George Crump

Backup Independence

June 30, 2025 by George Crump

While you are looking to break away from high VMware licensing fees, why not declare your backup independence? For decades, enterprise data protection strategies have relied on a layered architecture, where production workloads run on a hypervisor, are protected by third-party backup software, and are optionally replicated to a secondary site. This architecture, while functional, introduces unnecessary complexity, high operational overhead, and escalating backup licensing costs.

VergeOS presents an alternative approach. It is a hypervisor replacement for platforms such as VMware, Hyper-V, or Nutanix, integrating native data protection capabilities that eliminate the need for separate backup and disaster recovery (DR) infrastructure. For organizations transitioning to a virtualization alternative, VergeOS provides an opportunity to modernize their entire data protection stack. The result doubles your return on investment while increasing your availability and resiliency.

This article outlines how VergeOS, through its integrated technologies—ioClone, ioGuardian, ioReplicate, and Virtual Data Centers (VDCs)—provides an architectural foundation that can, in many cases, supplant conventional backup software, allowing you to declare your backup independence.

Integrated Data Protection via ioClone Snapshots

Traditional backup workflows rely on scheduled jobs to create point-in-time copies of data, at significant performance and storage cost. VergeOS eliminates the need for this workflow through ioClone, its native snapshot mechanism. Independent, unlimited snapshots are the foundation of backup independence.

ioClone snapshots are:

These characteristics enable backup independence with snapshots taken at high frequency and retained over long periods without degrading performance or consuming excessive storage.

With ioClone-powered snapshots, customers can restore individual files, entire virtual machines, or complete virtual data centers directly from ioClone snapshots, dramatically simplifying recovery workflows.

Please register for our hands-on lab to explore snapshot creation, rollback, and recovery operations in a live VergeOS environment.

Integrated Data Availability via ioGuardian

While ioClone addresses point-in-time recovery, ioGuardian introduces a different dimension: fault tolerance through a regularly updated third copy of production data, taking backup independence to a new level.

Backup Independence requires real-time recovery

Each time an ioClone snapshot is taken, ioGuardian synchronizes a copy of the underlying data structures into a reserved, isolated hardware domain outside the primary instance of VergeOS. In the event of a severe infrastructure-level failure—such as the simultaneous failure of multiple drives or nodes—VergeOS can dynamically reference this ioGuardian copy to access the blocks of data that the affected virtual data centers or virtual machines require to remain operational. It is data protection that goes beyond even a three-way mirror.

This capability is not merely for recovery—it is designed to prevent disruption. Where RAID and mirrored data stores might fail under dual-disk or multi-node failure conditions, VergeOS with ioGuardian continues to serve the environment in real time by reconstructing missing data from the third copy.

Key distinctions include:

Granular Access: ioGuardian enables block-level access to data, allowing for precise and efficient recovery.
Continuous Update Model: It is not a passive backup but a frequently updated replica, aligned with the latest ioClone snapshot.
Beyond Mirroring: ioGuardian introduces a level of redundancy that extends beyond conventional two- and three-way mirrors, offering an additional layer of protection when traditional methods would fail.

Integrated Data Replication via ioReplicate

Backup Independence built-in data replication and off-site recovery

Backup independence mandates off-site retention and disaster recovery. VergeOS includes ioReplicate, a native VM- and VDC-level replication engine. Organizations can define policies to replicate workloads to another VergeOS instance, whether on-premises or geographically remote.

ioReplicate Delivers:

Scheduled or Real-Time Replication: Configurable to meet varied RPO/RTO requirements.
Bandwidth Management: Integrated controls allow replication traffic to be rate-limited or scheduled during non-peak hours.
Application-Consistent Snapshots: With proper guest configuration, VergeOS can generate consistent snapshots for replicated workloads.

Unlike traditional DR workflows, which often involve external replication appliances or orchestration software, VergeOS performs these operations within a single, integrated platform, reducing points of failure and operational complexity.

Virtual Data Centers for Logical Isolation and DR Testing

Further solidifying backup independence are Virtual Data Centers (VDCs), a powerful feature in VergeOS. VDCs offer logical segmentation of compute, storage, and networking resources within a single VergeOS environment.

