HVS / Hosted VMware Server

Virtualization is one of the hottest IT buzzwords in the industry. While one may get the impression that it is a technology seeking for an application, VMware has definitely found its way into professional IT departments. If you have ever tried to migrate a Windows RAID server onto another hardware platform, you will agree that hardware independence and portability are invaluable features of VMware virtualization.

But simply virtualizing all your servers is not that easy. You have to think about LAN Routing, DHCP security, firewall, backup and performance issues. These hurdles may eventually be overcome by your own IT department, but you will most likely run into problems when trying to outsource your servers in an external data center. Of course, simply renting rack space, putting your server there and have a firewall configuration set up by the co-location provider is easy, but this still leaves you with the burden of managing your server and finding a backup solution, with the added inconvenience of having limited physical access in the event of major system failure.

To solve this dilemma, we developed a boxed solution based on standard root server hardware that is readily available at very competitive prices. In addition, there will never be the need for physical access to the server hardware.

Each server has an embedded Linux firewall that may be arbitrarily configured according to your requirements, a pre-installed IPsec and OpenSSL VPN infrastructure and a ready-to-use VMware server. You can rent these servers from us at a very competitive monthly rate, and we will take care of everything below your guest VM layer, including firewall management, hardware maintenance and free support.

This is what you get when renting a HVS server from GEOTEK:

  • High-performance server hardware
  • Dedicated physical server, not shared between customers
  • No license fees
  • VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi) ready to use
  • You are free to create as many virtual machines as you wish
  • 1 Gbit/s bidirectional datacenter / internet bandwidth included, no traffic charges
  • Linux firewall with NAT and port forwarding, configured and managed by us according to your requirements
  • IPsec Site-to-Site-Tunnel to your company firewall (if supported)
  • OpenVPN SSL tunnel for easy remote access from mobile devices
  • Strong encryption VPN access (Triple DES, Blowfish, AES up to 256 bit)
  • Dedicated, fixed IP address which allows you to host public services
  • Direct access to VMware Management Console (may be restricted if you wish)
  • FTP access to the "Virtual Machines" directory of VMware
  • Easy portability of your guest machines, mass deployment is possible
  • No Linux and no specific firewall know-how necessary on your side
  • May be used as an OEM product, ideal for reselling services to your customers
  • Highest possible safety and security standard, hardware is located in a large data centre in Germany
  • Optional online backup solution for your guest OS
  • Free technical support for the hosted server platform
  • Server may be set up within 24h after receipt of your order
  • 12-month contract period

Our award-winning GEOTEK Virtual Server technology is available in three different forms: as Hosted Virtual Server for end users including maintenance support contract down to each PC, as Hosted VMware for administrators or OEMs, where you are responsible for guest OS administration, or as Hosted Terminal Server, where you rent your Microsoft Office, Exchange and Terminal Server licenses on a monthly basis from us (Microsoft SPLA licensing). Additional technical information may be found in our Hosted Virtual Server FAQ.