ID Interactive

Since 2006, ID Interactive has been supporting its clients, primarily in France, in the design, development, and hosting of websites and web applications. This independent digital agency currently manages 300 websites, which are hosted on approximately fifty virtual machines (VMs), offering customised hosting packages and extensive technical support.

Serving a diverse clientele, from local SMEs to large national companies, the agency has solid expertise in adapting infrastructures to suit a wide variety of needs. Its solution covers the entire digital lifecycle: strategy, UX/UI design, development, SEO, digital marketing and hosting services.

Hosting its clients’ VMs in-house is a key differentiator for the agency, as is the flexibility of offering shared or dedicated environments, along with proven expertise in solutions like Debian and Veeam. For its hosting solutions, ID Interactive relies on a sovereign infrastructure located in France and across Europe, directly managed by its technical teams. The agency thus ensures high availability, enhanced security and the best possible responsiveness.

In 2024, ID Interactive hit a technological barrier, as its Hosted Private Cloud infrastructure from 2018 began to reach its limits. As the number of virtual machines grew, the old platform’s efficiency declined, resulting in a noticeable drop in service quality.

“We saw a decrease in performance as the number of virtual machines increased. This meant we needed an infrastructure that could support the load over time. To optimise costs, we picked a shared solution, but with a guarantee of complete client isolation.”

Dylan Lemonnier, System Administrator, ID Interactive

Besides these technical hurdles, there was also the issue of a limited budget. Moreover, ID Interactive’s hosting costs surged by 45% after Broadcom’s updated pricing system took effect.

To support its growing client base, the agency needed to expand its capabilities while still delivering uninterrupted service. As a result, modernising the infrastructure quickly became a strategic requirement.

The management decided on a dual objective:

1. Perform a live migration of all workloads without modifying the existing environments (VM, network, storage), in full compliance with sovereignty requirements.
2. Shift from dedicated solutions to a cost-effective shared platform, while maintaining complete isolation between client environments.

ID Interactive opted for a managed migration to the Public VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) as-a-Service platform. This solution, hosted in France and compliant with European regulations, fulfilled the agency’s needs in terms of performance, security and compliance.

“Our team used a proven, automated methodology, as with other clients affected by VMware licensing changes after Broadcom’s acquisition. The new licensing plan calculates costs based on the number of cores rather than RAM capacity.”

Franck Costa, VMware Product Manager, OVHcloud

This strategy has allowed the agency to keep its budget in check while accessing a more modern and efficient infrastructure.

The migration was orchestrated via an in-house Golang stack and also integrated Zpod, an open-source project. It was carried out through a four-phase process, described below.

1. Connectivity and pre-checks
   A secure link was established between the old Hosted Private Cloud and the new Public VCF as-a-Service solution to extend the network and ensure availability. Preliminary tests were conducted to identify potential issues and check the configuration, and, if necessary, temporarily freeze some environments.
2. Client context creation and data preparation
   The network configuration (VXLAN/VLAN) was set up, NFS storage provisioned, and user access configured. In parallel, critical volumes, corresponding to several petabytes, were readied for transfer to the shared platform to maintain their integrity and ready access.
3. Automated hot migration
   The workloads were migrated live using vMotion, a process so smooth that end users didn’t experience any disruption. The network, virtual machines, and existing services were simply carried over to the new environment without changes. This step supported two distinct solutions, two server generations, and multiple software versions—all working seamlessly together.
4. Final validation and operational continuity
   A check was performed on public IP addresses, affinity rules, and network segment profiles. Services resumed instantly, mirroring their original state, without needing to reboot, and are now supported by a robust, shared infrastructure.

This method ensured uninterrupted service, with operational stability fully maintained. The specific network and software topology of each environment remained fully intact. Despite the intricate technical environment, the migration was completed successfully and remained entirely stable, thanks to advanced Layer 2 connection management, VXLAN bridging and multi-tenancy using LACP. The ID Interactive teams required no upskilling or changes to their workflows and were able to continue their work as usual.

The new infrastructure is now based on more powerful hosts and supported by automated resilience. Data is protected by a two-layer security system: daily backups using Veeam Backup, and an extra vApp for quick VM recovery.

“For our clients, the migration to Public VCF as-a-Service was seamless—with no disruption—as everything remained online and operational. We received exceptional support from the OVHcloud team, from preparation to follow-up after the migration.”

Dylan Lemonnier, System Administrator, ID Interactive

By migrating to Public VCF as-a-Service, ID Interactive was able to upgrade its infrastructure, cut costs, and strengthen its operational robustness. 

The agency, therefore, saved 27% compared to the cost of its previous Hosted Private Cloud solution. No service outages were reported, including for the most sensitive workloads. Furthermore, its clients were already benefiting from the new rate prior to the move to the new platform. 
The project’s total development time was about three months, though the technical switchover and migration was completed in just under 72 hours.

The infrastructure, with scalable resources and improved monitoring, is now primed for growth. It provides the necessary agility to comfortably support business growth, while ensuring data security and quick recovery using Veeam Backup and vApp.

“Migrating to Public VCF as-a-Service has enabled us to meet all of our objectives. We can now confidently move forward and deliver the best possible experience for both current and future clients.”

Dylan Lemonnier, System Administrator, ID Interactive

Over the next few months, ID Interactive plans to add one or two virtual machines every year, depending on the trajectory of their new site’s development. It also aims to further utilise advanced monitoring tools and anticipate its needs for high-performance storage.