Use cases include:

DR Simulation: Replicated VDCs can be brought online for non-disruptive recovery testing.
Sandboxing: Snapshots of production VDCs can be cloned into isolated test environments for development or security analysis.
Regulatory Compliance: Logical boundaries help support data sovereignty and multi-tenant isolation requirements.
Limiting Ransomware Exposure: If ransomware infiltrates your environment, VDCs mitigate its impact. It can’t spread to other VDCs. Then you can use our ioFortify capabilities to identify and rapidly recover from the attack.

Backup Independence requires built in ransomware detection and recovery

The VDC capability simplifies DR planning, allowing organizations to mirror, test, and failover entire segments of their infrastructure without duplicating physical resources or integrating external orchestration frameworks.

For these cases, VergeOS supports both agentless and agent-based backup strategies and can coexist with other products.

A New Interpretation of 3-2-1

VergeOS supports a modernized interpretation of the classic 3-2-1 rule for data protection:

3 copies: Primary production VM, multiple ioClone read-only snapshots and ioGuardian third-copy layer on-premises.
2 locations: Primary site and remote VergeOS instance via ioReplicate plus remote ioGuardian copy.
1 platform: All functions—virtualization, data protection, and DR—managed within a single codebase, VergeOS.

VergeOS eliminates the need for:

External backup agents and proxies
Snapshot-to-backup translation layers
Separate orchestration or DR automation products
Separate backup licensing and storage costs

The result is a simplified and backup-independent alternative to VMware.

Evaluating the Claim

Skeptics are right to challenge assertions of backup independence, but replacing, or at least reducing dependency on backup is a common theme in our customer case studies. Organizations replacing VMware, Hyper-V, or Nutanix should not default to replicating their legacy backup environments. Instead, they should evaluate how a platform like VergeOS redefines the boundary between production and protection.

To Learn More

If your organization is planning an infrastructure refresh—whether driven by changes to virtualization platforms, disaster recovery requirements, or a desire to declare backup independence—VergeOS offers a unified, forward-looking solution.

Schedule a session with one of our data protection experts to evaluate your current architecture and explore how VergeOS can support a seamless VMware exit while redefining the boundary between production and protection. In many cases, it may also enable you to eliminate your dependency on legacy backup software.

The Infrastructure Problem

June 27, 2025 by George Crump

VMware’s pricing changes, cloud cost overruns, or the AI skills shortage are symptoms of the infrastructure problem: legacy environments that demand new layers of complexity with every new initiative. Each shift in strategy—whether it’s migrating to the cloud, deploying AI workloads, or navigating vendor transitions—exposes just how fragile and fragmented traditional architectures have become. IT teams are forced to bolt on new platforms, hire niche expertise, or overprovision resources just to keep up. The result isn’t innovation—it’s operational drag. It’s time to rethink infrastructure from the ground up.

Watch our on-demand industry briefing with ESG to learn the impact of these challenges and how to solve them

According to recent (May 2025) ESG research titled “Private AI, Virtualization, and Cloud: Transforming the Future of Infrastructure Modernization,” a survey of 380 mid-sized to large data centers, organizations everywhere are scrambling to address these top challenges:

VMware’s acquisition by Broadcom has created uncertainty for the 80% of enterprises relying on their virtualization platform.
Simultaneously, 75% of organizations are rethinking their cloud strategies as costs spiral beyond projections.
And 53% of organizations plan to deploy private, on-premises AI infrastructure within the next two years, but 70% struggle to find qualified staff to manage increasingly complex infrastructure environments.

IT leaders are approaching these as separate crises requiring individual solutions. But what if there’s a single root cause driving all these problems?

The Symptoms of the Infrastructure Problem

The evidence of the infrastructure problem is everywhere:

VMware’s disruption has left organizations hunting for hypervisor alternatives, only to discover that most options require new skill sets and architectural approaches.
Cloud repatriation is accelerating as the economics of long-term workloads in public cloud environments prove unsustainable—what promised operational flexibility has become a financial burden.
AI adoption is stalling because implementing on-premises AI is a must-have to mine proprietary data, but vendors are suggesting it requires building separate infrastructure stacks with specialized hardware, networking, and storage.
Talent acquisition has become nearly impossible as the complexity of managing modern infrastructure outpaces the available skill pool.

