Microsoft Azure vs Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) comparison

Microsoft and Nutanix are both solutions in the Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) category. Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3, while Nutanix is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.7. Microsoft holds a 10.8% mindshare in ISI, compared to Nutanix’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Nutanix users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Azure

Read 323 Microsoft Azure reviews

18,565 Views
9,839 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)

Read 28 Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) reviews

3,092 Views
1,360 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Microsoft Azure

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 16, 2024

Microsoft Azure and Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) are contenders in the cloud solutions category. Azure holds an edge with a broad range of integrated services and tools, offering superior productivity and scalability capabilities.

Features: Microsoft Azure offers extensive integration capabilities, advanced security features, and exceptional scalability, making it a popular choice for businesses aiming to enhance productivity and manage costs effectively. Nutanix Cloud Clusters excel in providing redundancy and simplicity, especially for managing hybrid environments, allowing seamless transitions between on-premises and cloud setups.

Room for Improvement: Azure users often face challenges with the complexity and costs associated with the platform, needing clearer licensing and a more intuitive user interface. Moreover, improvements in documentation and third-party integration are necessary. Nutanix Cloud Clusters need to increase adoption and awareness while simplifying their pricing structure to compete with established providers like Azure.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Azure offers multiple deployment options, focusing on public and hybrid models, but users might experience complexities during the initial setup. Their customer support is robust but varies across regions. Nutanix Cloud Clusters are recognized for easy deployment in hybrid environments, receiving praise for responsive customer service though some complexity exists in multi-regional deployments.

Pricing and ROI: Azure is perceived as competitively priced but can seem expensive because of its complex licensing and potential hidden costs. However, it provides a good ROI when managed well. Nutanix Cloud Clusters are generally seen as costly, but they can offer savings through optimized hybrid capabilities. Both platforms provide substantial cost management opportunities when used strategically.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Azure vs. Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure vs. Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)

December 2025

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Helped 881,082 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

ROI

Sentiment score

6.1

Microsoft Azure is favored for reducing costs, offering flexible scalability, and enhancing service reliability while shifting expenses to operational.

Sentiment score

6.8

Users expect significant ROI from Nutanix Cloud Clusters, citing cost savings, boosted productivity, enhanced management, and future long-term savings.

The value for money is good, and Microsoft Azure has positively impacted our operational costs.

HafizMuhammad

IT Support Specialist at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

When we use Microsoft Azure, it provides enhanced security from our perspective, though I am not certain about the financial return on investment or benefits for our users as I do not have that information.

Flamur Prapashtica

Head Of Security Management at Ipko Telecommunications

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

In time, it has proven beneficial because we no longer have to have hands-on management of a server environment; really, one engineer does it.

Jose Ybarra

Manager, Information Technology Engineers at IBC Bank

In comparison, five years ago, we purchased 30 nodes on-prem, and now we are only using six nodes in Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2).

Venu Karate

Global Infrastructure& Cloud Operations at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees

I would say our total cost of ownership has been reduced by approximately 30% to 50%.

TomHamilton

Senior IT Engineer at Estes Express Lines

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.5

Microsoft Azure's support is responsive and knowledgeable, but speed and accessibility vary with the service level purchased.

Sentiment score

7.4

Nutanix Cloud Clusters support is praised for expertise and efficiency, though some note response times could improve.

Microsoft needs to engage L3 and L2 in support when specified in service tickets.

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect (Data Centre) at LogicEra

We eventually get the resolution we seek.

Sumit_Gupta

Freelancer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

I would rate their technical support a ten because we have various support channels available.

reviewer1791999

Solutions Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

The people I get are intelligent and know how to fix the issue the first time I call them, so it's been great.

TomHamilton

Senior IT Engineer at Estes Express Lines

The customer service and technical support have been very helpful; they jump on calls with us and stay engaged until any issues are resolved.

ScottMorgan

Director at Lightpath

They're good and help us whenever we need them.

Jose Ybarra

Manager, Information Technology Engineers at IBC Bank

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.6

Microsoft Azure is highly rated for its scalable resource management, suitable for businesses of all sizes and workloads.

