SnowCap FlexCloud WhitePaper

Jan 10

Exec Summary

For organizations running virtual machine (VM) workloads, the virtualization market has become a maze of rising costs and complexity. VMware’s price hikes post-Broadcom acquisition, coupled with the unpredictable expenses of public cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and the operational overhead of other platforms, have left businesses searching for a better way. Snowcap FlexCloud answers the call, offering a hyperconverged, secure, and affordable virtualization platform that empowers customers across all industries to break free from legacy systems and save money. Whether you’re in retail, manufacturing, government, or any sector reliant on VMs, Snowcap FlexCloud delivers a fresh, flexible alternative - available in our managed datacenter or on your premises, with pricing that prioritizes your bottom line. This whitepaper explores how Snowcap FlexCloud redefines virtualization, making it simpler, safer, and more cost-effective for everyone.

The Virtualization Crossroads: Why Change Now?

Virtualization has long been the backbone of modern IT, but the landscape is shifting. VMware, once the gold standard, now burdens customers with escalating licensing fees and complex renewals following its acquisition by Broadcom. Other platforms, like Nutanix or boutique hypervisors (e.g., Proxmox), demand significant investments in hardware, expertise, or both. Public cloud IaaS, while scalable, introduces variable costs that defy budgeting and raises concerns over security and compliance. For organizations of all sizes and sectors - whether managing customer data, production systems, or internal applications - the need for a cost-effective, reliable alternative has never been greater. Snowcap FlexCloud meets this moment, offering a path to modernize your VM workloads, reduce expenses, and regain control.

Snowcap FlexCloud: Engineered for Every Industry

Snowcap FlexCloud is a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platform that integrates compute, vSAN storage, and a custom hypervisor into a unified, high-performance system. Designed as a drop-in replacement for VMware and other virtualization platforms, it’s built to serve any customer - small startups, global enterprises, or public sector entities - looking to optimize their IT spend without sacrificing capability. With flexible deployment options (our managed datacenter or your premises) and management models (Snowcap Managed, Co-Managed, or Customer Managed), Snowcap FlexCloud adapts to your unique needs while delivering enterprise-grade performance at a fraction of the cost.

Key Features

Flexible Delivery and Support Model

Host your VM’s in our datacenter – with reliable, secure, high-speed secure site to site connectivity.
Host on your premises.
SnowCap Managed or Co-Managed or You Manage.

Hyperconverged Foundation

Integrates compute and vSAN storage for seamless efficiency.
World-class deduplication and compression shrink storage footprints, stretching your hardware investment further.
Scales effortlessly as your VM workloads grow.

Secure, Custom Hypervisor

Fully isolated tenants - dedicated CPU, disk, memory, and network resources per customer, mirroring the powerful security found in AWS VPCs, as an example.
AES-256 encryption for data at rest safeguards sensitive information.
Native data protection with hyper-granular Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) and near-instant Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) across local and remote backups.

Advanced Networking

High-availability (HA) firewall cluster with per-tenant firewall instances for isolated security.
Full high-availability (HA) throughout the backend infrastructure, built for Five 9’s of availability.
Completely separated of customer LAN and WAN, with dedicated public IP blocks per customer.
Link aggregation groups (LAGs) to Cisco switches provide redundancy and high throughput.

Painless Migration

Cutting edge software migrates VM workloads from any platform - VMware, Hyper-V, or others - with near-zero downtime.
Simplifies transitions, keeping your operations humming during the switch.

Cost-Saving Pricing Model

Flat-rate, “big bucket” pricing based on CPU, disk, memory, and internet bandwidth - no overages, no hidden fees.
Use your capacity as much as you need, 24/7, at a fixed monthly rate.
Scale incrementally with transparent, predictable costs.

Why SnowCap FlexCloud?

Snowcap FlexCloud tackles the universal challenges of virtualization head-on, making it the smart choice for any organization ready to move on from VMware or other platforms:

Slash Your Costs: Our flat-rate model eliminates the sticker shock of VMware’s licensing or the variable expenses of public cloud IaaS. You buy the capacity you need and use it freely - saving money compared to traditional platforms or competitors like Nutanix.
Security for All: From retail customer data to government records, our isolated tenants, encrypted storage, and HA firewalls ensure compliance and protection, no matter what your industry.
Simplify Operations: With Snowcap Managed or Co-Managed options, we handle hardware upkeep, patching, and expertise - freeing your team to focus on what matters. Even self-managed deployments benefit from an intuitive platform that reduces training time.
Unmatched Reliability: Hyper-granular RPOs and rapid RTOs, paired with efficient off-site replication, keep your VMs online - whether you’re recovering from a glitch or a full-scale outage.

Universal Appeal: Any Vertical, Any Size

Snowcap FlexCloud is built for everyone:

Retail: Secure POS systems with predictable costs.
Manufacturing: Reliable VMs for production control, minus the licensing bloat.
Government: Compliant, on-premises options for sensitive data.
Startups: Scalable virtualization without breaking the bank.
No matter your sector or scale, if you’re running VMs and looking to save, Snowcap FlexCloud fits.
Buy and Consume How You Want: You can host in our data centers or host in your data centers. You can have us manage, we co-manage together, or you manage. The choice is yours.

Competitive Edge

Unlike VMware’s locked-in ecosystem, Snowcap FlexCloud offers freedom and flexibility. Nutanix demands heavy upfront investment, while Proxmox shifts the burden of hardware and learning curves onto you. Public cloud IaaS tempts with scale but traps you in variable billing. Snowcap FlexCloud stands alone with its seamless migration, all-you-can-use pricing, and managed options - delivering savings and simplicity no other platform can match.

Conclusion

Snowcap FlexCloud is the virtualization platform for every organization ready to leave VMware - or any legacy system - behind. With hyperconverged efficiency, ironclad security, and a pricing model that saves you money, we make the switch easy and the benefits immediate. Whether hosted in our datacenter or yours, managed by us or you, Snowcap FlexCloud is your ticket to a leaner, smarter IT future. Take control of your VM workloads and your budget - today.

Contact Us

Ready to save money and simplify virtualization? Reach out to the Snowcap FlexCloud team at support@snowcaptech.com to see how we can transform your IT strategy.

Disclaimer

Benjamin Thurston https://www.snowcaptech.com