As the AI market shifts from massive, experimental models to smaller, real-world deployments, a new category of infrastructure is emerging: private clouds purpose-built for practical AI.

If you’re running stable, revenue-generating AI models (not training the next GPT-5) you need infrastructure that’s fast, private, and predictable. HorizonIQ’s Managed Private Cloud with Proxmox delivers exactly that: a single-tenant, cost-effective platform designed to scale with your lightweight AI ambitions.

We’ve already covered the technical basics of setting up a cluster in Proxmox, but this guide focuses on how to deploy it specifically for mature AI applications in production.

What We Mean by “Lightweight AI”

Lightweight AI is the opposite of hype. It is the chatbot serving real users, the LLM powering internal search, or the vision model analyzing video streams in a secure healthcare setting. These aren’t research projects; they’re business-critical systems that require reliability, compliance, and cost control.

This shift aligns with recent trends, where smaller, right-sized models thrive in controlled environments. That’s where our Proxmox Managed Private Cloud fits in.

Step 1: Align Your Infrastructure to Your AI Workflow

Start by identifying how your AI workloads behave:

• Inference-heavy? You’ll want vCPUs and optional GPU acceleration.
• Latency-sensitive? You’ll need edge-friendly data center locations.
• Data-sensitive? You’ll benefit from isolated, compliant infrastructure.

Our Managed Private Cloud with Proxmox supports these needs with:

• Single-tenant architecture for security and control
• NVMe-based hyperconverged storage for high-throughput reads/writes
• Global availability with low-latency access in nine regions across three continents 

Step 2: Choose the Right Cluster Configuration

Whether you’re getting started or scaling to meet production demand, our Proxmox Managed Private Cloud grows with you:

Each deployment is built on AMD EPYC or Intel Xeon, with redundant 10Gbps networking and 3-node storage replication. The best part? No RAID required.

Step 3: Deploy Your Cluster — No Manual Setup Needed

Unlike traditional Proxmox installs, we do the heavy lifting:

• Pre-installed Proxmox VE and Backup Server
• Secure, isolated network configurations
• Load balancers and firewalls available on demand
• 24/7 support included
• Compass portal access for live monitoring and cost control

You get all the power of open-source virtualization, without the maintenance burden.

Step 4: Optimize for Lightweight AI Performance

Lightweight AI thrives when infrastructure is predictable. Here’s how our Proxmox Managed Private Cloud helps:

• Pin CPUs and GPUs to eliminate inference latency variance
• Leverage ZFS for efficient snapshotting and rollbacks
• Run dedicated VMs or containers per model or team
• Avoid noisy neighbors and shared resource contention
  

Need to deploy multiple AI models across departments? Our architecture supports multi-team segmentation and role-based access without performance penalties.

Step 5: Scale Confidently, Without Lock-In

With Proxmox Managed Private Cloud, you can scale how and when you need to:

• Add one node at a time, up to 64 nodes per cluster
• Expand NVMe storage dynamically with zero downtime
• Grow without long-term contracts or surprise licensing changes

You stay focused on your AI outcomes while we’ll handle the setup, monitoring, and maintenance. It’s full control, without doing it all yourself.

Optimized for Right-Sized AI Deployment

If you’re done with AI experiments and ready for production, Proxmox Managed Private Cloud is your launchpad. It’s designed for:

• AI teams at startups or enterprises deploying real-time services
• Regulated industries needing HIPAA, SOC 2, or GDPR compliance
• Organizations moving away from public cloud unpredictability

Lightweight AI demands private, high-performance infrastructure. Now, you don’t need to build it yourself.

Ready to Deploy?

Let us help you set up a Proxmox cluster on our Managed Private Cloud platform and unlock infrastructure purpose-built for real-world AI. Or dive deeper into the basics of Proxmox clustering to see how it works under the hood.

Proxmox Private Cloud – Scalable, Affordable, Yours

HorizonIQ is proud to introduce Proxmox Managed Private Cloud (Managed Private Cloud)—the industry’s first US-based fully managed Proxmox private cloud. Built on Proxmox VE, this solution offers a scalable, affordable, and flexible alternative to traditional hypervisors.

