Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) Reviews

• Compression, deduplication, and erasure coding
• Central management using prism
• Capacity management and planning using prism central
• One click upgrade to the Nutanix OS as well as for hypervisor
• Easily scalable with no downtime
• Provides WAN optimization for replication to remote sites

• Centralized monitoring of infrastructure
• Easy and quick deployment of VMs
• Single SME for all domains like storage, OS, and hypervisor
• Compression deduplication and erasure coding have improved storage usage by almost three times
• Protection domain allows you to compress data and transfer over WAN and helps you to move a VM to DR with a single click
• Centralized management helps you monitor storage and compute resources at the cluster and VM level in a single plane

I would like to see improvements in monitoring parameters, RTO, and access control. Currently, memory utilization does not show as per the actual. This is in pipeline for the next release. The current RPO for DC-DR is high due to the limitation of the replication strategy which will be fixed by next quarter.

We have used this solution for three months.

I did not encounter any issues with stability.

As of now, we haven’t required support, but it is good.

The installation is simple. You can more or less plug and play.

Depends upon what OEM you factor for hardware and the relationship between them. The software license seems to be pretty simple.

We evaluated Cisco HyperFlex and SimpliVity.

You can have optimal results from ROI and the infrastructure deployment perspective if the solution is designed properly. I would suggest that you spell out your requirements clearly before Nutanix starts building the solution.

We are using the hyperconverged Cloud software and I manage Nutanix. I was responsible for the planning, management and the architecture. It was then given to the structural team.

We updated the internet software so when we migrated the workload we could compare from previous examples.

To have internal stability, we needed to network the solution ourselves. Performance depends on the application. Performance could be the lack of IOPS, memory and CPU and configuration issues. 

We are not going to increase our usage of Nutanix Solutions. We are migrating to the Cloud because of the cost.

We have been using it for about one month.

Stability depends on the type of application you are running. If you are running complex applications you should run them one at a time.

We have a Nutanix vendor that provides maintenance. We escalate to support if it is beyond the control of our in-house support team.

Our company already had a license for Nutanix so we wanted to us Nutanix Acropolis Solutions before any licensing costs. 

It is not straightforward to install, you need to follow the installation steps. The installation took about one to two months to complete the entire process as it took workloads from our existing developer platform.

We have about 25 people managing the application deployment.

The maintenance software is straightforward because you do not need to do any configuration.

The installation was carried out by the vendor.

We did not require licenses because we already used Nutanix, so we only need to buy the software.

I recommend certain applications but not this solution. There are certain limitations due to the lack of storage. If you need high performance, heavy applications you need to consider hardware and storage.

I would rate this solution a 6 out of 10.

We are hosting many companies' IT. We provide IT services for our customers.

In terms of its version, I am not a system owner, so I don't know, but I guess we are regularly updating to the latest version.

Its low maintenance is a key feature. It is easy to install, upgrade, and scale by adding more blocks. 

Compute analysis is really easy. It takes hours instead of days.

The self-service side of the product needs to be improved. We should be able to add two-factor authentication and more security layers to it.

We would also like more tiering of the storage if that's possible.

The company has been using it for about two years.

Its stability and performance depend on what kind of hardware you put in the nodes. Its performance is average. It doesn't have high performance on the storage side, but it is good enough for mainstream users.

It is really scalable. It is too easy to scale. We have around three people who use it right now.

We didn't have any issues that we had to escalate to their technical support.

We are using Hyper-V with Storage Spaces Direct. I don't know if it can be called hyper-converged, but it is almost hyper-converged. VMware with vSAN is also hyper-converged, but we're using it without the NSX module, so it is not a software-defined network. It is semi hyper-converged for me. As compared to these two, Nutanix is easier to use and easier to manage. It is more complex to get VMware and Hyper-V up and running than Nutanix.

It was really straightforward. We were up and running in hours. It was really easy.

Its deployment was handled internally.

Its licensing model is easy, but the bad thing is that we need to pay for the whole capacity at once. With VMware vSAN, we only have to pay for the capacity that we are using, which is not the case with Nutanix. So, we have more overhead for the licensing cost with Nutanix.

