Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) Reviews

The price was unmatched for us. We got the pricing down. We had an issue where we already had two copies of the data, but we needed to get the third to be compliant. We were looking at alternatives with a backup vendor, but we couldn't get the pricing to that level. They had an archiving function to S3 or NFS, if you wanted to use it. In this case, we went with S3.

The most valuable feature is the storage density of the nodes. We went with the HP's low-density nodes. 

The installation is set and forget. We didn't really have the personnel staffing to be able to handle more storage systems, we were already running in Nutanix as a primary driver for a virtualization platform. It was just a matter of setting up another cluster.

Nutanix enables us to reduce the amount of nodes. We had the coding and data reduction features. We had the larger, hard-density nodes and we were able to decrease the amount quite a bit. Had we built it another way, we would have ended up with larger traditional storage vendors. Nutanix is really perfect.

We just installed it, set it up, and then we forgot about it. We do quarterly patching. We just set up the alerting and it just works. That's the benefit that we want all IT systems to have.

It could be more user-friendly. You can abstract the technical details. If you look at the IP plans and the services running underneath it, it's quite a simple product. As a customer, you get exposed to a lot of the decisions, which is not always necessary. That should be able to exist for some customers who have special needs but in general, the complexity could be lower. It looks scarier than it is.

At my last place, we used it for two years. It's still running. We used it as a secondary target for data security backups. We were using S3 buckets which were exported to the primary backup cluster.

Support is excellent. It has a fixed delivery value. We know we're going to get good people.

Positive

We also use VMware to protect unstructured data. Unstructured data is a horrible mess. You need to ship it and you need to ship it fast. We're very happy with the tools we have in place to protect it. 

We used to use an old Dell system which was fine in terms of data reduction, but we had issues when we needed to rehydrate the data and get it back into production. The RTOs and RPOs just didn't work for us anymore. Nutanix is so much faster in comparison. 

We switched to Nutanix as part of a lifecycle management. We noticed that even if the data reduction was good with the Dell system, we couldn't get the data out fast enough. That's the primary reason why we ended up going with Nutanix.

The deployment was easy. It took two days for us to be up and running. 

We looked at the Data Lens in our POC but we didn't end up putting it into production.

I would rate Nutanix Unified Storage a seven out of ten. They could simplify the user experience. Technically it's a ten, but there's still some work we have to do for it.  

We are mainly using it for VDI profile and business continuity for that area.

The HCI concept was relevant for us while going for Nutanix Unified Storage.

For DR and VCP purposes, we have two sides where the storage resides, and the replication feature is very nice for these kinds of scenarios.

It gives us the flexibility and the agility to work from both sides.

DR and the replication power are valuable.

We are using it in a very narrow area. I am not sure if there are a lot of enhancements for that. Pricing can always be better.

We have been using Nutanix Unified Storage for more than two years.

We did not use their technical support, so I guess its stability is okay.

It scales well.

We have not used their support a lot.

We are using another NAS solution for different use cases. We are using both solutions. We went for Nutanix Unified Storage because, for VDI purposes, everything is in the same box. There is a shorter distance for the IOs to go out from the nodes and everything. It is all in the same box.

We see an ROI, but that is not from using this particular solution because it is a very narrow use case. It is a combination of the UC solution.

It is not too high for what we are using.

We are currently utilizing some tools to protect unstructured data in our organization. These tools are very important because we are a regulated company and a bank.

I cannot assess Nutanix Unified Storage for detecting and blocking ransomware threats. It is only for the user profile. We are not using it as a fully blown NAS solution. We have other solutions for that.

Overall, I would rate Nutanix Unified Storage an eight out of ten.

Our primary use case is for running an EMR through Citrix.

The reliability and availability are the most valuable features. Reliability is important because it can run my workloads. I need to be able to take advantage of the VMs that are executing on the storage. It has to be reliable. It's also important to have the storage available for scaling VMs on demand. 

We size them accordingly but there's unexpected demand. It's much easier to scale a Nutanix node. Traditional storage doesn't scale so well but Nutanix aggregates it all into one single layer. 

A lot of times we use Golden Images through Citrix and the ability to make those Golden Images available through that entire storage stack is important to us. 

In terms of its ability to remove silos in our company storage, we still need traditional storage but NUS provides availability and single unification. You can scale much more easily versus traditional storage.

I think Nutanix does a very good job with unified storage and they continue to innovate. As they innovate it, there are new features that you can take advantage of. There was something called Shadow Clones that didn't exist with other storages. This feature is relevant for me with what I do with Citrix using the Shadow Clones. It accelerates and makes things more efficient for me.

We don't have issues with the storage. We have had to deal with some infrastructure and general cluster issues but these issues don't impact storage. 

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage for seven years.

Their support is excellent. They are still engaged even when something isn't their problem. That's one of the biggest asks from a support perspective. I would rate them a ten out of ten. 

Positive

I would rate Nutanix Unified Storage a ten out of ten. We haven't had any problems with them. 

Our organization is utilizing Nutanix Objects Storage for backup purposes, but it has a variety of applications, such as video recordings, database systems, and other backup needs.

