Technologies

Technologies we work with.

Every area explained in plain language, and the technologies we use within it — what each one is and what problem it solves.

Software and platforms

Virtualization and containers

Running several servers inside one physical machine. Fewer machines to buy, power, and cool, and a system can move from one server to another without being switched off.

Proxmox VE: Open-source virtualization: many virtual machines on one physical server, with no per-processor licensing.
VMware vSphere: The most widely installed enterprise virtualization platform — where it already exists, we keep and operate it.
Nutanix AHV: Virtualization integrated with storage in the same appliance, with no separate storage network.
XCP-ng: Open alternative to Citrix Hypervisor, for leaving proprietary licensing without changing model.
Hyper-V: The virtualization built into Windows Server — uses licences the company often already owns.
KVM: Linux’s own virtualization engine, the basis of Proxmox and much of the public cloud.
Docker: Packages an application with everything it needs to run, so it behaves the same on any server.
Kubernetes: Spreads and restarts containers across servers automatically — for applications that cannot stop.
Portainer: Visual interface for managing containers without relying on the command line.

Servers and systems

The systems that hold user accounts, mail, and company files. This is where access is decided, and where a bad configuration gets expensive.

Windows Server: Microsoft’s server operating system, the basis of most corporate environments.
Active Directory: The directory of accounts and permissions: one identity per person, instead of one password per system.
Exchange Server: Corporate mail hosted on the company’s own premises, when data cannot leave the building.
Debian: Linux known for stability — a common choice for servers expected to run for years without surprises.
Ubuntu Server: Linux with long-term support and broad compatibility with enterprise software.
Rocky Linux / AlmaLinux: Compatible successors to CentOS, for anyone running software certified for Red Hat.
Microsoft 365: Cloud mail, files, and collaboration — we manage the accounts, the permissions, and the backups.
Entra ID: Microsoft’s cloud identity directory, including two-step authentication.

Networks and firewalls

What separates the company network from the internet, and parts of the network from each other. A flat network turns one infected computer into a company-wide problem.

Fortinet: Firewalls with traffic inspection and content filtering, widely used in SMEs and multi-site setups.
Palo Alto Networks: Firewalls that identify the application behind the traffic, not just the port it uses.
Check Point: Perimeter security with centralized policy management across multiple sites.
Cisco: Network and security equipment present in most larger infrastructures.
Sophos: Firewall and endpoint protection managed from the same console.
pfSense: Open-source firewall — enterprise-grade capability with no per-appliance licence cost.
OPNsense: Open firewall with frequent updates and a modern interface, an alternative to pfSense.
Ubiquiti UniFi: Network and WiFi managed from a single console — good cost-to-capability ratio for offices.
MikroTik: Highly configurable routers at low cost, common among operators and in Angola.
WireGuard: Modern VPN, fast and simple to audit — today’s standard for remote access.
OpenVPN: Mature VPN, compatible with practically any device and system.

Monitoring

Knowing something failed before a customer calls to say so. Without monitoring, repair time starts when someone notices — not when the failure happens.

Zabbix: Watches servers, networks, and services and warns when something drifts, before it stops.
Grafana: Turns monitoring data into dashboards that can be read at a glance.
SolarWinds: Enterprise-grade network monitoring, common in larger organizations.
Prometheus: Metrics collection designed for modern systems and containers.
Uptime Kuma: Simple availability checks for sites and services, with immediate alerting.

Security and SIEM

Collecting what happens across systems and spotting what should not be happening. The difference between finding an intrusion in hours and finding it months later, in the news.

Wazuh: Open-source intrusion detection and compliance checking across servers and workstations.
Graylog: Brings logs from every system into one place where they can actually be searched.
Suricata: Analyses network traffic in real time, looking for known attack patterns.
CrowdSec: Blocks attacking addresses based on what other installations have already detected.
ESET: Endpoint and server protection against malicious code, managed from a central console.
CrowdStrike: EDR/XDR: not just blocking known files — it detects attack behaviour and allows remote response.

Backup and storage

Copies that can actually be restored. A backup that has never been tested is not a backup — it is an assumption.

Veeam: The reference for virtual machine backup, with verifiable restores.
Proxmox Backup Server: Incremental, deduplicated backups for Proxmox environments, with integrity verification.
Bacula / Bareos: Open-source backup for mixed estates and long-term retention.
Restic: Encrypted backups to remote storage, simple to automate and verify.
TrueNAS: Network storage with detection of silent data corruption.
MinIO: S3-compatible storage on the company’s own premises, for cloud convenience without leaving the building.

