Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) Reviews

1. Ease of administration
2. Monitoring and alerting features through Prism Web UI
3. Acceleration of non-persistent VDI through the shadow clone feature
4. Localization of I/O makes boot and login storms a thing of the past

Rather than spend valuable consulting days setting up a SAN and carving out LUNs, setting up the hosts, etc., I am now able to quickly configure a Nutanix Cluster in minutes. I use the majority of my consulting time fine tuning the VDI and SBC deployment’s performance and policies which is the most valuable to the client.

I've been using Nutanix VCP NOS for two years.

On one particular deployment, I found two issues with hardware; a bad disk drive, and a bad motherboard. Luckily, Nutanix support contacted me because they received the alerts at the same time I did and we were able to triage and replace the defective hardware prior to the roll-out.

Something to consider when designing Rackspace for Nutanix blocks, and other SuperMicro server hardware, is that you are effectively adding four computer nodes into a 2U space. When you stack multiple blocks together in a rack, the density of heat is considerable when compared to typical server hardware in the very same amount of space. If you do the design without appropriate cooling, yes, you will have issues with stability.

Quite the opposite, really, this is the first time when scalability is not an issue. Adding another Nutanix node to a Cluster adds storage, memory and compute very easily. Nutanix scales very linearly, like some other converged solutions. Because it scales so linearly, it is important to choose your Nutanix model wisely so that you scale appropriately for the workload you are throwing at it.

Customer service is fantastic.

Prior to Nutanix, we, like everyone else, pieced together our solution using HP Proliant servers, and NetApp SAN storage. Between ordering, qualifying, unboxing, setup and configuration, the amount of time required to get the client up and running was huge. We had to have experts on shared storage and networking; a lot of time was spent doing tasks that didn’t directly translate into value for our clients. Switching to Nutanix flipped the value proposition around, and suddenly one technical person qualified in Nutanix was all that was needed. Our time to deployment was much faster, and both ours and our client’s costs went down.

Setup is very straightforward. Once racked and cabled, all I need is an IPv6 capable machine with a web browser. The Nutanix wizard guides me through the setup and configuration of the cluster in minutes.

I am the consultant providing the services.

If you decide to deploy Nutanix in your organization, choose the team wisely. We were fortunate to have our own CTO, Mark Knouse, be awarded the NTC title. As Nutanix aggressively adds new features and ways to buy into the platform, and the Nutanix community grows, having a trusted team with NTCs that works directly with Nutanix with ensure your deployment is a success.

I valued the high performance I/O and the high availability (HA).

This was a POC and due to the high cost of the solution we did not end up deploying the technology. Also the initial setup, and ongoing administration have room for improvement.

I used the Nutanix products in a Proof-of-Concept (POC) that we did for addressing performance issues for a Splunk installation. One of the issues was trying to get high I/O performance using VMware guests. Nutanix provided us with a possible solution for our needs. As a result, I was only exposed to the solution for about two to three months during the POC.

With the assistance of a Nutanix resource, we had very little issues with the deployment of the hardware. Our biggest technical hurdle was the networking requirements in order to provide adequate bandwidth for the product.

We did not encounter any stability issues.

We did not encounter an issues with scalability.

I was very pleased with the level of customer service and support provided during the POC.

The Nutanix resources provided to us were very knowledgeable about the product.

This was a POC to look for a solution, but we did not have an equivalent solution in place.

The setup was complex and required Nutanix to provide a resource to assist with it. The networking requirements, storage/file system layout and rack space layout added to the level of complexity.

Nutanix provided a vendor team to assist with all facets of the POC implementation.

As this was a POC there was no cost involved.

No other products were being reviewed at the time of this POC but we chose not to implement it.

This solution has many advantages, but comes with a cost in dollars and complexity, so make sure you are thorough in your requirements, and that this product meets and exceeds all your short term and long term needs, including your budget.

The primary use case for Nutanix Acropolis AOS is as a platform with storage options for customers who are in need of such solutions.