The inclusion of it in the Nutanix Objects Storage platform simplifies my process as I am no longer required to acquire a separate platform. Instead, I can simply purchase additional licenses as needed. All management can be performed from a single unified interface, making it a convenient and streamlined experience.

Nutanix Objects Storage added the cluster on Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure recently, which was a large improvement. The fact that we're constantly making enhancements and improvements is a large benefit.

The solution should keep adding new features to be competitive in the market.

I used Nutanix Objects Storage within the last 12 months.

The stability of the system is remarkable. No disruptions have occurred and the upgrades are carried out smoothly. The process is automated, allowing us to initiate the upgrade and let it proceed on its own, one note at a time.

The ability to easily add another node as your business grows is a major advantage. Nutanix Objects Storage allows for flexibility in the type of nodes added, whether it be for more object storage or increased compute power for databases. This mix-and-match capability, combined with the ease of scaling, makes the solution highly scalable solution.

I rate the scalability of Nutanix Objects Storage a ten out of ten.

I have not personally dealt with Nutanix technical support, but from what I have heard, it is highly rated. The support team is said to be efficient and knowledgeable, allowing for quick resolution of issues. The process of reaching the right person is reportedly smooth and avoids the need for multiple escalations. Nutanix Objects Storage tech support is said to be good and effective in resolving problems.

The initial setup was extremely straightforward. The process involved simply activating the license and enabling the feature, and it took mere minutes to complete. Hence, it was a hassle-free deployment and easy to manage.

If we compare the cost of Nutanix Objects Storage to other solutions, such as VMware licenses, our current choice is Nutanix Objects Storage. This solution is more cost-effective. However, adding VMware to Nutanix would not be a cost-efficient decision, which is why we do not use it anymore.

Nutanix Objects Storage is fantastic. It offers excellent value for money and has the ability to scale up seamlessly. Nutanix is a top-notch company to work with. Their platform is highly scalable, and stable, and offers greater flexibility than any of its competitors.

I rate Nutanix Objects Storage a ten out of ten.

I rate the solution a ten out of ten because of the versatility it offers. The ability to choose from a range of nodes with varying CPU and storage capabilities allows me to have flexibility in my operations. Additionally, the expandability is great as I can grow according to my needs without having to waste resources.

We use the solution to replace the Microsoft file server. The solution ensures that the Microsoft file server is reachable and you always have your infrastructure in place. With Nutanix Unified Storage, you can synchronize the other locations.

Nutanix Unified Storage is quite easy to manage and back up everything.

The most valuable features of the solution are high availability and synchronization to another location. Just in case it goes down, then you always have your data. Nutanix Unified Storage is easy to implement, and the way the architecture is built is very good.

The solution has already improved a lot. The first time we used it, we ran into boundaries. Since then, the solution has become more mature.

The throughput or latency of Nutanix Unified Storage for data-intensive workloads is one of the better things we see. It's like expanding storage and two times doing nothing. If you have to do that in other systems, it takes more work and care. The storage in Nutanix is better organized and more flexible.

We have used the demo version of Nutanix Data Lens, which is okay from what we saw. Our organization is considering using Data Lens because it gives insights into what's happening with our data, which is interesting.

We have several security measures in place that are very important for our organization.

There are still some gaps in the solution's synchronization that could be improved.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage for two years and three months.

Nutanix Unified Storage has been a stable solution in the past.

Nutanix Unified Storage is a scalable solution.

The solution's technical support was horrible in the past. We addressed it to Nutanix, and they took it seriously, created an action plan, and adapted it. Afterward, the support improved, and now we have a direct channel to them. The engineers are also good.

Positive

We previously used the Microsoft file server. We switched to Nutanix Unified Storage because the business had a requirement for heavy availability. That was one of the biggest reasons we wanted a different solution, as it was not easy with Microsoft.

The solution’s initial setup was not easy.

We implemented the solution through an in-house team. We found errors in the guide provided by Nutanix, so the information that went out to us was wrong. We found the issue, experimented, and found a solution. Nutanix wasn't aware of the issue and rewrote its manual. Each time we went back to Nutanix, we found out what was wrong and correctly deployed the solution the second time.

The biggest return on investment with the solution is high availability because it costs a lot of money if the tool goes down.

The solution’s pricing could be cheaper.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

Our customer is in a POC for NUS for three nodes. They're using it as a backup target for Commvault. They have 120 TBs. This is what makes NUS very special. You can use it as a storage for backup or for any production storage. You can also use it for file sharing. These were our customer's needs and instead of giving them multiple products, we recommended NUS.

They will use it on Airgap with Commvault. 

Nutanix was fast and good. They have Commvault as a backup target, you can scale it as much as you want. You can add disks. Later on, you can reuse it as a production environment. So the customer was very happy with that. With Commvault, the restore and backup operations are really good.

You can also separate the networks. You can use it for production from the same appliances and another network for the DMZ. It's better than buying two storage systems or two backup targets for each one.