These issues dominate IT planning discussions, budget meetings, and strategic reviews. However, focusing on symptoms instead of causes leads to fragmented solutions that exacerbate the underlying problem.

Software is the Source of the Infrastructure Problem

The source of the infrastructure problem isn’t any single vendor, technology, or market force. It’s the acceptance of fundamentally flawed infrastructure software that forces fragmentation by design.

For over two decades, the industry has normalized building data centers by assembling disconnected components—hypervisors that require separate storage systems, networking hardware that needs additional security appliances, backup solutions that demand their own management consoles, and now AI platforms that require new and again isolated stacks.

This fragmented approach creates four compounding problems:

Hardware Vendor Lock-In: Traditional infrastructure software ties organizations to proprietary hardware ecosystems. Storage controllers costing 10X what they should, certified network switches, rigid hardware compatibility lists—all designed to extract maximum revenue rather than deliver maximum value.

Operational Silos: Every new initiative spawns its own infrastructure requirements. Virtualization teams, storage specialists, network engineers, backup administrators, and now AI infrastructure experts—each managing separate tools, consoles, and technologies that barely communicate with each other.

The Add-On Trap: Poor infrastructure software creates gaps that must be filled with additional vendor solutions. What starts as “adding backup capabilities” becomes an ecosystem of interconnected products, each requiring its own licensing, hardware, support contracts, and specialized expertise.

Complexity Explosion: The staffing crisis isn’t just about finding qualified people—it’s about the exponential complexity created when organizations need specialists for every infrastructure domain, plus the integration expertise to make them work together.

How to Solve the Infrastructure Problem

Solving the infrastructure problem becomes possible when infrastructure software is designed correctly from the ground up. VergeOS demonstrates this approach by integrating virtualization, storage, networking, and AI capabilities into a single codebase, creating a unified platform.

Instead of assembling separate components, organizations get unified functionality that eliminates vendor lock-in, operational silos, add-on complexity, and excessive staffing requirements while leveraging existing hardware. A single platform addresses what organizations currently treat as separate problems: VMware alternatives, cloud cost optimization, AI infrastructure deployment, and skills shortage mitigation.

This isn’t theoretical—it’s happening today. Read our case studies to learn how organizations using VergeOS report reducing infrastructure costs, in some cases, by over 90%, eliminating multiple vendor relationships, and enabling single administrators to manage entire infrastructure stacks that previously required specialized teams.

The Path Forward

The infrastructure challenges consuming your planning cycles aren’t inevitable. They’re the predictable result of accepting software that forces fragmentation rather than enabling consolidation.

VMware disruption, cloud cost overruns, AI deployment complexity, and skills shortages are symptoms of a deeper architectural problem. Addressing symptoms individually—such as finding new hypervisors, optimizing cloud spend, building AI infrastructure, and hiring more specialists—treats the effects while leaving the cause untouched.

The solution requires recognizing that modern infrastructure demands modern architecture. Software that natively integrates all infrastructure functions. Platforms that work with commodity hardware rather than forcing proprietary purchases. Systems that simplify rather than complicate operations.

Organizations that recognize this shift now will gain significant advantages over those that focus on treating symptoms instead of addressing the underlying problem.

To learn more, download our white paper, “Four Forces Accelerating Infrastructure Modernization.”

VergeIO-Backed ESG Research Reveals Four Forces Driving Urgent Infrastructure Modernization

June 17, 2025 by George Crump

ANN ARBOR, MI — June 17, 2025 — New research sponsored by VergeIO and conducted by Informa TechTarget’s Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), titled Private AI, Virtualization, and Cloud: Transforming the Future of Infrastructure Modernization, reveals a dramatic shift in how organizations approach IT infrastructure strategy. The study, which surveyed 380 midmarket and enterprise IT professionals across North America, identified four primary forces accelerating the need for infrastructure modernization: virtualization market disruption, rising cloud costs, the operational impact of AI, and a persistent shortage of skilled IT personnel.

According to ESG, 54% of organizations are actively investigating or planning to replace their primary hypervisor, a significant figure given VMware’s historically dominant market share. The study also shows that 76% of organizations are re-evaluating their cloud strategies in response to cost pressures, and more than 60% are actively scaling their infrastructure to support on-premises AI initiatives.

