# Cloud VPS and Bare Metal for Infrastructure Consolidation

> URL: https://www.atlantic.net/cloud-platform/cloud-vps-bare-metal-infrastructure-consolidation/ | Published: 2026-10-16 | Author: Richard Bailey

A technology group approached Atlantic.Net about consolidating much of its infrastructure with a long-term hosting partner. Its environment spanned Amazon Web Services, Vultr, Cloudinary, and Rackspace, supporting websites, APIs, databases, SaaS applications, gaming services, media delivery, transactional email, and separate client environments. The group wanted a paid technical evaluation with access to normal service capabilities so its developers could test the platform under realistic conditions before considering a gradual migration.

Our initial response covered[Cloud VPS Hosting](https://www.atlantic.net/vps-hosting/) for virtual machines and[Bare Metal Servers](https://www.atlantic.net/dedicated-server-hosting/bare-metal-servers/) for custom physical configurations, alongside private networking, managed firewalls, load balancing, and backup options. We requested representative VM and physical server requirements and offered a call with our engineers to define the evaluation. The assessment would help establish which workloads suited each hosting model and which managed services the team wanted us to provide.

Join us for the latest in our series, which explores and expands on real-world customer requests that go from Request for Quote to onboarding as a new customer.

## Matching Cloud VPS And Bare Metal To The Workload

This was a complex request, but our engineers were keen to engage with the client because it was an interesting assignment that called on many of the technologies and services Atlantic.Net specializes in.

But first, the portfolio required several types of testing. Websites and APIs emphasized repeatable deployment and growth, while database and high-memory workloads required closer examination of memory and storage performance. Gaming services added network-latency considerations, and client environments required separation of infrastructure and administrative access.

We outlined the following starting points in our response:

| **Area** | **Initial Atlantic.Net Response** | **What to Check** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Cloud compute** | Assess cloud resources once representative VM requirements are available | CPU, memory, storage, operating systems, and required provisioning operations |
| **Bare-metal hardware** | Quote custom AMD EPYC and Intel Xeon configurations, with suitable existing stock considered where available | Processor model, memory, storage layout, stock availability, and procurement terms |
| **Deployment locations** | Cloud services available across eight locations; bare-metal deployment identified for Orlando, Dallas, and New York City | Service availability at the selected site; other bare-metal locations may require rack buildout discussions |
| **Cloud connectivity** | 1 Gbps public connectivity and up to 25 Gbps private connectivity | Throughput, latency, packet loss, and the topology used during testing |
| **Bare-metal connectivity** | 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps connectivity; 25 Gbps and above would require custom top-of-rack switches | Server interfaces, switching, firewall capacity, and the proposed network design |
| **Private infrastructure** | Private networking, VLANs, and managed FortiGate firewalls | Permitted connections, administrator access, and separation between client environments |

Hardware availability would shape the evaluation. Most bare-metal environments discussed would be custom configurations procured against an order, although we could consider suitable existing stock for month-to-month use. Hardware purchased and shipped for the project would require separately agreed procurement and contract terms. We also explained that Ryzen servers were outside our usual offering; the custom configurations discussed centered on EPYC and Xeon chips.

## Testing Automation, IPs, and Client Access

Developer access was central to the request because the team wanted to provision, rebuild, resize, and terminate servers using their own deployment process. Preparing an evaluation would therefore include account verification, API activation, resource limits, and access to the selected products and locations.

Our[Cloud API documentation](https://www.atlantic.net/docs/api/) covers server creation, rebuilding, termination, and resizing to plans with larger disks. It also identifies account restrictions and managed-server operations that require support assistance. Running a complete deployment lifecycle with the team’s scripts would show how controls affect its workflow, including provisioning times and error handling. Custom bare-metal deployments and hardware changes would follow a separately agreed request process.

For traffic distribution, our[Managed Load Balancing](https://www.atlantic.net/managed-services/load-balancing/) service directs requests across backend servers and uses health checks to identify unavailable members. The evaluation could test how websites and APIs behave as servers enter or leave the pool. Automatic capacity creation, application deployment, and scaling policies would require their own design and confirmation.

Client administration also needed a practical demonstration because the customer needs sub-accounts, projects, role-based access, and isolated environments. Discovery would confirm which services, permissions, and audit capabilities would work, followed by tests of who can view, create, modify, and remove each client’s resources.

## Planning Private Networking And Email

Private connectivity would support communication between applications, databases, and internal services. Our[Virtual Private Cloud](https://www.atlantic.net/cloud-platform/virtual-private-cloud/) service provides a logically isolated cloud network up to 25 Gbps that we build and manage around the customer’s requirements. For this team, the evaluation would include the process for requesting network changes, along with server automation tests.

The managed FortiGate firewall discussed in our response would provide a point of control for application traffic and administrator access. Our[FortiGate Firewall as a Service](https://www.atlantic.net/managed-services/firewall/) covers policy configuration, updates, and monitoring. Defining allowed connections between client networks helps define the traffic rules we manage and the changes developers would need to request.