Proxmox Managed Private Cloud delivers modern private cloud infrastructure for businesses that value performance, customization, and cost control. It’s ideal for teams that want to avoid vendor lock-in, simplified operations, and full-stack support—all without the complexity of self-management or long-term contracts.

Why Choose Proxmox Managed Private Cloud for Your Private Cloud Infrastructure?

Proxmox Managed Private Cloud is designed to make Proxmox business-ready. We handle the deployment, management, and support so businesses can take advantage of open-source flexibility with reliable hardware and service.

Whether deploying for development, edge workloads, or as a cost-effective alternative to other platforms, Proxmox Managed Private Cloud provides everything needed to scale infrastructure without sacrificing control or budget.

Key Benefits of Proxmox Managed Private Cloud

Industry-First Managed Proxmox Hosting

The first fully managed private cloud built on Proxmox VE, designed for production workloads and long-term growth. This open-source foundation gives businesses freedom from restrictive licensing, vendor lock-in, and the unpredictable costs of proprietary hypervisors.

Why it matters: Organizations gain infrastructure control without the risk of sudden pricing changes or forced migrations tied to vendor roadmaps.

Single-Tenant Architecture and Data Sovereignty

Maintain full control and compliance with single-tenant private cloud environments across global data centers. No resource contention ensures consistent performance.

Why it matters: Businesses with strict compliance, privacy, or performance requirements can meet their goals without compromise.

Scalable, Cost-Effective Private Cloud

Start small and expand over time with hyperconverged NVMe storage and node-level scaling. Predictable monthly pricing at up to 50% less than major public cloud providers.

Why it matters: Companies can grow infrastructure based on real demand while keeping costs transparent and under control.

High-Performance Infrastructure

Backed by AMD EPYC CPUs, Intel Xeon Gold CPUs, and all-flash NVMe storage, this infrastructure supports demanding workloads.

Why it matters: Performance-sensitive applications like analytics, databases, and virtual desktops run reliably and fast.

Flexible Contracts and Add-Ons

Month-to-month billing available. Customize networking with HorizonIQ or Palo Alto firewalls, and add high availability firewalls or load balancers as needed.

Why it matters: Teams can adapt infrastructure on their terms without being locked into rigid plans or unnecessary features.

Practical AI Applications

Maximize AI performance with scalable Proxmox clusters for high-performance training, streamlined deployment, fast data access, and optimized GPU/CPU usage.

Why it matters: Accelerate time to insight while maintaining full control over AI environments and compute costs.

Global Availability

Deploy Proxmox Managed Private Cloud in all HorizonIQ regions worldwide.

Why it matters: Proximity to users and data improves performance, compliance, and availability across international teams.

Technical Highlights and Proof Points

• Node Scalability: Seamlessly scale up to 32 nodes per cluster—no downtime required
• Storage Expansion: Dynamically grow centralized storage without interruption or downtime
• Performance Options: Choose from three hardware tiers with up to 96 vCPUs per node
• Storage Redundancy: All storage is replicated across a minimum of three nodes—no RAID required
• Native Container Support: Easily manage containers through the Managed Private Cloud UI
• AI Ready: Deploy the latest NVIDIA GPUs within your Proxmox Managed Private Cloud for a truly private AI cloud

Proxmox or VMware: Which One is Right For You? 

Wondering how Proxmox Managed Private Cloud compares to traditional private cloud offerings? Here’s how it stacks up:

For a closer look at how these platforms compare, check out our in-depth breakdown of Proxmox vs. VMware for private cloud infrastructure.

Who Should Consider Proxmox Managed Private Cloud?

Choose Proxmox Managed Private Cloud if any of the following apply:

• A cost-effective alternative to other platforms is needed
• Avoiding vendor lock-in and unpredictable licensing costs is a priority
• Workloads do not require DRaaS or same-site backups at this time
• Built-in data redundancy is preferred without managing RAID
• A compliant, single-tenant environment is required for privacy and control
• There’s a need to scale compute and storage flexibly without long-term contracts
• The use case involves development, testing, or edge deployments where agility matters
• A fully supported and customizable Proxmox-based infrastructure is preferred over a DIY setup

The Future of Private Cloud with Proxmox

Proxmox Managed Private Cloud is more than a new hypervisor option; it’s a new way to deliver private cloud. Built for simplicity, scalability, and open-source flexibility, this fully managed solution removes the barriers that have traditionally limited adoption of Proxmox in enterprise environments.

