Monthly Check September 2026: Storage, Virtualisation and Networking Compact

September 2026 was one of the denser months of the year — not because of a single headline, but because of the breadth of topics. On the storage side, iXsystems, Synology and the ZFS community all sent clear signals. In virtualisation, the Broadcom debate continued, while the Proxmox Datacenter Manager visibly matured. And in networking, OPNsense consolidated while we updated our firewall comparison for small companies.

Instead of a news dump, we summarise what we actually saw and recommended in projects. For each topic we link to the detailed September article. At the end there is an outlook for October.

Storage News September 2026: TrueNAS, Synology and ZFS Planning

Storage was the dominant topic in September. We published three articles that together paint a picture: pricing is becoming more transparent, alternatives to classic NAS boxes are gaining ground in SMBs, and the fundamentals of pool planning are back in focus.

TrueNAS Pricing: What Enterprise Storage Really Costs in 2026

On 1 September we published the current overview of TrueNAS pricing 2026. Core message: hardware prices fluctuate, but ranges stay stable. A Mini system starts below enterprise level, while an R-Series with HA option, redundant power supplies and a support contract plays in a different league. We deliberately separated acquisition, support cost and operating cost over five years — because customers need exactly this breakdown for investment planning.

What we heard repeatedly in September: the jump from “we just have a NAS” to a deliberate storage strategy with HA, snapshot replication and a support relationship is the step many mid-market companies are finally taking in 2026. Fitting for this, our TrueNAS configurator, which lets you model realistic setups for your volume. Fixed end prices remain market-dependent — we always work with individual quotes.

Synology Alternative: TrueNAS Migration in Practice

On 9 September, the practical report on Synology alternatives and TrueNAS migration followed. The angle was not “Synology is bad” — but which SMBs realistically benefit from switching to ZFS-based systems. Typical triggers: more capacity than two to four bays, cross-site snapshot replication, iSCSI/NFS for hypervisor storage and long-term supportability without vendor lock-in.

For many small operations, a well-maintained Synology DSM remains a legitimate choice. The switch becomes interesting where storage becomes strategic — or where growth projections point to several TB per year.

ZFS Pool Planning: Fundamentals Are Back

On 4 September we refreshed the ZFS pool planning guide with example calculations. The trigger was the simple observation that in 2026 more customers again plan their first ZFS pools themselves — and make the same three mistakes as five years ago: overly wide RAIDZ vdevs, forgotten ARC/L2ARC considerations and unrealistic usable-capacity calculations without reserves.

Two points from the article that were frequently quoted in projects during September:

• Calculate usable capacity honestly: After redundancy, metadata overhead and a clean fill-level reserve, you often land at 55 to 65 percent of the gross capacity. Anyone buying 100 TB gross and expecting 90 TB usable is planning too optimistically.
• Match vdev width to workload: A single wide RAIDZ2 vdev for virtual machines is rarely the right answer. For random I/O, multiple narrower vdevs or mirror setups are more practical.

NVMe vs SATA in the Server 2026: Acquisition Becomes a Standard Question

On 8 September we published the updated NVMe vs SATA SSD server comparison 2026. The trigger was not a new benchmark — but the shift in market pricing. NVMe enterprise SSDs in the U.2 form factor have moved so close to SATA equivalents that the classic SATA cost saving barely carries in most new acquisitions.

What we told customers repeatedly in September:

1. New acquisitions in 2026: In most cases, plan directly for NVMe — provided the server chassis supports U.2 or E1.S cleanly.
2. Maintain what you have: If you run productive SATA SSDs today, you do not need to swap immediately. Clean monitoring of the wear-level values is enough — and the switch comes with the next hardware refresh.
3. Consider mixed operation: For backup-tier storage, SATA SSD or even spinning disk remain cost-effective options. Not every byte needs NVMe speed.

If you are looking for the right hardware strategy for your SMB, our storage consulting is a starting point — including a sober inventory of what you actually need in your rack today.

Virtualisation in September 2026: Proxmox Licence and Datacenter Manager

On the virtualisation side, the Broadcom-VMware debate continued in September — but without truly new facts. Instead, we published two articles that are relevant in customer practice.

Proxmox Licence Math Against VMware and Hyper-V

On 3 September, the article on Proxmox licence math versus VMware and Hyper-V went live. We deliberately worked with price ranges rather than fixed end sums — because Broadcom, Microsoft and Proxmox all adjust their prices regularly. Central statement: for most SMB clusters with four to twelve sockets, Proxmox VE including a support subscription over five years is significantly cheaper than a comparable VMware vSphere licensing under the current Broadcom model.

