has run critical defence infrastructure for years at the operating system level. The shift now underway is extending that same logic up the stack into virtualisation and storage, where proprietary platforms have historically been the default.
- The Broadcom acquisition of VMware, combined with maturing open-source alternatives and growing strategic emphasis on technological sovereignty, has made that default uncomfortable to defend.
- Proxmox provides a mature, commercially supported, air-gap-compatible virtualisation platform with per-socket published pricing and no artificial operational constraints tied to licensing status.
- The question facing defence organisations is no longer whether to consider open source for virtualisation. It is how quickly to move existing estates onto it.