Techieism Project Spotlight
🏆 Our WorkOne Server. Four VMs. One Windows Licence Instead of Four. No RAID Controller. Zero Data Risk.
A Chartered Accountancy firm needed a complete office server setup — file server for document storage, Active Directory for user and access management, a Tally server for accounting data, and a Winman server for tax filing. The traditional approach: buy a separate Windows Server licence for each role, pay per-user CALs, add a hardware RAID controller for data protection, and procure enterprise-grade NAS storage. Four server licences. A RAID controller. Recurring annual renewals. The cost runs into several lakhs before a single cable is plugged in.
Techieism built this on a single, well-specified desktop: an Intel Core i9 with an NVMe SSD for the OS and Seagate IronWolf NAS-grade hard drives for data storage. We deployed Proxmox VE — enterprise-class open-source virtualisation — and created four isolated virtual machines on one host. For Active Directory and the file server, we used Linux-based VMs at zero licence cost — Samba AD handles domain authentication flawlessly with Windows clients, and the Linux file server manages all shared drives and permissions. For Tally ERP and Winman (which require Windows), we deployed a single Windows Server VM running both applications side by side — meaning one licence covered what would otherwise have needed two. The result: one Windows Server licence instead of four.
For data protection, instead of a hardware RAID controller (₹30,000–₹80,000 for the card alone), we configured ZFS RAID natively within Proxmox. ZFS provides enterprise-grade RAID with automatic data integrity checking, silent corruption detection, and instant error correction — entirely in software, on standard drives, with no proprietary hardware required. ZFS also delivers instant snapshots: if a file is deleted, overwritten, or corrupted, the firm's data can be restored to any previous point in minutes. Total saving versus the conventional approach: 3 Windows Server licences, all CAL costs, and the full cost of a hardware RAID setup.
Past Projects
📚 PortfolioFour Offices. One Domain. Zero Extra Windows Server Licences.
A multi-office company needed centralised user authentication across all locations. We deployed 4 Samba Active Directory Domain Controllers — one per office — with automatic cross-site replication, single sign-on for all staff, and Group Policy enforcement. Any employee logs in with one account at any office. Built entirely on Linux: no Windows Server licence cost.
Enquire About This Solution →All Offices Connected — No MPLS. No VPN Servers. No Costly Routers.
A multi-office organisation was spending heavily on MPLS leased lines and VPN hardware. We replaced the entire setup with OPNsense open-source firewalls at each site, a self-hosted Headscale mesh coordination server, and WireGuard encrypted tunnels between all locations. Every office connects securely to every other — servers, printers, internal apps — as if on one LAN. Remote staff connect to the same mesh. New offices added in minutes.
Enquire About This Solution →