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If you’re looking for information about Nutanix Software or hyper-converged infrastructure, this guide will help you.
We’ll cover topics for:
- IT Managers doing research for your next data center project.
- SysAdmins surfing the Internet for Nutanix resources.
- Anyone curious who loves innovative new trends.
You’re in the right place, let’s get started…
Is Hyper-Converged all Hype?
As a small, medium, large business or startup, the last thing you want to compromise on is infrastructure.
But luckily, gone are the days when you have to invest in massive server and storage farms for ESXi.
With Nutanix, the alternative to VMware, you can now have a virtual server and storage infrastructure without costly vSAN licenses.
But what is Nutanix? You’re about to find out…
I’ve been watching Nutanix for a while to see if it’s all hype, and to be 100% honest – I’ve purchased 40 shares of their stock – which by the way has been going up, up, up!
Nutanix is a Disrupter…
Nutanix is a Silicon Valley-based company that has disrupted VMware’s market through its fresh approach to virtualization and elastic storage technology.
Basically, Nutanix focuses on modernizing data centers through hyper-converged infrastructure.
As a cloud computing software, Nutanix plays a major role in streamlining workloads in multi-cloud environments.
In a nutshell, Nutanix software provides you with access to a public cloud that’s intelligently partitioned for added privacy.
Hyper-Converged Infrastructure in 60 Minutes
Here’s what that means for you:
- Computing – Use your existing server hardware and get loads of computing power.
- Storage – Use local disks and build elastic storage so you don’t need to buy big storage anymore.
- Virtualization – Install an open-source hypervisor or use ESXi – it’s your choice on how you build VMs.
- Networking – Ah, whether you’re married to Cisco ACI or VMware NSX, Nutanix has you connected.
So, whenever you decide to switch to Nutanix software or have your proof of concept, you’ll get access to a full-stack solution with a single OS that runs across different clouds.
But it gets better…
If you want hybrid cloud services, you can have them with unlimited capacity.
Now you’ll be able to transcend the boundaries separating all the clouds (be they public, private, or distributed clouds).
You’d be correct to say that Nutanix software is redefining data centers, so no – Nutanix is not all hype.
What Makes Nutanix Unique?
First off, this solution completely does away with the need for SANs (Storage Area Networks) and NAS (Network Attached Storage) effectively saving you the hassle of managing multiple storage systems.
Also, if you’re still hosting infrastructure on-premise, Nutanix can help your businesses widen their data storage and management possibilities by taking advantage of higher server rack consolidation.
This result is in a smaller footprint, lower data center costs, and superior performance.
But there’s more…
The beauty of using Nutanix is that you can start out with 3 blades (or 1U pizza box servers) and scale up as your computing needs grow.
Now to be fair, I recall years ago writing the same thing about VMware vSphere – except now you pay the VMware tax on every CPU socket you deploy.
Why Use Nutanix?
#1. Enhanced Performance
With a built-in Acropolis software enhancement, the Nutanix platform is a true work-horse.
In fact, according to their documentation, you can use it to power up to 30,000 Microsoft Exchange mailboxes using 8U worth of rack space.
Besides that, the storage system is highly responsive and fast, offering remarkable I/O performance in 4U rack space.
#2. End Lock-In with Diversity
Nutanix supports Hyper-V, KVM, and VMware – this makes them ultimate service providers, further differentiating them from the likes of Microsoft, Citrix, and VMware.
End lock-in and leverage the benefits of modern-day hyper-converged infrastructure.
#3. Simplified Solution
If you’d like, you can refer to Nutanix as a data center in a box because they remove the need for complicated storage by providing a cost-effective way to reap the benefits of a SAN via smart software.
We’re talking about a sophisticated hyper-converged infrastructure solution that can be seamlessly deployed in less than 60 minutes or so (out-of-the-box).
Of course, another benefit to this approach is that it reduces the complexity of legacy virtualization management. That’s right, we’re calling VMware the legacy solution…
#4. Enhanced Security
Whether you believe their hype or not, one of Nutanix’s unique selling points is that it seeks to make infrastructure invisible.
If that’s true, it lets your IT department focus on doing what matters to grow your company instead of focusing on mundane software/hardware vulnerabilities.
And, that also reduces the complexity that helps optimize infrastructure performance. Hmm…
Nutanix Software Highlights
Nutanix keeps innovating – because as Jay Samit, author of Disrupt You would say, “it’s either you’re the one disrupting the market or being disrupted.”