“These four pressures are converging at a time when IT teams are already stretched thin,” said Scott Sinclair, Practice Director at ESG. “What organizations need now is not just a cloud-like experience or an alternative to legacy vendors—they need simplicity, predictability, and architectural leverage. Solutions like VergeOS are designed to deliver exactly that.”

The findings align with VergeIO’s latest white paper, Four Forces Accelerating Infrastructure Modernization, which explores how organizations are compressing their IT planning horizons in response to these external pressures. The paper positions VergeOS as a unified software-defined platform capable of replacing legacy virtualization stacks, reducing complexity, and enabling both traditional and AI workloads within the same environment.

“Most organizations don’t have the luxury of rebuilding from scratch, and they can’t afford to wait,” said Yan Ness, CEO of VergeIO. “VergeOS was designed to meet this moment. It eliminates silos, simplifies operations, and restores control—without forcing customers into disruptive re-platforming.”

VergeIO was one of the sponsors of the ESG research, which is available now exclusively from VergeIO to industry leaders exploring modernization options. The company will be hosting a webinar on June 26th at 1:00 PM ET, featuring Scott Sinclair and George Crump in a live discussion on the future of data center infrastructure. Register here:

Live Webinar: The Four Forces Accelerating Infrastructure Modernization

About VergeIO
VergeIO is the leader in ultra-converged infrastructure, delivering a unified software platform—VergeOS—that replaces traditional virtualization, storage, and networking layers with a single data center operating system. VergeOS is the leading VMware alternative, offering a flat, software-defined architecture that simplifies IT operations while improving scalability and control. From core to edge to private AI environments, VergeOS simplifies infrastructure and accelerates innovation.

About ESG
Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), a division of TechTarget, is a leading industry analyst and research firm that delivers actionable market intelligence and custom research for the enterprise technology sector.

Media Contact
Judy Smith
JPR for VergeIO
[email protected]

818-522-9673

A Secure VMware Alternative

June 16, 2025 by George Crump

According to the ESG study, “Private AI, Virtualization, and Cloud: Transforming the Future of Infrastructure Modernization“, 72% of organizations experienced a cost increase in their infrastructure software, and 41% of those organizations are looking for a secure VMware Alternative. While reducing those licensing fees was the top priority, security ranked higher than concerns about migration complexity or the learning curve of adopting a new hypervisor platform.

With cyber threats intensifying, especially those targeting IT infrastructure, organizations are actively seeking infrastructure that delivers stronger defenses, simpler management, and enhanced operational control.

How VergeOS Responds

The VergeIO development team built VergeOS from the ground up to be secure by design. It reduces attack surfaces by collapsing multiple infrastructure layers—virtualization, storage, and networking—into a single software platform with centralized control. From licensing to workload isolation, VergeOS delivers the capabilities organizations expect from a secure VMware alternative.

To learn more about building a secure, resilient infrastructure and how to manage ransomware threats effectively, join us for our upcoming webinar, The Four Forces Accelerating Infrastructure Modernization, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at 1:00 PM ET. Join ESG and VergeIO for an industry briefing on the state of IT infrastructure.

What Secure Virtualization Infrastructure Requires

To qualify as a secure alternative to VMware, the infrastructure must go beyond access controls and patch schedules; it must be architecturally designed to be secure.

Key Requirements for Secure Virtualization:

Immutable Core: The infrastructure software must cryptographically verify its operating system (OS) and maintain it as read-only.
RAM-Resident Execution: Runs from memory to prevent tampering.
Integrated Recovery Paths: Support fast rollback to clean states in the event of compromise.
Seamless Patch Updates: Organizations need regular updates to stay ahead of attackers; administrators must patch systems quickly, safely, and without disruption.

How VergeOS Implements Secure Virtualization

VergeOS boots into RAM using a read-only, cryptographically verified core image. This prevents unauthorized modifications and dramatically reduces the window for persistent threats. In the event of an attack, administrators can reload a known-good state in minutes—no reinstallation, no rehydration, and no downtime.

VergeOS also supports non-disruptive rolling updates, allowing organizations to patch their infrastructure without taking workloads offline. This keeps security current without introducing operational risk. As a result, 90% of VergeIO customers upgrade to the latest VergeOS version within 30 days of its availability—a proof point of both the platform’s reliability and the confidence customers have in its update process.

