Nutanix pushes software-only cloud strategy and new pricing options
Thu 4 May 2017
Nutanix has announced its plans to focus on software-only sales, rolling out its hyperconverged software-defined offerings for use with HPE and Cisco servers.
The company already has similar partnerships with Lenovo and Dell, but these involve pre-assembled appliances rather than standalone software packages which can be configured for a server depending on the customer’s choice.
The new decision means that HPE’s ProLiant and Cisco’s UCS-B servers will now be certified to power Nutanix software. In a press release, the company said that customers would have the ‘option to transfer their software-only entitlements to another qualified third-party platform, including additional x86 servers anticipated to be validated at a later date.’
According to the firm, the move is to ensure that customers have more choice of hardware platforms, while still relying on a consistent and agile operating environment.
Nutanix further announced the release of ‘Nutanix Go’ – a new pricing model which will allow customers to purchase its cloud infrastructure as an operational expense, with highly flexible terms as short as six months and the ability to scale infrastructure as required. Nutanix believes that this structure aligns with the purchasing experience of the public cloud, and will allow customers to break out of long-term capital budget commitments.
The company noted in its statement that CIOs and CFOs across different industries are struggling to plan accurate long-term IT investments as the technology landscape becomes increasingly unpredictable as a result of digital transformation. Nutanix hopes that an OPEX model can help to reduce financial risk and provide greater agility for businesses.
It is a testing time for Nutanix as it faces increasing pressure from Dell EMC and internal HCI developments within HPE and Cisco. However, the company continues to draw in important deals, including a recent agreement with Xiaomi which will see the Chinese mobile giant replace its legacy three-tier IT infrastructure with the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Platform.
*HPE has since provided the following statement: ‘While it’s nice that Nutanix recognizes our leadership in the server industry, there is no relationship between HPE and Nutanix. Customers looking for a supported hyperconverged solution on our DL380 are better served using our HPE SimpliVity product.’
