Recommended Hardware for Acumatica ERP on Cloud Server (NVMe VPS Guide)
Author: Sinh Phạm – Technical Consultant, S4 Consulting
For small businesses running Acumatica ERP On-Premise on a rented Cloud Server, the most practical setup is often one single server hosting both Acumatica Application and SQL Server.
In this scenario, disk speed is the single most critical performance factor – more important than CPU and RAM once a basic threshold is met.
This article is written from hands-on technical experience, including mistakes that many small businesses repeat.
Why small businesses prefer one Cloud Server for Acumatica ERP
In real projects, small and growing companies usually have these constraints:
- Limited IT and infrastructure budget
- No dedicated infrastructure team
- 15–30 concurrent users
- Need for simplicity and reliability
The most common choice is therefore:
- One Cloud Server (VPS)
- Acumatica Application + SQL Server on the same machine
- Used for daily operations and month-end accounting
This architecture can work very well – but only if the VPS is the right type.
A real mistake: same CPU & RAM, but unusably slow
From direct experience shared by Sinh Phạm (Technical, S4 Consulting):
“I once rented a VPS with CPU and RAM specs almost identical to our recommended configuration. On paper, it looked perfect.
In reality, the system was extremely slow – posting took ages, screens lagged, and it was impossible to use Acumatica in production.”
The reason was not Acumatica.
The reason was disk performance.
That VPS was a standard VPS designed for web applications, with:
- Shared, low-performance storage
- Very low IOPS
- High disk latency under concurrent load
Even with decent CPU and RAM, Acumatica ERP was practically unusable.
Why disk speed is the real bottleneck on a single server
When Acumatica ERP and SQL Server run on the same machine:
- Every transaction hits the database immediately
- SQL Server constantly writes data files, logs, and tempdb
- Posting, reporting, and inquiries compete for disk I/O
In this setup:
- CPU is rarely the first bottleneck
- RAM helps only up to a point
- Slow disks will break the system
This is why many “cheap VPS” plans fail completely for ERP workloads.
Why NVMe VPS is mandatory for Acumatica ERP
An NVMe-based VPS provides:
- Very low disk latency
- High and consistent IOPS
- Stable performance under concurrent transactions
For Acumatica ERP on a single Cloud Server, NVMe is not an optimization – it is a requirement.
Without NVMe:
- Posting feels slow and inconsistent
- Month-end close becomes painful
- Users lose trust in the system
Recommended NVMe VPS sizing for small businesses
Baseline NVMe VPS – workable and cost-effective
- 8 Core Enterprise CPU
- 16GB RAM
- ~200GB NVMe Storage
Suitable for:
- ~20 concurrent users
- Accounting-centric usage
- Production or UAT environments
Safer NVMe VPS – recommended for Production
- 12 Core Enterprise CPU
- 24GB RAM
- ~280GB NVMe Storage
Recommended for:
- 25–30 concurrent users
- Heavy posting and reporting
- Businesses expecting growth in 12–24 months
Why more RAM cannot fix a slow VPS
A common misunderstanding:
“The system is slow – let’s add more RAM.”
In practice:
- SQL Server still must write logs to disk
- tempdb operations remain disk-bound
- Reports wait on I/O, not memory
Once RAM reaches 16–24GB, disk speed dominates performance.
NVMe VPS vs standard VPS – the critical difference
| Aspect | Standard VPS (Web-oriented) | NVMe VPS (ERP-ready) |
|---|---|---|
| Disk latency | High | Very low |
| IOPS | Low, shared | High, consistent |
| ERP posting | Slow | Smooth |
| Month-end close | Painful | Stable |
| Suitability for Acumatica | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
This is the exact difference observed in real deployments.
Final recommendation from S4 Consulting
For small businesses running Acumatica ERP On-Premise on Cloud Server:
- Use one single server for App + SQL
- Always choose NVMe VPS, not standard VPS
- Prioritize disk speed over marketing specs
- Do not assume CPU & RAM alone guarantee performance
As learned the hard way:
A fast NVMe VPS will outperform a “bigger” but slow VPS every time.
FAQ – Recommended Hardware for Acumatica ERP on Cloud Server
Is one server really enough for Acumatica ERP?
Yes, for small businesses with up to ~30 users, if NVMe storage is used.
Why did a VPS with similar CPU & RAM fail?
Because it was a standard VPS with low-performance disk, designed for web apps.
Is NVMe VPS more expensive?
Slightly – but far cheaper than losing productivity or re-migrating later.
Can this setup scale later?
Yes. Starting with NVMe VPS gives a strong foundation for future growth or server separation.
What is the biggest risk to avoid?
Choosing a cheap VPS without guaranteed NVMe disk performance.