These are baseline features of a secure VMware alternative.

Secure Virtualization Requires Workload Isolation

Preventing lateral movement within infrastructure is just as important as securing the perimeter. VergeOS uses Virtual Data Centers (VDCs) to enforce strict boundaries between workloads.

Benefits of VDC-Based Isolation:

Each VDC can include its own compute, storage, and networking settings
Administrators can separate mission-critical applications from general user workloads
A breach in one VDC does not expose the rest of the environment

How VergeOS Makes It Work

VergeOS enables IT teams to assign VDCs based on application, department, or compliance boundary. VergeOS isolates each VDC not only by policy but by resource scope and access control. This capability is foundational for delivering a secure VMware alternative that limits risk and supports compliance.

Secure Virtualization Requires Detection and Recovery

Even with the strongest defensive measures—such as firewalls, endpoint protection, and rigorous security training—ransomware attacks find their way into an organization’s infrastructure. This can occur through sophisticated social engineering attacks, zero-day exploits, compromised third-party vendors, or advanced persistent threats (APTs) designed to bypass traditional defenses.

When an attack inevitably slips through these safeguards, the organization needs an immediate and reliable recovery strategy to minimize operational disruption and data loss. Effective ransomware recovery is as essential as prevention, requiring tools that detect infiltration swiftly, isolate affected areas, and rapidly restore systems to a safe state.

ioFortify: Early Detection through Deduplication Monitoring

VergeOS includes ioFortify, which continuously monitors deduplication efficiency. A sudden drop in deduplication is a warning sign of ransomware encryption. ioFortify alerts administrators early and recommends taking a snapshot of the environment before damage spreads.

VergeFS Snapshots: Fast, Clean Rollbacks

VergeOS’ ioClone technology enables read-only snapshots. Because of its integration into VergeOS, there is no limit on the number or the age of snapshots. VergeOS snapshots allow rapid rollback to clean, pre-attack states with minimal or no data loss and near-zero recovery time.

Together, ioClone, ioFortify, and Virtual Data Centers deliver what organizations expect from a secure VMware alternative: a ransomware-resilient architecture that combines early warning, data protection, and fast rollback.

Final Thoughts: Choose a VMware Alternative That Puts Security First

Weak security and vulnerability to ransomware represent significant infrastructure challenges. Organizations must adopt a comprehensive approach to address these issues. A secure VMware alternative can help achieve this goal. VergeOS provides a forward-thinking infrastructure platform that not only replaces VMware but also enhances the organization’s security posture.

If you’re evaluating VMware alternatives, ask:

Was this platform built to survive an attack?
Can it recover fast without introducing new risks?
Does it give me more control with fewer add-ons?

VergeOS is a secure VMware alternative that protects what comes next. Schedule a technical whiteboard session and deep dive into our architecture.

Eliminate Enterprise AI Barriers

June 11, 2025 by George Crump

Eliminating enterprise AI deployment barriers has become critical, as 70% of enterprise AI projects fail due to infrastructure complexity. However, organizations cannot afford to delay private AI adoption in today’s competitive landscape. As we detailed in our recent Blocks and Files analysis, traditional enterprise AI solutions create significant barriers that prevent broader adoption. These roadblocks—from infrastructure complexity to hardware lock-in—have limited private AI deployment to the largest corporations, which have the resources and expertise to overcome them.

VergeOS, with integrated VergeIQ, directly addresses every identified barrier through a fundamentally different approach: treating AI as a native infrastructure resource rather than a separate technology stack. By integrating generative AI capabilities directly into the unified data center operating system, VergeOS successfully eliminates the enterprise AI deployment barriers that have historically prevented mid-sized enterprises from deploying private AI.

Eliminate Enterprise AI Complexity Through True Integration

Traditional AI deployments require managing multiple software layers—such as containers, Kubernetes, orchestration platforms, and specialized AI frameworks—each adding complexity and requiring dedicated expertise. Unlike bolt-on AI solutions that create additional management overhead, VergeIQ operates as a native VergeOS service, eliminating the operational complexity of managing separate AI infrastructure.