Sentiment score

7.6

Nutanix Cloud Clusters offers efficient scalability, supporting easy expansion and addressing diverse enterprise workload requirements despite configuration challenges.

Microsoft Azure is not just one product; it is a platform with multiple products within Microsoft Azure, and I would say it is scalable and would rate it a nine.

Jurgens Els

Director at Apeiros Solutions

The scalability of Microsoft Azure is excellent for growth and adaptation, depending on company requirements.

Flamur Prapashtica

Head Of Security Management at Ipko Telecommunications

It has different kinds of designs that allow for management and deployment in multi-zones, offering both scalable and non-scalable options.

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect (Data Centre) at LogicEra

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

During builds, it was very scalable, and adding or removing nodes was far quicker than if we were to do that on-prem in our own data center.

reviewer2703927

Virtualization engineer at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees

In the cloud clusters, we can instantly request a host-level host to add to Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2), and it will automatically expand.

ShyamikaThamel

Associate Tech Specialists at Seatrium

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) scales very effectively with the growing needs of my company, and it does so very fast and quickly.

Jose Ybarra

Manager, Information Technology Engineers at IBC Bank

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.7

Microsoft Azure is generally stable with high uptime, though users note occasional issues and some prefer AWS for reliability.

Sentiment score

7.8

Nutanix Cloud Clusters are highly reliable, offer strong performance and support, and are praised for uptime and self-healing.

We noticed a few critical servers went down due to a Microsoft Azure-end hardware issue.

reviewer1561173

Senior Associate at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

We are now migrating clients without the zoning into mandatory multi-zone deployments, so if one zone goes down, their application and database remain live.

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect (Data Centre) at LogicEra

Microsoft Azure is quite stable, but recent outages and security issues have slightly decreased my confidence.

reviewer3261598

Works at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) is very reliable with 99.99% uptime.

Jose Ybarra

Manager, Information Technology Engineers at IBC Bank

The stability and reliability of Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) are commendable.

TomHamilton

Senior IT Engineer at Estes Express Lines

I have found Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) to be stable and reliable.

Venu Karate

Global Infrastructure& Cloud Operations at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) report

Room For Improvement

Azure users seek a user-friendly interface, better pricing, enhanced support, compatibility improvements, and additional customization with security enhancements.

Nutanix Cloud Clusters needs better pricing, interfaces, scalability, and enhanced tools for setup, integration, and cross-platform compatibility.

Recent outages and security issues are also a concern, causing a decrease in confidence, especially when partnering with third-party companies.

reviewer3261598

Works at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

The administrative side is suitable for technical people, but our finance and HR super users find it less user-friendly, as they prefer drag-and-drop features to build their own solutions without contacting IT.

HafizMuhammad

IT Support Specialist at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

There is still room for improvement in terms of pricing.

Jurgens Els

Director at Apeiros Solutions

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

The one thing that stands out is the costing, especially if you check the NCM module, where you see the cost of the VM, which is defined by the customer rather than how the calculations work if that VM is a reserved instance.

Venu Karate

Global Infrastructure& Cloud Operations at a wholesaler/distributor with 10,001+ employees

My suggestion would be getting up to speed on ransomware and evolving, as attackers are always one step ahead of what's out there.

Jose Ybarra

Manager, Information Technology Engineers at IBC Bank

Some features that people say Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) lacks could be simplified to make it easier, such as a single pane of glass, and getting more into Google Cloud would be very helpful for our team as we're working on GCP interfaces.

Bill Illis

Vice President, Technical Operations at The IT Group, LLC

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) report

Setup Cost

Microsoft Azure's competitive pricing and flexible options attract users, despite concerns about long-term cost predictability and specific charges.

Nutanix Cloud Clusters pricing is costly but fair, with migration challenges, license portability, and expense optimization benefits.

Microsoft solutions might be cheaper than some services like AWS, but some solutions may be more expensive depending on the services compared.

reviewer3261598

Works at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

Copilot is expensive based on recent pricing for our POC.