I would advise talking to Nutanix to get the right hardware from the start and only buying certified hardware. You can use the Nutanix capacity planning information that exists to get the right sizing.

I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.

It is primarily used as our data management application. It is for data management and storage.

It has greatly reduced our footprint because it is all-in-one. It is a hyper-converged technology. So, in a way, it reduces our server room footprint and provides ease of management.

It is all-in-one. The compute processing, storage, and network altogether make it convenient. We don't have to have different modules for expansion.

They have improved over the years. They can probably improve more of their software offerings or their innovative upcoming technology.

I would like to see them utilize the spare storage that they use as a redundant space. I feel that now a lot of resources are wasted just for standby purposes because we are using data protection. Instead of utilizing those resources only when something happens, they can have an alternative so that we can utilize these resources all the time.

I have been using this solution for the past two to three years.

It is stable.

I believe there is no limit to scalability. The only weak point is that Nutanix is basically a software company. They are very dependent on the hardware and vendor, and because the hardware is always moving ahead quite fast, they are having difficulty in catching up with the technology. If I'm going to scale my current Nutanix cluster, I may have an issue with the newer hardware because it may not be compatible with the older hardware that I already have. That is one of the issues we encountered, but we still manage to sort out the licensing and the hardware requirements with our partners and Nutanix.

In terms of usage, basically, our whole company uses it because it is our central data storage. It is being used quite extensively. We upgraded just recently.

Their technical support is good. Their communication is good, and their technical knowledge is good. The time they take to get back to us is also good.

We were using another solution. I believe we switched because Nutanix provides the failover capability for RPO and RTO. It means RPO and RTO are close to zero because we have the failover data protection from Nutanix as well.

I have support from vendors, so it was not too complex for us. We actually enjoy a good supporting and working relationship with Nutanix.

It was actually quite a straightforward implementation because it was a brand new setup. The migrations were done by our application team and infra team. The complex portion was that they are very dependent on how the network was being set up. Prior to that, our network infrastructure was quite old, so some of the requirements were not met in the first place, but we managed to sort things out.

We used an integrator. We work with a partner. They help us to deploy it.

We have internal staff for its deployment and maintenance. We need two people.

We got the renewal done recently, and there was no cost involved.

The only comparison was VMware site replication. 

I would advise having a good and stable network base. Mine is on-prem, and I'm not sure what is the requirement for the cloud solution, but for on-prem, make sure that the network infrastructure is very stable, and there are no hops or drops from the network. It needs a very stable network.

I would rate Nutanix Acropolis AOS an eight out of 10.

We have multiple verticals in our company and each has its own ERP applications that are business critical and mission critical. Our company is based in India, we are customers of Nutanix and I'm the executive vice president. 

Nutanix has given me an opportunity to create multiple VMs and it's really very resilient for failures. Even if there is a single node failure, the VM gets migrated automatically to the healthy node. I can also take any number of snapshots and restore them at any point in time. The solution offers cloning and it's very simple to create a clone of any server. These are the great features of Nutanix. In addition, it's user-friendly, and in contrast with some solutions, you don't need to know about the technology. Anyone knowing the basics of VMware or hypervisor can start creating VMware, adding the server, and deploying it on the go within a few hours.

The problem with Nutanix is you cannot have or attach external storage so there are some limitations when it comes to increasing space. If you have a three-node cluster and want to increase storage, you have to add one more cluster. I can't attach an iSCSI drive as a solution. I'm hoping that the AOS 6 version will have plenty of improvements.

I've been using this solution for five years. 

The solution is stable. 

There is a limitation on scalability. If you have four nodes and want to expand you can't. You have to buy another 3-node Nutanix box.

Technical support is excellent. If there is a critical issue, they get back to you within an hour.

Deployment is pretty easy because once the hypervisor is loaded, the Nutanix team carries out the deployment. Once you have the prism of the queue, then it becomes very easy to work on the Nutanix box.

