Top
Author
Published
17 Feb 2026Form Number
LP2375PDF size
7 pages, 148 KBSubscribed to LP2375.
Thank you for your feedback.
Abstract
Modern IT organizations, from small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) to large enterprises, are evaluating their virtualization strategies as costs, complexity, and licensing constraints continue to rise. Lenovo® Hyper-V Ready Node delivers a streamlined, enterprise-grade virtualization solution built on Microsoft® Hyper-V in Windows Server 2025 Datacenter and Lenovo ThinkSystem® servers.
This factory-validated solution provides predictable performance, simplified operations, and unified management through Windows Admin Center (WAC) with Lenovo XClarity® integration—offering a compelling, lower-risk alternative to traditional hypervisors in the face of increasing VMware licensing costs.
Business Challenge
Organizations face mounting pressure to modernize infrastructure while controlling costs and operational overhead. The following table lists the common virtualization challenges.
Organizations need a virtualization platform that delivers enterprise capabilities without excessive cost, complexity, or lock-in.
Solution Overview: Lenovo Hyper-V Ready Node
Lenovo Hyper-V Ready Node combines Microsoft Hyper-V—an enterprise-class hypervisor included with Windows Server—with Lenovo ThinkSystem servers to deliver a fully integrated virtualization platform.
Microsoft Hyper-V Advantages
Hyper-V is built directly into Windows Server 2025 Datacenter, eliminating additional hypervisor licensing costs while providing the core capabilities IT teams rely on:
- High availability and mobility — Live Migration, Storage Migration, Windows Failover Clustering, and Hyper-V Replica enable seamless workload mobility, automated failover, and built-in disaster recovery
- Security by design — Shielded VMs, Secure Boot, and virtualization-based security (VBS) leverage hardware-rooted trust to protect critical workloads without third-party add-ons.
- Modern scalability and performance — Support for very large virtual machines (up to 2,048 vCPUs and 240 TB RAM), GPU partitioning for AI and VDI workloads, and workgroup clustering for simple two-node or edge deployment.
Lenovo ThinkSystem Foundation
Lenovo ThinkSystem servers provide the resilient hardware foundation for Hyper-V
- SR630 V4 — Balanced performance and density for core data center deployments
- SR650 V4 — Maximum performance, memory, and storage capacity for mission-critical workloads
- SR635 V3 — Cost-optimized, efficient platform ideal for edge and distributed environments
Powered by Intel® Xeon® 6 or AMD EPYC™ processors, DDR5 memory, and PCIe Gen 5, ThinkSystem servers deliver high performance with enterprise-class reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS). Lenovo XClarity management enables proactive monitoring, firmware management, and lifecycle automation.
Simplified Deployment and Management
Lenovo Hyper-V Ready Nodes are factory-validated and preconfigured with Windows Server 2025 Datacenter. Automated PowerShell workflows deploy and optimize Hyper-V and integrate Windows Admin Center, enabling faster time to value and consistent best-practice configurations.
Unified Management with Windows Admin Center
Windows Admin Center serves as the single, browser-based management interface for:
- Hyper-V hosts and clusters
- Virtual machine lifecycle management
- Performance monitoring and live migration
- Storage and network configuration
With the Lenovo XClarity Integrator plug-in embedded in WAC, administrators also gain hardware-level visibility, along with health status, firmware updates, and remote access, all from the same console. This unified experience reduces tool sprawl, streamlines workflows, and lowers operational complexity. WAC further simplifies cluster creation through guided workflows and enables seamless integration with Azure services and third-party backup solutions, supporting hybrid cloud and disaster recovery scenarios.
Key Benefits
Key benefits of the integrated solution as follows:
- Lower Total Cost of Ownership
Hyper-V included with Windows Server eliminates additional hypervisor licensing costs. - Operational Simplicity
Single-pane management for virtualization and hardware through WAC and Lenovo XClarity. - Enterprise-Grade Resiliency and Security
Built-in high availability, disaster recovery, and hardware-rooted security features. - Flexible Deployment Options
Scales from SMB and ROBO environments to large enterprise data centers and private clouds. - Future-Ready Platform
Optimized for AI inferencing, VDI, and hybrid cloud integration.