The result is dramatic simplification: instead of requiring specialized AI infrastructure expertise, organizations can deploy and manage enterprise AI using existing IT skills and established operational procedures. This approach represents a fundamental advancement in eliminating enterprise AI deployment barriers through architectural convergence.

Built-In Capabilities Replace Separate Installations

Once VergeOS is installed, VergeIQ is immediately available as a native resource alongside virtualization (VergeHV), storage (VergeFS), and networking (VergeFabric). Organizations can deploy and utilize popular large language models like LLaMa, Qwen, Phi, and Gemma within minutes, without requiring additional software installations or complex configurations. This integration means IT teams manage AI workloads using the same unified interface they use for all infrastructure functions.

Eliminating Enterprise AI Deployment Barriers — Install from a Curated List of Models

VergeIQ includes comprehensive generative AI capabilities as part of the base VergeOS installation. Organizations don’t need to purchase, install, or integrate separate AI platforms, eliminating both the software licensing costs and integration complexity that plague traditional approaches.

Immediate and Practical Enterprise AI Value

Day one capabilities include document analysis of PDFs, spreadsheets, and text files; secure auditing and optimization of proprietary source code; automated infrastructure script generation; tailored enterprise content creation; and comprehensive infrastructure intelligence. All capabilities are available immediately upon deployment of VergeOS.

Additionally, VergeIQ enables experimentation without token-based pricing penalties. Organizations can set up secure, isolated virtual labs for testing and validation without requiring dedicated GPU resources, accelerating innovation while reducing operational risk.

This built-in approach ensures seamless compatibility and performance optimization, as VergeIQ is explicitly designed for the VergeOS environment rather than being bolted onto existing infrastructure.

Single Storage System Handles All Enterprise AI and Business Workloads

Traditional AI deployments create storage complexity by requiring separate, specialized storage systems for different workload types—high-performance storage for training, medium-performance for inference, and archival storage for long-term data retention. This specialization creates significant infrastructure duplication and operational overhead.

VergeFS, VergeOS’s integrated software-defined storage, provides unified storage that handles all AI workload requirements within a single system. The intelligent tiering capabilities automatically optimize data placement based on access patterns and performance requirements, eliminating the need for separate storage infrastructures.

Organizations can leverage their existing storage investments while accommodating AI requirements, dramatically reducing both capital expenses and operational complexity. VergeFS scales seamlessly from initial AI pilots to full production deployments without requiring architectural changes or additional storage systems.

Vendor-Neutral Hardware Approach Prevents Lock-In

VergeIQ provides complete vendor neutrality for compute hardware, supporting GPUs from multiple vendors or functioning on CPU-based systems. This flexibility ensures organizations aren’t locked into specific hardware vendors or dependent on GPU availability for AI functionality.

The platform features intelligent GPU orchestration that maximizes hardware efficiency across all vendors, while CPU-based AI capabilities ensure continued operation even when GPU resources are unavailable. Organizations can start with existing hardware and add GPU acceleration as needed, or change GPU vendors without architectural disruption.

This approach protects organizations against the rapid changes in AI hardware markets, allowing them to adopt new technologies as they emerge without being constrained by their initial infrastructure choices. Vendor neutrality is essential for eliminating enterprise AI deployment barriers that create long-term technological dependencies.

Enterprise AI Security Without Complexity

VergeOS includes comprehensive security features as part of its firmware-style operating environment. These built-in capabilities include network segmentation through VergeFabric, end-to-end data encryption, secure authentication systems, comprehensive audit logging, and role-based access controls.

For AI workloads, this means sensitive enterprise data remains secure within organizational boundaries without requiring additional security appliances or complex configurations. The integrated security model ensures that AI deployments meet regulatory compliance requirements while maintaining the operational simplicity that makes private AI practical for organizations of all sizes.

Unlike traditional approaches that require layering security solutions on top of AI platforms, VergeOS provides enterprise-grade security as a fundamental platform characteristic.

Broader IT Problem Resolution

VergeOS, combined with VergeIQ, addresses multiple critical IT challenges simultaneously. For organizations evaluating VMware alternatives due to Broadcom’s pricing and licensing changes, VergeOS offers more than an alternative; it modernizes the entire infrastructure without requiring hardware replacement.

