Nutanix expands flexibility by building out external storage | TechTarget

Nutanix this week launched new platforms and partnerships to expand external storage options for its customers.

Among these include a new partnership with NetApp; expanded partnerships with Cisco, Dell, Everpure and Lenovo; and the launch of NKP (Nutanix Kubernetes Platform) Metal. The launch and expansions represent a broader strategy from Nutanix, betting that enterprises will prioritize development flexibility and vendor independence by supporting external storage providers.

“It enables choice,” said Steven Dickens, CEO and principal analyst at HyperFRAME Research. “Instead of putting a restriction of ‘You’ve got to be all-in on Nutanix,’ now you can be all-in on Nutanix and make your own choices about storage.”

Previously, Nutanix’s strategy was focused on a traditional HCI approach, where storage is coupled with its HCI platform. This newer strategy, however, makes it easier for customers to deploy Nutanix into environments they already have.

“The idea here is that platforms are expanding to include workloads of all types that can run anywhere,” said Lee Caswell, senior vice president of product and solutions marketing at Nutanix. “We’re expanding the reach of our platform beyond where we first innovated in hyper-converged infrastructure. We’re now applying that same operating model, the ease of use … and choice into storage platforms.”