Windows and SQL Server Hosting for a Rackspace Migration

A new customer approached Atlantic.Net about moving two Windows servers from Rackspace to a ‘simpler, more cost-effective environment’ in one of our U.S. data centers. The organization wanted to retain separate web and database servers, keep SQL Server off the public internet, and protect both systems with reliable backups.

We proposed two Windows Server 2025 cloud servers on our KVM-based cloud platform, plus a fully managed FortiGate firewall, four-core SQL Server Standard licensing, and a monthly data transfer allowance. The configuration retained the customer-required CPU, memory, and storage allocations while moving away from their existing costly VMware-based hosting arrangement.

In this installment of our managed hosting proposal series, we examine this proposed configuration, its relevance to the client’s requirements, and the recovery and management decisions needed before the migration.

What The Customer Needed

The existing environment consisted of two Windows Server 2022 systems running on VMware ESXi 7.0: a web/application server and a separate database server using SQL Server 2022 Standard Edition. Rackspace provided additional pooled resources, but the customer did not need Atlantic.Net to reproduce the existing architecture; they wanted modern hardware in an affordable package.

Traffic was estimated at approximately 1,000 visits per month across the hosted websites and applications. The organization was reviewing costs and wanted an appropriately sized environment with private connectivity, recoverable data, and, above all, predictable monthly billing. They also wanted a straightforward way to increase resources later.

SQL licensing was a particular concern. The customer preferred to keep the database server around four CPU cores, with sufficient memory and fast SSD or NVMe storage. A sizing review would therefore need to examine CPU utilization, memory pressure, storage requirements, and database activity, along with the reported visit count.

The customer was open to cloud or dedicated hosting and expected to handle the migration by themselves. The most affordable option that met all the customer’s expectations was cloud hosting; therefore, our engineers presented a cloud configuration for further consideration.

The Proposed Windows Cloud Configuration

We proposed the following arrangement, keeping the web/application workload and SQL Server separate.

These allocations provide a starting point based on the customer’s existing environment. The quoted storage figures describe server capacity; the processor model, storage options, and performance characteristics would need confirmation against the customer’s preference for newer hardware and fast storage.

Keeping The SQL CPU Allocation Controlled

The proposed database server retained four vCPUs and the corresponding four-core SQL Server Standard licensing line. This followed the customer’s request to avoid unnecessary CPU capacity. Future sizing reviews should consider whether additional memory, storage capacity, or storage performance would address a measured constraint before increasing the SQL Server’s CPU allocation.

We recommend at least 64 GB of System RAM for Windows, backup software, and other processes to support that allocation. SQL Server’s memory configuration would need to leave appropriate capacity for those uses; Microsoft’s guidance specifically calls for accounting for operating system requirements and allocations outside the max server memory setting. 

Private Connectivity And Management Responsibilities

The customer’s networking requirement was very straightforward: the web server needed to communicate privately with SQL Server, and the database service needed to remain inaccessible from the public internet.

For this proposed arrangement, we specified a FortiGate firewall as the required component for the private VLAN. The access policy would need to permit the application’s database connections, restrict administrative access to approved routes, and prevent public access to SQL Server. These rules would require testing before the environment carried production traffic.

Our managed firewall service covers configuration, updates, and monitoring of the FortiGate platform. The policies for this deployment would be defined around the customer’s permitted connections and administrative requirements.

Firewall management and ongoing server administration would need separate scopes. During the discussion, we explained that an Atlantic. Net-led migration would require a Fully Managed Hosting package per server. The customer subsequently confirmed that they were happy to perform the migration themselves.

We then offered server management services to address who would own Windows updates, SQL Server maintenance, backup monitoring, and recovery requests after the move.

Backups That Address Both Recovery Requirements

The customer wanted to preserve two capabilities from its existing backup arrangement: recovery after a serious server failure and restoring an individual SQL database. Both would need to be demonstrated by the selected backup design.

Our managed Veeam service is a great option for Windows server protection and whole-server recovery, subject to the agreed scope and compatibility requirements. Database recovery needs explicit planning. SQL Server supports restoring individual databases from database backups. Where recovery to a particular point between full backups is required, the backup strategy must account for the recovery model and the necessary transaction log backups.

For this customer, a practical acceptance test would involve restoring a server into an isolated environment and recovering an individual SQL database from backup. The team could then check application behavior and measure recovery time. Backup frequency, retention, storage location, failed-job handling, and responsibility for initiating restores would complete the operational scope.

This would let the customer evaluate recoverability directly, using the failures it actually needed the hosting arrangement to address.

Newer Microsoft Versions And A Self-Managed Migration

The customer preferred Windows Server 2025 Standard and SQL Server 2025 Standard where practical, aiming to extend the new deployment’s useful support life. Its published extended-support timelines run into November 2034 for Windows Server 2025 and January 2036 for SQL Server 2025. These timelines make the newer releases worth evaluating, with the final choice dependent on application compatibility and the licensing arrangement. 

For a customer-led migration, one approach is to deploy fresh Windows Server instances, then install applications and restore the database. The customer’s team would need to inventory dependencies, test the selected SQL version, and account for any logins, scheduled jobs, certificates, or application settings required by its environment. Test private connectivity and recovery procedures before the final cutover.

The rollback plan deserves particular attention; a backup created on a newer SQL Server version cannot be restored to an older version. A move from SQL Server 2022 to 2025 would therefore need a rollback strategy that accounts for data written after cutover, rather than assuming a new backup could be restored to the original server.

Choosing A U.S. Location And Defining The Monthly Scope

We offered five U.S. locations in the correspondence: Orlando, Dallas, San Francisco, New York, and Ashburn, Virginia. The customer was comfortable with Dallas, Ashburn, or New York, and we advised that cloud-platform pricing was the same across the offered locations for this proposal.

Location selection could therefore focus on available capacity and connectivity to the customer’s users and administrators. A specific site recommendation remained part of the deployment discussion.

Predictable billing was equally important. Atlantic.Net offers clear monthly billing, with accurate predictions on future billing. It also offers discounts for locking in more than 12 months of service.

The final proposal needed to bring both servers, Windows and SQL licensing, firewall, private networking, and selected backup service into a clearly defined recurring scope. The proposal also needed to document any setup charges, excess-transfer rules, and changes that could affect the monthly bill.

Future expansion should be addressed at the same time. The customer wanted options to increase RAM, storage, or CPU, so the agreement should explain the available upgrade paths, any required maintenance window, and the associated licensing review. These details helped the organization plan growth without committing to unnecessary capacity at the outset.

Planning A Similar Windows Hosting Migration?

This proposal focused on the customer’s existing application requirements: separate Windows servers, a controlled SQL CPU allocation, private connectivity, and a customer-led migration. The proposed cloud configuration provided a concrete starting point, with backup coverage, software versions, and operating responsibilities still to be finalized.

For an organization reviewing a similar Windows environment, these decisions belong in the hosting discussion from the beginning. Contact our solutions team with your current server specifications, SQL Server edition and version, recovery requirements, and migration ownership. We can use that information to discuss an appropriate configuration and the management services your team needs.