HafizMuhammad

IT Support Specialist at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

They have discounts and also provide promotions for a three-year reservation which comes with significant discounts on the infrastructure part.

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect (Data Centre) at LogicEra

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

Our partners at Nutanix did work with us recently and reduced a huge licensing cost for us.

Jose Ybarra

Manager, Information Technology Engineers at IBC Bank

For us, the pricing and costs have been fair.

TomHamilton

Senior IT Engineer at Estes Express Lines

When working with my sales representatives, everything is included, they've been very helpful, and it's been within our price range for the most part.

Bill Illis

Vice President, Technical Operations at The IT Group, LLC

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) report

Valuable Features

Microsoft Azure excels in scalability, integration, security, and cost-effectiveness, enhancing development and operational efficiency with robust support.

Nutanix Cloud Clusters provide efficient management, scalability, cost optimization, and seamless integration across hybrid environments, enhancing disaster recovery.

Power BI, another feature of Azure, is extremely elegant and has robust features that support forecasting using R and Python.

reviewer3261598

Works at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

If Microsoft gives a report, such as a server performance report in a detailed way, which shows what is consuming more CPU, memory, and disk IO, and network utilization during a particular time, it would be helpful to visualize that information.

reviewer1561173

Senior Associate at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

What is very interesting in terms of scalability is the automatic possibilities to provision some new machines to be able to absorb the number of users we have in the system.

Sylvain CAILLAU

Technical Director / Market Evangelist at CAST Software

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure report

We're not limited based on the hardware that we have. We allow ourselves room for growth, and we can literally grow from today to tomorrow to ensure that we're handling our growth.

Jose Ybarra

Manager, Information Technology Engineers at IBC Bank

We used to have a light-for-light kind of build-out in another data center in a different location. Now, we can pare that down to just a couple of nodes and know that we can burst it out when we need to.

TomHamilton

Senior IT Engineer at Estes Express Lines

Nutanix's license portability is a very valuable tool for us because we were building our own data center, so we've bought on-prem licenses and then utilize that for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2).

ScottMorgan

Director at Lightpath

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) report

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure

Ranking in Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

323

Ranking in other categories

PaaS Clouds (1st)

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)

Ranking in Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)

8th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Management (9th), Hybrid Cloud Computing Platforms (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure is 10.8%, down from 19.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) is 1.6%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Azure	10.8%
Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)	1.6%
Other	87.6%

Infrastructure as a Service Clouds (IaaS)

Featured Reviews

Syed Abid

Snr. Infrastructure Architect (Data Centre) at LogicEra

Versatile integrations and reliable customer satisfaction elevate cloud service experience

For Microsoft Azure improvement, they need to enhance their support system. The first level of support should be improved in terms of quality and response time. They need more technical support at the first level, as there are currently only one or two technical people among five to ten staff members at this level. They should ensure that the first level support is more technical because we normally provide services to technical users ourselves. When an issue arises, it usually escalates to the second or third level. When facing first level support, they may have limited knowledge and only collect screenshots to forward to their seniors. They should ensure that the first level support is aligned with L2 and L3 to better assist us, especially since we mention in the ticket that our issues are related to specific problems and require that sort of support.

Read full review

Jose Ybarra

Manager, Information Technology Engineers at IBC Bank

Enables us to grow at the speed of business and be ready for whatever is coming

What I admire most about Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) is its scalability; that option that everybody seems to eventually go to is cloud, and we're ready for that when we decide. This scalability feature has improved my company because we can grow at the speed of business, and that's very important. We're not limited by the hardware that we have. We allow ourselves room for growth, and we can literally grow from today to tomorrow to ensure that we're handling our growth. The scalability is critical for us, especially in the banking industry, where we just get bigger every year.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

University

Computer Software Company

23%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	140
Midsize Enterprise	53
Large Enterprise	150

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	12

Questions from the Community

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One of the best features of SAP Cloud Platform is that it is web-based and you can log in from anywhere in the world. SAP Cloud Platform is suitable for companies of any size; it works well with bo...