The same installation that replaces VMware infrastructure provides comprehensive generative AI capabilities, storage modernization through VergeFS, and advanced networking through VergeFabric. This unified approach maximizes organizational value while minimizing the complexity of managing multiple infrastructure solutions. Log in to our case studies library to learn how the transition has gone for our customers.

Alternatively, organizations can deploy VergeOS alongside existing VMware infrastructure to immediately gain AI capabilities, then transition away from VMware when timing aligns with their broader infrastructure strategy. This unified approach is central to eliminating enterprise AI deployment barriers while addressing broader requirements for infrastructure modernization.

Implementation Path for Enterprise AI Success

VergeOS with VergeIQ removes the traditional barriers that have prevented broader enterprise AI adoption. By treating AI as a native infrastructure resource, organizations gain immediate access to powerful generative AI capabilities without the complexity, cost, and operational overhead of traditional approaches.

The platform’s vendor-neutral approach, integrated security, unified storage, and immediate value delivery create a practical path for organizations to deploy private AI that meets enterprise requirements while remaining operationally manageable.

Organizations can start with pilot deployments using existing hardware, validate business value, and then scale confidently in their architectural choices, eliminating the typical enterprise AI risk of significant upfront investments with uncertain outcomes.

For organizations seeking to leverage the transformational potential of private AI without the traditional deployment barriers, VergeOS with VergeIQ provides a comprehensive solution that makes enterprise AI practical, secure, and immediately valuable.

See VergeIQ in Action: Live Demonstration Tomorrow

Ready to see how VergeOS with VergeIQ succeeds in eliminating enterprise AI deployment barriers in real-time? Join us tomorrow, Thursday, June 12th at 1:00 PM ET, for our world-premier VergeIQ webinar and demonstration.

Watch our product experts showcase how VergeIQ delivers enterprise-ready AI deployments in minutes, not months. You’ll see live demonstrations of curated Large Language Models, such as LLaMa, Falcon, and DeepSeek, running with near-bare-metal performance, GPU pooling and clustering capabilities, and disconnected, sovereign AI solutions.

This comprehensive demonstration will show how VergeIQ transforms private AI from a complex, resource-intensive challenge into a simple, immediate infrastructure capability.

Register now for tomorrow’s live demonstration and discover how VergeOS with VergeIQ can deliver immediate AI value within your existing infrastructure strategy.

VergeIQ’s OpenAI Compatible Service

June 5, 2025 by George Crump

Using existing frameworks that enable the creation and use of AI agents—that’s the core benefit of VergeIQ’s OpenAI-compatible service. With this capability, VergeIQ, makes enterprise-grade generative AI secure, manageable, and easily accessible—not just for developers, but for anyone who uses familiar, off-the-shelf AI software tools such as VS Code, Continue, and Anything LLM.

Fully integrated within VergeOS—the comprehensive data center operating system and leading VMware alternative—VergeIQ delivers immediate, seamless access to powerful generative AI capabilities without additional setup. Once VergeOS is installed, VergeIQ is ready to go. Enterprises can quickly deploy secure, locally hosted large language models (LLMs), allocate GPU resources dynamically, and interact with sensitive internal data entirely within their own data centers. With VergeOS, AI is on-premises, private, and secure.

VergeIQ’s OpenAI-compatible service Enables Familiar Tools

By providing an OpenAI-compatible router or service, VergeIQ removes the typical hurdles to private AI adoption. Users can seamlessly migrate their workflows to VergeIQ. No new tools, retraining, or significant code changes are needed—simply point your existing applications to VergeIQ’s internal API endpoint and begin working.

For business analysts, content creators, support specialists, and IT teams, this means quickly integrating powerful generative AI into everyday workflows without any steep learning curves.

Developers already familiar with OpenAI’s libraries and documentation can start building applications on VergeIQ without having to learn a new interface or rewrite their code. The only change required is pointing applications to a new, internal API endpoint.

If you don’t use any of these tools, then don’t worry, VergeOS with VergeIQ includes everything you need to leverage AI to understand your data and create new content.

Complete On-Premises Security and Control

VergeIQ’s OpenAI-compatible service ensures your sensitive data never leaves your environment. Unlike cloud-based AI services that transmit data externally, VergeIQ operates entirely within your premises. This complete on-premises deployment capability allows enterprises to run fully disconnected—no internet or cloud connectivity required—ensuring absolute control, full regulatory compliance, and secure management of confidential data.