Now let’s take a look at a few key highlights:
Acropolis
One of the key attributes of Acropolis is that it makes it easy to detect nodes that may be having network latency issues or memory errors.
By raising an alert and degrading the affected node(s), this quintessential addition makes troubleshooting easier for your admins – thereby helping your team save time and money.
Prism Pro
This handy feature is the true definition of intelligent automation, and we all love automation, right?
With Prism Pro, you get foundational machine intelligence, all you need to deliver streamlined operations regardless of the kind of workload you might handle.
Also, with Prism Pro, Nutanix software offers you a self-learning platform that continuously scores more artificial intelligence points as it studies your application’s behaviors and makes accurate predictions.
Basically, you’re using algorithms to enhance the quality of automated decision-making over time in addition to rolling out smart capacity management.
Full Software Stack
In today’s competitive world where everyone is trying to cut costs and focus on growth, it goes without saying that you need room for scaling up.
The need for vertical stability is always a key part of modern-day startups, and Nutanix boasts a full software stack capable of blending with different cloud providers.
And get this…
If you need more scalability, they have a complementary service known as Nutanix Xi which enables you to handle your deployments natively using AWS, Google Cloud, Cisco, Lenovo, Dell EMC, Azure, or IBM.
Nutanix PROs
- Brings simplicity to the world of data centers with less infrastructure complexity.
- Works across multiple cloud platforms to allow you to scale as needed from anywhere.
- Allows for scaling up locally by adding more nodes to the hyper-converged resources.
- Uses vSphere if you want to take advantage of existing, investments in licenses, training, and staff.
- Eliminates the need for vSAN, SAN, and NAS hardware and licenses costs.
Nutanix CONs
- More functions should be added for Prism and VMware features but this is likely coming soon.
- There are still not a lot of training and learning resources – which is good and bad.
Is Nutanix just another vendor that grows up and tries to lock you into their software licenses and renewals – we’ll have to see.
FAQs
#1. How do I get started on Nutanix?
To get a better idea of how Nutanix works, I recommend going through the Nutanix Bible.
This is available both in HTML and PDF versions and covers all the basics you may need to know prior to getting on board.
Otherwise, you can always get in touch with their support team for assistance.
#2. Does Nutanix support local languages?
Yes, it does.
Apart from English (the primary language), the platform supports Spanish, German, French, Dutch, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, and Italian.
#3. How does Nutanix relate to VMware?
For now, the fact that Nutanix uses vSphere shows they are working with VMware. That said, the stronger Nutanix becomes – the smaller this friendship will get.
Taking Advantage as a SysAdmin
If you’re not already taking advantage of Nutanix Software, then you’re missing out on a lot.
As an avid VMware advocate, I couldn’t ignore them anymore because as I see it, Nutanix gives you an opportunity to get started at the leading edge, without breaking your back or bank.
More importantly, if you’re looking for a career in cloud technology, then Nutanix gives you a greenfield – versus the already saturated world of VMware.
Here’s how to kickstart your Nutanix career:
- Visit the Nutanix website and start immersing yourself in their products and solutions. See the resource section below for the link.
- Download their trials and free software and set up a lab so you can learn how to install the Nutanix software. Also, below.
- Watch everything you can on YouTube if you can’t pay for training, Below is a great video to start with.
- Invest in the best Nutanix books so you can learn how to design, install, and configure Nutanix like a Pro. See below.
- Update your resume with your new skills and start searching for Nutanix jobs. See below.
Nutanix Resource Kit
Watch How Nutanix Works
Best Selling Nutanix Books
Check out these Nutanix training courses on Udemy!
Nutanix Jobs Near You
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Nutanix Links
- Test Drive the Nutanix Community Edition
- Download Nutanix Opensource Software
- Read the Offical Nutanix Blog
- Read the Free Nutanix Bible
- Best Nutanix Training
- Nutanix Alternatives
More Nutanix resources coming soon…
The Challenge
As I start to wrap up, I want to encourage you. Whether you’re a business that’s building a new hyper-converged cloud. Or a new IT Professional looking for the next big opportunity where you can grow your career – it’s conclusive, Nutanix software can help.
As Jay Samit says – “Disrupt or be Disrupted” – now think about that challenge and get going.
vbeginners.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, and other Amazon stores worldwide. *Best Sellers last updated on 2024-12-23 at 03:17.
