Nutanix as VMware Alternative: Modernizing Infrastructure and Achieving Hybrid Cloud

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and for your interest in exploring VMware alternative hypervisors. We at Techwrix are grateful for your attention and trust as we discuss how organizations can improve their technology user experience and navigate the changing landscape of virtualization.

The genesis of this blog came from the recent acquisition of VMware by Broadcom, which has prompted many organizations to reevaluate and consider alternative hypervisors. As a B2B tech media company, we have received questions from many people about the potential changes and the need to explore other options.

If you missed our previous posts on VMware alternatives, you can find them here:

Nutanix as a VMware Alternative

As organizations evaluate VMware alternative hypervisors, Nutanix offers a modern and efficient solution for infrastructure needs. Here are the key benefits of Nutanix as an alternative to VMware:

Comparison of Legacy infrastructure and limitations: Legacy infrastructure, often involves complex and costly hardware setups, leading to inefficiencies and management challenges. Nutanix offers a more streamlined and scalable web-scale architecture, eliminating the limitations of legacy infrastructure.
Nutanix web-scale architecture and its advantages in terms of scalability, efficiency, and simplicity: Nutanix’s web-scale architecture enables organizations to scale their infrastructure easily, efficiently, and with simplicity. It provides a unified platform that combines storage, compute, and networking, eliminating the need for separate hardware components and streamlining operations.
Highlighting the value of Nutanix’s AHV hypervisor and its features: Nutanix’s AHV hypervisor offers native security features, ensuring the protection of workloads and data. It also provides robust ecosystem support, allowing organizations to integrate with various third-party solutions. Additionally, Nutanix’s AHV eliminates the need for separate hypervisor licensing, resulting in significant cost savings.
Emphasizing the strength of Nutanix’s customer support: Nutanix prides itself on its exceptional customer support and has achieved a high Net Promoter Score (NPS). This demonstrates the company’s commitment to customer satisfaction and its ability to provide reliable and responsive support.

Migration Strategies to Nutanix AHV

When considering a migration from VMware to Nutanix AHV, there are several strategies to consider. Each option offers its own benefits and can be tailored to fit your specific needs and environment.

Option 1: In-place conversion from VMware to AHV for non-production environments: For non-production environments, such as test, development, or QA, an in-place conversion from VMware to AHV may be a viable option. This allows you to experience AHV firsthand without disrupting critical workloads. It is a simple and efficient way to familiarize yourself with the Nutanix AHV hypervisor.
Option 2: Leveraging Nutanix Move for workload rehosting and cross-hypervisor migration: Nutanix Move is a powerful tool that enables workload rehosting and cross-hypervisor migration. It simplifies the process of moving virtual machines from VMware to AHV, reducing downtime and minimizing the risk of data loss. Nutanix Move ensures a seamless transition and enables you to take advantage of the benefits of AHV.
Option 3: Exploring Nutanix Test Drive for a hands-on experience and familiarization with AHV: If you want to get a hands-on experience with AHV and familiarize yourself with its features and capabilities, Nutanix Test Drive is the perfect option. It provides a simulated environment where you can explore and interact with AHV, allowing you to see firsthand how it can benefit your organization. Nutanix Test Drive is an easy and risk-free way to evaluate AHV.

Regardless of the migration option you choose, it is important to highlight the flexibility and scalability of Nutanix’s solutions. Nutanix AHV allows for a phased approach to infrastructure modernization, enabling you to start small and scale as needed. This approach ensures minimal disruption and maximizes the value of your investment.

Achieving Hybrid Cloud with Nutanix

Organizations today are increasingly looking for alternative hypervisors to VMware, and Nutanix offers a modern and efficient solution for infrastructure needs. Achieving a hybrid cloud with Nutanix has several benefits:

Ideal State of Infrastructure: Hybrid Cloud

A hybrid cloud is the ideal state of infrastructure for many organizations, allowing them to leverage the benefits of both public and private cloud environments. Nutanix provides seamless mobility and ease of management in achieving hybrid cloud deployment.

Nutanix Capabilities for Hybrid Cloud Deployment

Nutanix’s web-scale architecture enables organizations to scale their infrastructure easily, efficiently, and with simplicity. It provides a unified platform that combines storage, compute, and networking, eliminating the need for separate hardware components and streamlining operations.

Limits of Legacy Infrastructure for Hybrid Cloud

Legacy infrastructure, including VMware, often involves complex and costly hardware setups, leading to inefficiencies and management challenges. Nutanix offers a more streamlined and scalable solution, eliminating the limitations of legacy infrastructure.

Cost Savings and Efficiency of Nutanix Cloud Clusters

Nutanix’s cloud clusters for hybrid cloud deployment offer cost savings and efficiency. The inclusion of Nutanix AHV hypervisor eliminates the need for separate licensing, resulting in significant cost savings. Additionally, Nutanix provides native security features and ecosystem support, enhancing cost savings and efficiency.

FAQs

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about Nutanix AHV:

Are there any licensing costs for Nutanix AHV?

No, there are no separate licensing costs for Nutanix AHV. It is included as part of the Nutanix platform, making it a cost-effective choice for virtualization.

What is Nutanix’s approach to security and ecosystem support?

Nutanix has a strong focus on security and provides native security features within its AHV hypervisor. Additionally, Nutanix has a robust ecosystem of over 800 validated solutions to support various third-party integrations and enhance security.

How does Nutanix’s NPS score compare to other competitors?

Nutanix prides itself on its exceptional customer support and has achieved a high Net Promoter Score (NPS). This demonstrates the company’s commitment to customer satisfaction and its ability to provide reliable and responsive support.

Can Nutanix be integrated with existing VMware environments?

Yes, Nutanix can be integrated with existing VMware environments. Nutanix offers a cross-hypervisor migration tool called Nutanix Move, which simplifies the process of moving virtual machines from VMware to Nutanix AHV. This allows organizations to leverage the benefits of Nutanix while still using their existing VMware infrastructure.

Does Nutanix provide support for database infrastructure?

Yes, Nutanix provides support for database infrastructure. Nutanix’s platform includes features such as unified storage, replication, and backup, which are essential for running and managing database workloads efficiently and securely.

Conclusion

Nutanix is a viable VMware alternative for organizations looking to modernize their infrastructure and achieve hybrid cloud environments. With its web-scale architecture, Nutanix offers a streamlined and scalable solution that eliminates the limitations of legacy infrastructure.

For organizations considering a migration to Nutanix AHV, there are several strategies to choose from. Whether it’s an in-place conversion for non-production environments, leveraging Nutanix Move for workload rehosting and cross-hypervisor migration, or exploring Nutanix Test Drive for a hands-on experience, there are options to fit specific needs and environments.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and we hope that you have gained valuable insights into how Nutanix can serve as a VMware alternative. Visit Nutanix website to learn more.

Nisar Ahmad

Nisar is a founder of Techwrix, Sr. Systems Engineer, double VCP6 (DCV & NV), 8 x vExpert 2017-24, with 12 years of experience in administering and managing data center environments using VMware and Microsoft technologies. He is a passionate technology writer and loves to write on virtualization, cloud computing, hyper-convergence (HCI), cybersecurity, and backup & recovery solutions.