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How does Microsoft Azure compare to Google Firebase?

I would recommend Google Firebase instead of Microsoft Azure, simply for the array of features that it has to offer. In particular, the Firebase library grants you access to a shared data structure...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)?

I'm not familiar with the contracts, but I thought the process was pretty seamless. Licensing for the Nutanix part was the same as licensing something on-prem, and since it runs on bare metal EC2, ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)?

From an improvement perspective, I cannot see anything at this point because I used those Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) at that moment, but I am currently not using it. The pricing could be lower.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)?

I use the workload migration feature between clouds, such as migrating from VMware to Nutanix. I use Nutanix Move to migrate workloads from Nutanix Move. However, in some cases with our failover cl...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure

January 2026

Download Microsoft Azure product report

Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)

January 2026

Download Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) product report

Also Known As

Windows Azure, Azure, MS Azure

Nutanix Clusters

Overview

Microsoft Azure integrates services and offers flexibility, ensuring compatibility with diverse environments. Its scalability, security, and cost-efficient features enhance deployment and management, making it ideal for infrastructure services and application hosting.

Azure provides a comprehensive suite of tools for application deployment, virtual machine management, and data analytics. It allows seamless integration with Power BI and offers a user-friendly interface supported by detailed documentation and technical support. Though users appreciate its capabilities, they sometimes face challenges with costs, setup, and interface complexity, alongside integration and performance issues. Frequent updates and a learning curve are also noted, though Azure's cloud-based security and scalability remain critical for disaster recovery and business continuity.

What are Azure's key features?

Integrated Services: Ensures compatibility with Microsoft and non-Microsoft environments.
Scalability: Supports growing business demands with flexible computing power.
Security: Offers robust cloud-based security features for data protection.
Cost Efficiency: Provides options that optimize costs for diverse requirements.
Application Deployment: Facilitates quick rollout of apps and services.

What benefits should users expect from Azure?

Operational Optimization: Allows companies to streamline processes effectively.
Innovative Efficiency: Empowers businesses to innovate with powerful tools.
Reliable Support: Backed by strong technical support and comprehensive documentation.
Flexible Cloud Solutions: Offers a range of options for cloud migrations and infrastructure management.

Microsoft Azure is widely implemented in industries like financial services, healthcare, and logistics for hosting enterprise applications and vital services. Companies utilize its capabilities for IoT applications, DevOps, and Kubernetes clusters, benefiting from its cloud migrations, data analytics, and active directory support.

Microsoft

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) provide scalable and cost-efficient infrastructure management across cloud and on-premises environments. With features like data portability and ease of setup, NC2 enables seamless migration without application refactoring.

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) supports businesses in managing hybrid IT environments, enhancing disaster recovery, and optimizing workloads. Users value NC2 for its unified management platform and redundancy features, facilitating cloud migration and integration with major cloud providers. Challenges include pricing and initial setup complexity, as well as feature parity between different cloud services.

What are the key features of Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)?

Scalability: Easily scales resources to meet business demands.
Cost Management: Controls and reduces cloud-related expenses.
Data Portability: Ensures seamless migration between environments.
Unified Management: Manages both cloud and on-premises platforms from one place.
Integration: Connects efficiently with multiple cloud providers.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Redundancy: Enhances disaster recovery capabilities and operational resilience.
License Portability: Simplifies license management across different environments.
Optimized Workloads: Maintains performance and reduces unnecessary costs.
Efficient Setup: Simplifies initial adjustments, ensuring quick deployment.

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) find application in industries requiring reliable infrastructure management, like finance and healthcare, to safeguard critical systems. Organizations leverage NC2 for virtual desktops, application modernization, and smooth transition to cloud operations, improving data security and replication processes.

Nutanix

Sample Customers

BMW, Toyota, easyJet, NBC Sports, HarperCollins, Aviva, TalkTalk Business, Avanade, and Telenor.

The Home Depot, JetBlue, Hyundai, ShiftLeft

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Azure vs. Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)

December 2025

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