Whether used for test/dev, cost-optimized workloads, or production clusters with minimal overhead, Proxmox Managed Private Cloud is the foundation for a more agile private cloud strategy.

Get Started with Proxmox Managed Private Cloud

Proxmox Managed Private Cloud is available now in key global locations. We offer onboarding, support, and optional demo environments for evaluation. Start your Proxmox journey today.

One term consistently stands out when evaluating on-premises or hybrid IT strategies: Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI). It promises reduced costs, simplified operations, and improved scalability—but what exactly is HCI, and is it right for your business?

At HorizonIQ, HCI plays a foundational role in how we deliver Managed Private Cloud solutions that support high performance, security, and cost predictability for growing businesses. Now, with the addition of Proxmox VE to our technology stack, we’re giving customers even greater flexibility and visibility into their infrastructure.

Let’s break it down.

Hyperconverged Infrastructure vs. Converged Infrastructure

Traditional data centers use a three-tier architecture—network, compute (servers), and storage—managed separately, often by different teams. It’s reliable, but complex and expensive to scale.

Converged Infrastructure packages these layers from a single vendor but retains separate hardware tiers. Think plug-and-play racks with limited flexibility and heavy vendor lock-in.

Hyperconverged Infrastructure collapses storage and compute into the same physical servers, powered by software-defined storage (SDS). This eliminates the need for separate SANs or expensive fiber networks and allows virtual machines to run and store data across multiple nodes, maintaining high availability and flexibility.

How Does Hyperconvergence Work?

With HCI:

• Compute and storage share the same physical hardware.
• Storage is pooled, distributed, and replicated across nodes—like a virtual SAN.
• Virtual machines can move freely between hosts without being tied to specific storage.
• Everything is managed through a unified software layer, reducing complexity and cost.

When powered by a lightweight virtualization platform like Proxmox VE, HCI becomes even more powerful—enabling you to run virtual machines, containers, and storage management in a single, streamlined environment.

The result? You get the performance and resilience of traditional infrastructure, but with far fewer boxes to buy, cool, and maintain.

What are the Key Benefits of HCI for Private Cloud?

• Lower Cost of Ownership: HCI reduces hardware sprawl and simplifies procurement. Combined with Proxmox’s efficient, open-source foundation and HorizonIQ’s in-house load balancers and firewalls—customers can reduce infrastructure costs by up to 70%.
• Scalability Made Simple: Need more capacity? Just add a node. Each new unit brings additional compute and storage, scaling linearly. Perfect for use cases like VDI and web hosting.
• Centralized Management: With unified control planes, you can monitor performance, capacity, and usage from one interface—ideal for small IT teams or organizations that want simplicity.
• Built-In Resilience: Redundancy is baked in. If one node fails, others pick up the slack. Data is replicated across the cluster for continuous availability.
• Security and Compliance: Because HCI is typically deployed as single-tenant infrastructure, it supports data isolation and regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2).

Considerations Before Adopting Hyperconverged Infrastructure

Like any solution, HCI isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Good Fit For:

• Linear scaling workloads (e.g., virtual desktops, microservices)
• Teams seeking simplified infrastructure
• Businesses prioritizing predictability and ease of deployment

Less Ideal For:

• Workloads with uneven scaling needs (e.g., storage-heavy file servers)
• Scenarios where separating compute and storage is more cost-effective
• Highly customized infrastructure stacks

You may also need to consider whether you prefer a packaged “turnkey” HCI solution or a more flexible, software-defined approach (like Proxmox) that gives you greater control.

Is Hyperconverged Infrastructure Right for You?

Hyperconverged infrastructure isn’t just a trend—it’s a smarter, more efficient approach to powering the modern private cloud. It delivers resilience, simplicity, and scalability in a way that traditional infrastructure can’t match, especially as organizations demand more predictable costs and tighter control over their IT environments.

With Proxmox at the heart of our HCI stack, we make private cloud not only more accessible, but also more customizable and cost-effective than ever.

Want to explore if HCI is right for your team? We’re here to help you assess fit, plan migration, and optimize your infrastructure strategy. Contact us today.