On-premises operations not only enhance privacy but also dramatically reduce latency, providing real-time responses and faster insights.

Behind-the-Scenes Intelligence, Effortless Use

Underneath the familiar OpenAI-compatible interface, VergeOS intelligently manages all AI operations, including GPU orchestration, automatic model loading, resource allocation, and infrastructure optimization. Administrators can rely on VergeOS to dynamically scale resources, minimize manual intervention, and maximize performance without the complexities typically associated with on-premises AI deployments.

The result is enterprise-grade AI that’s easy to manage for IT teams, providing cloud-like simplicity with the full security and control of local infrastructure.

VergeIQ’s OpenAI-Compatible Service Enables Predictable Costs and Unlimited Usage

Unlike public cloud AI models that impose ongoing per-token or subscription fees, VergeIQ delivers predictable, flat-rate costs as part of VergeOS. Organizations aren’t penalized as their AI adoption grows. Enterprises can scale their AI use internally without escalating expenses, ensuring sustainable growth, cost-effective operations, and predictable budgeting.

Local AI Infrastructure with Cloud Convenience

VergeIQ’s OpenAI-compatible service offers a best-of-both-worlds approach, combining the security and privacy of fully private, on-premises infrastructure with the simplicity and familiarity of cloud-based AI interfaces. VergeOS provides enterprises a trusted, secure, fully controlled AI environment that’s immediately accessible and easy to use.

With VergeIQ, organizations gain rapid, secure AI capabilities without sacrificing convenience, compatibility, or performance.

Examples of Tools Compatible with VergeIQ’s OpenAI-Compatible Service

Category	Tool	Description
Desktop Applications	LM Studio	Local AI model runner with OpenAI-compatible API.
	Ollama	CLI tool for local model deployment with built-in API server.
	GPT4All	Desktop application connecting to various local or remote backends.
	Jan	Open-source ChatGPT alternative with API integration.
	AnythingLLM	Application for document-based chat and AI model management.
Web Interfaces	Open WebUI	Web interface for managing OpenAI-compatible API models.
	ChatGPT Next Web	Self-hostable, open-source alternative to ChatGPT.
	LibreChat	Open-source ChatGPT alternative supporting multiple API providers.
	Chatbot UI	Minimalist web-based AI interface supporting various APIs.
Development Tools	Continue.dev	VS Code/JetBrains extension providing AI-powered coding assistance.
	Cursor	AI-powered code editor configurable with custom API endpoints.
	Aider	Command-line coding assistant leveraging AI.
	OpenAI SDKs (Python/Node.js)	Official libraries compatible with VergeIQ’s API endpoint.
Mobile Applications	Mela (iOS)	Mobile chat application supporting custom API endpoints.
	AI Chat (Android)	Android AI chat apps configurable with custom APIs.
Browser Extensions	ChatGPT Box	Browser extension allowing custom API endpoint configuration.
	WebChatGPT	Extension configurable to various API providers.
Command-Line Tools	llm (by Simon Willison)	CLI tool for interacting with AI models using custom endpoints.
	chatgpt-cli	CLI implementations supporting interaction via custom APIs.

Beyond AI: Infrastructure Observability with ioMetrics

The openness of VergeOS extends beyond its AI capabilities. VergeOS includes ioMetrics, a powerful observability and monitoring solution built directly into the platform. ioMetrics enables IT teams to collect real-time data on infrastructure performance, usage patterns, resource allocation, and more.

With ioMetrics, administrators can:

Monitor Infrastructure Performance: Track the performance and utilization of CPUs, GPUs, memory, storage, and networking resources within your data center.
Analyze Resource Trends: Identify trends and usage patterns to optimize resource allocation and predict future infrastructure needs.
Proactively Address Issues: Detect potential bottlenecks or performance issues before they impact users, reducing downtime and maintaining high availability.
Leverage Open Standards: Integrate seamlessly with industry-standard observability tools like Grafana, Prometheus, and other monitoring dashboards.

By combining ioMetrics with VergeIQ’s AI capabilities, organizations can take infrastructure management to another level—using AI-driven analytics and actionable insights to improve decision-making, operational efficiency, and service reliability.