The calculation is not just “licence versus licence”. It also involves operational know-how, support depth and migration effort. Our approach is described at virtualisation with Proxmox — from inventory through test cluster to productive migration.

Proxmox Datacenter Manager: Practice Update

On 15 September, the practice update on the Proxmox Datacenter Manager followed. Short version: in September, PDM reached a version we consider suitable for productive use at multi-site customers. Cross-cluster migrations, a central view across several data centres and a cleanly maintained RBAC were the three points where our assessment changed compared to spring.

For existing customers with two to four Proxmox clusters, a fresh look is now worthwhile. Single-cluster setups can still wait — the benefit scales with the number of sites.

Networking News September 2026: Firewall Comparison for Small Companies

On 18 September we updated the firewall comparison for small companies 2026. The focus was on operations with fewer than 30 workplaces — exactly the size where the debate “a FRITZ!Box is enough” versus “we need a real firewall” is held every month.

Core statement of the article: as soon as an operation has multiple VLANs, a clean site-to-site VPN, a home-office setup or first compliance requirements from NIS2, a dedicated firewall is the better path. OPNsense on suitable hardware remains the pragmatic standard for many SMBs — price range and operating cost we calculate individually.

On the release side, OPNsense went through another 26.7 patch cycle in September. Nothing spectacular, but important fixes around CARP failover and several NIC drivers. Existing customers on 26.7.x should apply the update in a maintenance window. If you are still running older OPNsense versions or considering a move away from Fortinet, our OPNsense service describes our migration approach.

What the September News Means for Your Server Room

If we condense the month’s news into three recommendations:

1. Honestly review your storage strategy: Anyone planning a refresh for 2027 should start rough planning in October. Clarify capacity, HA requirements and support model before requesting quotes.
2. Reassess virtualisation: If you are still on VMware and about to extend the support contract at the end of 2026, you should seriously compare with Proxmox at least once — including migration effort and training needs.
3. Look at the firewall situation: Small operations still working with a router firewall should at least examine the next NIS2 compliance requirements — and consciously answer the question of a dedicated firewall.

Outlook October 2026

What is emerging for October? We expect three focus areas:

• Autumn NIS2 audit wave: Many auditors are booking dates for October and November. Customers with open items should prioritise now.
• TrueNAS roadmap: iXsystems hinted at details of the next major version in August. In October we expect more clarity on dates — relevant for customers with a 2027 storage refresh.
• 2027 budget rounds: For many mid-market companies, concrete budget planning starts in October. Storage, virtualisation and cyber insurance are the three positions that will appear in almost every discussion for 2027.

We are also watching the OPNsense 26.10 window — whether it becomes a real feature release or a stabilisation version is not yet clear.

FAQ on the September 2026 Monthly Check

Why does this recap not name concrete prices?

Because hardware prices fluctuate strongly in 2026 — memory chips, SSDs and power supplies move on a monthly basis in parts. Fixed end prices without a date are more misleading than helpful. We work with price ranges on the blog and with individual quotes for concrete projects.

Is TrueNAS M50 or M60 still sensible for a new acquisition?

No. Both models are end-of-life and are no longer recommended for new deployments. For current enterprise projects we consider the current generation of the M-Series in the sizes M30 and M40 as well as the R-Series. Details are in the TrueNAS configurator.

Is a switch from VMware to Proxmox in 2026 really worth it?

In most SMB scenarios: yes — but only if you plan the migration effort realistically. Do not calculate only with licence costs, but also with design, test cluster, training and a moderate transition phase. Our experience shows that for four-node clusters, the switch typically amortises within 24 to 36 months.

When is the right moment to move from SATA SSDs to NVMe?

For new acquisitions in 2026, in almost all cases immediately. For existing servers, monitoring wear-level values is enough — an immediate swap is rarely economical. The next hardware refresh is the natural switching point.

Is a FRITZ!Box still enough in a small operation?

For very small setups without VLANs, without site-to-site VPN and without compliance pressure: yes. As soon as multiple networks, home-office VPN or first NIS2 requirements come into play, you should consider a dedicated firewall.

What should be concretely planned for October 2026?

Three items, honestly prioritised: first, the NIS2 loose ends for the autumn audit wave; second, rough planning for 2027 storage or virtualisation refreshes; and third, a maintenance window for the current OPNsense and Proxmox patch levels. For all three topics we are happy to accompany customers — get in touch.