Distributed storage and hyperconvergence

Pooling the disks of several servers into one set that survives any single machine failing. A distinct skill from installing servers: architecting clusters is not racking hardware.

Ceph: Distributed storage that keeps working with whole servers down — the basis of clustered Proxmox.
VMware vSAN: Pools the local disks of VMware servers into one shared store, with no external array.
Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct: Microsoft’s equivalent, the basis of Azure Local — shared storage built from the servers’ own disks.
GlusterFS: Open-source distributed file system, for large file volumes across many servers.

Communications

Telephony and mail run by the company. Two things that stop everyone at once when they fail — and that rarely have a clear owner until the day they do.

VitalPBX: Asterisk-based phone system with a ready-to-use management interface.
Asterisk: The open-source telephony engine behind most IP phone systems.
FreePBX: Management interface for Asterisk, with extensions, queues, and automated menus.
3CX: Commercial phone system with mobile and laptop apps included.
Exchange Server: Microsoft’s on-premises mail server — mailboxes, shared calendars, and retention rules under internal control.
Zimbra: Corporate mail and calendar hosted on the company’s own premises.
grommunio: Open alternative to Exchange: shared mail, calendars, and contacts, with native sync to Outlook and mobile.
mailcow: Complete, modern mail server with antispam and webmail included.
Postfix / Dovecot: The base mail send and receive components on Linux, when full control is required.

Automation and platform

Making system configuration something written down, not something in one person’s head. It is what lets a server be rebuilt exactly, without depending on whoever built it.

Ansible: Applies the same configuration to dozens of servers at once, repeatably.
Terraform: Describes infrastructure in files — rebuilding is running the same file again.
nginx: Serves sites and spreads requests across servers; it is also where the HTTPS certificate lives.
HAProxy: Balances load across servers and automatically removes those that stop responding.
PostgreSQL: Robust relational database, the default choice for applications that cannot lose data.
MySQL / MariaDB: The database behind most web applications and content management systems.
SQL Server: Microsoft’s database, required by much business management software.

Hardware manufacturers

Servers and storage

The physical equipment everything rests on. A bad choice here costs for the next five to seven years — in warranty, in parts, and in who picks up the phone when it fails.

HPE: Enterprise servers with mature remote management. Distinct from HP Inc., which makes printers and laptops.
Dell Technologies: Servers and storage with a broad service network and predictable delivery times.
Supermicro: Equipment configurable in detail, with a good capacity-to-price ratio.
Lenovo: Enterprise servers with a strong presence in markets outside Europe and the US.
Fujitsu: Long-life servers, common in organizations with long refresh cycles.
Huawei: Dominant presence in African infrastructure — capacity and local support that European competitors do not cover.
H3C: Servers and networking with strong deployment across Africa and Asia.
Synology: Network storage that is simple to operate, with built-in backup.
QNAP: Network storage with good expansion capacity for growing volumes.

Networking

Switches, routers, and access points. The part of the infrastructure nobody notices until it fails — and then it is noticed everywhere at once.

Cisco: The reference in enterprise networking, with the most established training and certification ecosystem.
Fortinet: Firewalls and switches managed from the same security console.
Juniper: High-performance routing, common in carriers and datacenters.
HPE Aruba: Enterprise network and WiFi with central management and per-user policy.
Ubiquiti: Good capability at contained cost, suited to offices and multi-site setups.
MikroTik: Highly configurable at low cost — widely installed in Angola.
Huawei: Enterprise networking with strong presence and support in the African market.
H3C: Switching and routing with a good capacity-to-price ratio.

Power and datacenter

Uninterruptible power, cooling, and the physical infrastructure of the room. In a power failure, this is what separates infrastructure that keeps running from infrastructure that shuts down.

APC by Schneider Electric: Uninterruptible power and rack power distribution, with remote management.
Eaton: UPS and electrical protection for technical rooms and datacenters.
Vertiv: Datacenter power and cooling, including larger installations.
H3C: Datacenter infrastructure — racks, core switching, and converged solutions, with support in the African market.

Partners and certifications

This section lists only manufacturers with whom TAC holds a valid, verifiable partnership agreement. Until there is one to confirm, it stays deliberately empty: listing technologies we work with is one thing; claiming a partnership that does not exist is another, and it is verifiable in the manufacturers’ public partner directories.

Not seeing the technology you run?

This list is what we use regularly, not everything we can operate. Ask us.

Talk to us