Use Cases:
- VMware Alternative or Migration Platform
- SMB and Enterprise Virtualization
- Private Cloud and IT Modernization Initiatives
- Edge and Remote Office Deployments
- AI Inferencing and GPU-Accelerated Workloads
Conclusion
Lenovo Hyper-V Ready Node delivers a modern, cost-effective virtualization solution that combines Microsoft Hyper-V with Lenovo ThinkSystem servers and unified management through Windows Admin Center and Lenovo XClarity. The result is a high-performance, secure, and easy-to-manage platform that meets enterprise requirements without the rising costs and complexity of traditional hypervisors.
For organizations seeking a practical, low-risk virtualization strategy, especially as licensing models evolve, the Lenovo Hyper-V Ready Node provides a clear path to simplified operations, predictable performance, and long-term value.
Bill of Materials (BOM)
The following table lists the bill of materials (BOM) for the Lenovo Hyper-V Ready Node ThinkSystem SR650 V4.
† Note: VA (Value Add) Drive based Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) configurations are not supported by Microsoft on this solution; ThinkAgile platforms are required for supported SDS deployments
Why Lenovo?
Lenovo is a US$70 billion revenue Fortune Global 500 company serving customers in 180 markets around the world. Focused on a bold vision to deliver smarter technology for all, we are developing world-changing technologies that power (through devices and infrastructure) and empower (through solutions, services and software) millions of customers every day.
For More Information
For more information, visit these resources:
- To learn more about this Lenovo solution contact your Lenovo Business Partner or visit:
https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/c/servers-storage/servers/racks/ - Implementing Hyper V on Microsoft Windows Server 2025:
https://lenovopress.lenovo.com/lp2198-implementing-hyper-v-on-microsoft-windows-server-2025 - Lenovo ThinkSystem SR650 V4
https://www.lenovo.com/au/en/p/servers-storage/servers/racks/lenovo-thinksystem-sr650-v4/len21ts0042 - ThinkSystem SR650 V4 product guide
https://lenovopress.lenovo.com/lp2127-thinksystem-sr650-v4-server
Authors
Jessie Lacome is a Platform Solutions Product Manager at Lenovo with extensive experience in enterprise virtualization and modern infrastructure platforms. He brings a strong consulting and solutions architecture background, supporting customers across on‑premises and hybrid environments. Jessie has previously held roles at Salesforce, Citrix, and Dell, where he focused on virtualization and infrastructure solutions.
Trademarks
Lenovo and the Lenovo logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lenovo in the United States, other countries, or both. A current list of Lenovo trademarks is available on the Web at https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/legal/copytrade/.
The following terms are trademarks of Lenovo in the United States, other countries, or both:
Lenovo®
ThinkAgile®
ThinkSystem®
XClarity®
The following terms are trademarks of other companies:
AMD and AMD EPYC™ are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
Intel®, the Intel logo and Xeon® are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries.
Microsoft®, Azure®, Hyper-V®, PowerShell, Windows Server®, and Windows® are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.
Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.
Configure and Buy
Please select a locale
Full Change History
Course Detail
Employees Only Content
The content in this document with a is only visible to employees who are logged in. Logon using your Lenovo ITcode and password via Lenovo single-signon (SSO).
The author of the document has determined that this content is classified as Lenovo Internal and should not be normally be made available to people who are not employees or contractors. This includes partners, customers, and competitors. The reasons may vary and you should reach out to the authors of the document for clarification, if needed. Be cautious about sharing this content with others as it may contain sensitive information.
Any visitor to the Lenovo Press web site who is not logged on will not be able to see this employee-only content. This content is excluded from search engine indexes and will not appear in any search results.
For all users, including logged-in employees, this employee-only content does not appear in the PDF version of this document.
This functionality is cookie based. The web site will normally remember your login state between browser sessions, however, if you clear cookies at the end of a session or work in an Incognito/Private browser window, then you will need to log in each time.
If you have any questions about this feature of the Lenovo Press web, please email David Watts at dwatts@lenovo.com.