Pricing could be improved especially with the effects of the pandemic, where the IT sector is not doing so well. Nutanix is relatively new to the industry and if they want to promote it they will need to reduce the cost.

I rate this solution seven out of 10. 

We mostly provide the solution to our clients as a virtual server. 

Many clients use the solution in order to move the data center in-house or to a data center in the entity itself. It helps them reduce their footprint.

The solution is stable.

It's scalable. It's software-defined storage.

The initial setup is very easy and the implementation happens quickly.

Technical support is okay.

In Thailand, there really isn't a cloud version of Nutanx available to us. I'd like to see the cloud come to the country, and I'd like to try using it.

The solution entered Thailand around six years ago, which is when we adopted it. 

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

The solution is quite scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.

At the time I have about ten users on the solution.

Technical support has been okay. We don't have any complaints, as the solution is working quite well overall.

The initial installation is straightforward. That said, for the first time, there may be some instruction needed, and some prep work so that you understand what's going on. However, for a new installation, it's quite easy and not overly complex.

The deployment is quick. It doesn't take more than two hours. That includes the hardware installation, not just setup and configuration.

We just need one person (an engineer) to perform maintenance tasks.

We're integrators. We're able to help our clients implement the solution.

Typically, clients pay a yearly license fee.

We are an integrator.

I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten. We've been very happy with its capabilities overall.

I'd recommend the solution to other users and organizations.

I won't be able to disclose anything with regards to our client's contractual agreements in terms of what we have done or not, at their premises, or even if it's on the hybrid model. I'm not even allowed to disclose the name of our clients without their prior approval, so I can't really get into primary use cases.

One of the most valuable features is that it can be applied at any scale. 

The value you get for the price is quite good.

It's difficult to discuss what is lacking on the solution. We would have to do a proper analysis because not every client has the same requirements. 

Based on our experience up until now, even the clients, when they are looking for a proper platform, have already identified Nutanix as being the one solution that would be the most relevant to them. We would need to get into a more detailed analysis in terms of what features or benefits the clients are looking for to see if there is something lacking. 

We would need to look at scalability, or reduced latency, and stuff like that. There are so many elements that are implemented for each client. As well, there may be specific areas that the client wanted to be improved. However, from our perspective, we don't see any glaring holes in the product.

The initial setup does need a team with experience with it in order to execute it correctly. It's not easy.

Some clients find the solution's cost to be too high.

I haven't been using the solution for too long. I've only been using it for 18 months, so just over a year or so.

I can't speak to the stability of the solution. I'd have to discuss this aspect with my team. We do provide support and may have some recommendations in relation to that, however, at this moment, I can't really comment.

The scalability of the solution is great. If you are a large company or an enterprise, you should be able to scale it well.

We actually provide technical support to our clients. Our technical team has the training, and we're able to provide guidance and clarification on our end in terms of problems or issue son the solution.

The initial setup is not straightforward. On our team, for example, we had to get to know Nutanix extremely well before we could master it. Only then would we be able to prepare the solution for different clients. If you have knowledge of the solution, the setup will be much easier. Still, it's complex.

I'm not sure how long the average deployment takes.

However, the project may not just include Nutanix. There may be other interventions that have to happen simultaneously. Typically, a project from end to end may take about three months to complete.

Some clients think the solution is quite expensive.

In terms of advice I could give to those considering the solution, I'll say this: it all depends on what they're looking for and what their ultimate objectives are. They need to clarify that internally before landing on Nutanix.  

At the same time, anyone going for hyper-converged should do so, as it's the future. Once a company decides on a solution like Nutanix, they expect to reap the benefits. Even before going with their decision, they need to know what it offers and how it will work to help them achieve their goals.

At the end of the day, it's all about our clients being more effective and efficient in their daily work or with their end clients. 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

They're still evolving and we are not yet in a situation where we must interact fully. Some people will definitely come and tell you Nutanix is very, very expensive. However, expensive with regards to what? Or expensive compared to what? It's all about what you get out of it, and what kind of returns you're expecting. This is where Nutanix can make a difference.