Gaming workloads would require measurements from expected player locations, including latency, latency variation, packet loss, and throughput during representative sessions. The customer asked about upstream providers after experiencing network volatility elsewhere. Carrier and routing information for the proposed locations remained part of the technical review.

### IP Addressing and SMTP Access

Our platforms support IPv4 and IPv6 allocation, plus reverse DNS and PTR support through managed hosting services. We can also support the customer-owned address space through BGP, specifying /24 IPv4 and /48 IPv6 prefixes. Further network assessment is needed to establish deployment arrangements, routing responsibilities, and the process for requesting address and PTR changes. Any colocation requirement would have its own facilities and service scope.

For administrative, transactional, and user-generated system email, the customer also requested access to SMTP port 25. Our response made managed FortiGate firewall access a condition of that access; the customer still needed to agree on approval, permitted use, firewall rules, and the PTR process before testing.

## Defining Storage And Recovery Coverage

The customer wanted to evaluate additional storage capacity, database performance, snapshots, and restoration. Our[Secure Block Storage](https://www.atlantic.net/cloud-platform/block-storage/) service attaches additional volumes to cloud servers, and availability depends on the selected location.

We offer local and offsite backup options, and our[Cloud Backups](https://www.atlantic.net/cloud-platform/backups/) service supports scheduled backups, file-level recovery, and full-system restoration for cloud servers. For a portfolio combining physical and virtual systems, our[Managed Veeam Service](https://www.atlantic.net/managed-services/veeam-services/) is another option the customer can consider: it supports physical, virtual, and cloud workloads, with managed backup policies, monitoring, and recovery assistance.

A useful recovery test would restore a working application, including its database and required files, then measure how long service restoration takes. We can determine backup frequency and retention before go-live to reflect the application’s acceptable data loss and recovery time, with explicit coverage for attached storage.

Object storage was also high on the customer’s requirements list; our response recommended hosting in either Orlando or Dallas, and both these sites support this technology.

## Assessing Media Delivery And DDoS Protection

The group’s media workloads required assessment beyond traditional compute and storage. We offer managed Cloudflare services as an option and explained that the customer could also contract directly with third-party providers. For applications using Cloudinary, the evaluation would compare the image transformations, video processing, storage interfaces, caching rules, and delivery URLs actually in use. Those dependencies would determine which functions the discussed service could cover and where specialist services should remain.

Our [Network Edge Protection](https://www.atlantic.net/managed-services/network-edge-protection/) service combines DDoS mitigation, a managed web application firewall, and a content delivery network. It is relevant to the group’s public websites and APIs, with its package and relationship to the discussed Cloudflare option to be established during scoping. Protection for gaming services would also require agreement on the protocols, ports, addresses, and deployment covered.

## Agreeing On Responsibilities And A Phased Migration

A long-term hosting relationship would need clear operational ownership alongside developer control. Our[Server Management Services](https://www.atlantic.net/managed-services/server-management/) cover operating system administration, patching, monitoring, and configuration of supported web and database services. The agreement defines Atlantic.Net responsibilities, along with the developers’ access and automation requirements. The agreement would also need to identify an owner for application code, query analysis, client administration, and third-party application support.

Monitoring, logging, usage reporting, and audit access also needed definition. The team would need to know what information it could retrieve and who responds to alerts. A commercial review would address transfer allowances, usage measurement, and the terms that apply to the selected resources.

If the evaluation supported a move, our[Migration Services](https://www.atlantic.net/managed-services/migration-services/) can provide a separately scoped option for the workloads the group wanted help transferring. A migration plan would assign the responsibilities for data transfer, application testing, cutover, and recovery from an unsuccessful cutover, alongside the ongoing management agreement.

We would use representative workloads and agreed success criteria to make the paid evaluation useful. The results should answer four practical questions:

1. **Deployment and access:** Can the team complete its required provisioning workflows and administer each client environment with the agreed permissions?
2. **Application performance:** Do the selected resources meet the workload’s compute, memory, storage, and network requirements under representative demand?
3. **Operational control:** Can the team complete essential networking, email, media, and reporting tasks through the available controls and support processes?
4. **Recovery and ownership:** Can the team restore working services within the agreed objectives, with a clear owner for each operational task?

The results would guide the migration order, identify workloads that needed further due diligence, and help establish where specialist third-party services were needed. The group could then plan any application consolidation and the service responsibilities.

## Consolidating Infrastructure With Atlantic.Net

For this technology group, consolidation meant finding a long-term hosting partner that could support a varied application portfolio while preserving the control its developers needed. A paid evaluation would help both teams establish how the selected resources performed, how day-to-day responsibilities would be handled, and where specialist third-party services should remain. If the results met the group’s requirements, they would provide a basis for a phased migration with an agreed service scope.

If you are considering a similar consolidation project,[contact our solutions team](https://www.atlantic.net/about-us/corporate-contact/) to discuss how Atlantic.Net’s Cloud VPS, bare-metal hosting, and managed services could support your applications and long-term infrastructure plans.