The capacity is very good. They use fewer nodes than before. Each node is isolated with the CPU with the performance. It is a cluster node but works separately, so the performance will be tripled.

We haven't gotten any bad feedback. 

I have been using NUS for three to four months. 

It's very good, it's very stable. The high availability feature works so that even if one node is down, you still can survive. 

Scalability is based on the nodes. You can scale as much as you want.

The support team is amazing. Our customer had one failure where it was not powering on at all. I opened the case and within two weeks, they replaced it with a new one. The customer is very happy with the help. They are wonderful.

Positive

My client was using Data Domain by Dell. Nutanix has better pricing, features, and cloud, and they're agnostic to any hardware.

The POC was very good. The implementation went smoothly. The customer still has a Dell environment so we gave him NUS to POC.

The pricing is very good. Compared to Dell and VMware, it's very good. VMware cost has doubled. 

I don't use it for AI purposes. I use it as a backup and storage system. The performance is for a backup. It's much better than compared to other appliances.

I would rate it a nine out of ten. Everything has been okay until now. The integrations are very good. Nutanix works well with Commvault. The customer is now finishing their POC.

We have a practice of testing different solutions and we completed a POC of Nutanix Unified Storage. 

The capability of Nutanix Unified Storage to store unstructured data is impressive. We have CCTV camera footage from each office location, and we can efficiently manage all the instructional data from a single interface. This is in contrast to Cisco, which represents a more complex system to manage.

Nutanix Unified Storage demonstrates resilience. The solution has the capability to duplicate data across multiple node storages, ensuring that if one node fails, the data remains accessible.

Having the capability to consolidate our storage through Nutanix Unified Storage gives us the assurance that we can oversee all our data under a single management team, rendering it more dependable.

We can utilize mixed storage block-sized objects and combine various databases within a unified interface. 

We can scale up or out without causing any interruptions to our service.

The concept of using the Gflag should not be employed in unified storage, as storage is a particularly sensitive domain. Allowing the use of the Gflag compromises the integrity of the Nutanix system and its established standards. While we do employ the Gflag to meet customer requirements, it's important to note that during maintenance activities, it becomes necessary to reset the Gflag to align with the customer's expectations. Thus, on one hand, the Gflag serves to support the customer, but on the other hand, customers become more reliant on the assistance of the Nutanix support team.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage for one month.

Nutanix Unified Storage is stable.

With Nutanix Unified Storage we can scale up and down accordingly.

The technical support is good. Our sole concern arises when we require assistance from them on weekends. We've noticed that the engineers' response time is slower during weekends.

Furthermore, when we ask for feedback regarding the nature of the issue and its resolution, we are only provided with a summary. This leaves us reliant on their support. They do not share internal articles with us; instead, they only provide generally available ones. If they could furnish us with detailed steps, we could address the issues independently, thereby saving time and reducing our dependency on Nutanix support.

Positive

The deployment took two days. We had several dependencies related to the required port openings that we had to satisfy while also adhering to our organizational standards during the process.

Normally we would only have two people involved in the deployment but because it was a new solution everyone wanted to be involved because they were eager to learn.

I would rate Nutanix Unified Storage a six out of ten because my experience is limited to the POC, and I haven't fully familiarized myself with the solution.

We also use Nutanix NCI and Database Service.

The POC involved a total of five people. One person conducted the testing, while the other four observed on Zoom through their screens.

Nutanix Unified Storage is our primary storage solution for file sharing. Our users can access files based on the assigned policies.

We implemented Nutanix Unified Storage because we were seeking a low-maintenance solution. 

Nutanix Unified Storage is a flexible product.

Nutanix Unified Storage is resilient, allowing for adaptability.

Nutanix Data Lens is a sophisticated feature that contributes to the enhancement of our security posture.

We can easily identify and protect against unknown threats with Nutanix Unified Storage.

We have reduced the manual work and maintenance required for our storage with Nutanix, while also increasing performance.

It empowers administrators to manage and run storage from any location. 

The most valuable feature is the unified dashboard, as it allows us to easily observe everything from a single location.

The GUI is not user-friendly for new users and has room for improvement.

Nutanix Unified Storage could benefit from additional safeguards to enhance security and prevent data leaks.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage for one year.

I would rate the stability of Nutanix Unified Storage ten out of ten.

Nutanix Unified Storage is scalable and there is no downtime involved in scaling the solution.

The technical support staff has consistently provided efficient and helpful assistance to us.

Positive

Before adopting Nutanix, we used traditional file server storage solutions. However, with over a million files, we lacked any analytics capabilities.

The initial deployment was straightforward and took around two months to complete. Our team of four worked with a team of three from Nutanix for the deployment. 

The cost of Nutanix Unified Storage can be prohibitive for some small and medium-sized businesses, making it challenging for them to adopt the product.

I rate Nutanix Unified Storage an eight out of ten.

When evaluating security features, Nutanix Unified Storage stands out among comparable software-defined storage options.

We have around 60 users and the solution is deployed in multiple regions.

Maintenance is required for uploads and updates.

I highly recommend Nutanix Unified Storage due to its robust security and low maintenance requirements.