Regarding Nutanix AOS, fault tolerance is great. Nutanix makes managing repositories easier once customers are trained.

Nutanix marketing strategy needs improvement, particularly in Myanmar. There needs to be more events and initiatives to familiarize customers with Nutanix.

I am familiar with Nutanix Acropolis AOS, having used it with some enterprise setups, but it's not clear for how long.

The technical support by Nutanix is rated highly. It's mentioned that support is fast when customers encounter trouble.

Positive

Further emphasis on Nutanix marketing is recommended, including holding events in Myanmar.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

The console and managing are user-friendly.

Deployment could be more user-friendly - currently, it requires certain skills with the network and nodes. In the next release, capacity planning and reporting should be included.

I've been using this solution for around four years.

This solution's stability is fine.

Acropolis AOS is scalable to nodes and the cloud.

Nutanix's technical support is ok but could be improved - sometimes cases get passed around, and it takes some time to get a solution.

The initial setup was straightforward, with deployment taking an hour and a half.

I would advise anyone considering implementing Acropolis AOS to configure their network properly because if it isn't, it's very difficult to apply the solution. I would rate this solution eight out of ten.

We are a solution provider and Nutanix is one of the platforms that we implement for our clients.

This operating system includes support for a complete ecosystem.

The ability to integrate with other products is fine.

This is a flexible solution.

The interface is okay.

With some projects that we are deploying, there are errors that arise when adding nodes.

I have been using Nutanix Acropolis AOS for perhaps four years.

The stability is good. This is the number-one product in that regard.

Scalability-wise, it is okay.

It is straightforward to deploy. The documentation available online makes it very clear.

We do see ROI but also experience problems with some deployments.

The local Nutanix representative in our region is not very good, so we are stopping our work with Nutanix products for the moment. We have worked on nice projects together in the past but for now, we are stopping our work with them.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

The most valuable features are easy cloud administration and management. Acropolis also has a very good response time with our database applications.

An area for improvement would be the cyber security features. 

I've been using this solution for seven years.

Acropolis' stability is good.

The scalability is good.

Technical support responds to issues in a short time.

The initial setup is easy, and deployment takes around a week.

We renew our license on a yearly basis and have no costs in addition to the standard fee.

Nutanix is the best solution for infrastructure on cloud, hybrid, or on-premise. I would rate this solution as ten out of ten.

My primary use case for this solution

We have had good feedback from our customers about this solution.

Areas for improvement would be the memory setting and the CPU setting reserve features, which are not available on Acropolis. I also feel that the DR solution, the reporting, and the component that is combined with the Nutanix OSP need to be improved.

I have been working with this product for a year and a half.

I find this solution to be stable.

The scalability of this solution is fine.

The technical support is good.

I previously used VMware, but we switched to Acropolis as it is more cost-effective.

The initial setup was simple.

Acropolis is a good choice for those who want to go with a complete infrastructure. I would give this solution a score of eight out of ten.

One of the main features of the solution is that it works on many hypervisors. It is a big advantage. Additionally, the solution is compatible with VMware and Hyper-V, and the management interface, which is called Prism, is very intuitive and user-friendly.

The solution upgrades very easily with the one-click upgrade feature. There are no hassles, it can upgrade the firmware and all the software. The management is very easy.

One disadvantage of Nutanix Acropolis AOS is it doesn't support external storage. Connecting external SAN storage to Nutanix, it's not supported.

I have been using Nutanix Acropolis AOS for approximately three years.

Nutanix Acropolis AOS is stable.

The scalability has been good, it is easy to scale.

The technical support has been good.

The solution is easy to install.

The price of the solution could improve. Nutanix has recently changed its pricing model from perpetual to subscription. They have identified there are challenges with the pricing model.

The technical support we have as part of the package we purchased.

If that a customer wants hypervisors flexibility, simplicity, scalability, and a price advantage over VMware, Nutanix is a good choice that they should consider.

I rate Nutanix Acropolis AOS an eight out of ten.