Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) Reviews

We use Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for file storage options like storage pools and file servers. Additionally, we utilize Veritas for a third-party backup solution. We have been using all Nutanix-related products.

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is appreciated for its fault tolerance and redundancy at the cluster level, which ensures reliable storage of files, folders, and other information accessible on the client side. We utilize features like storage pool containers and file analytics tools for analyzing folder sizes. The functionality aligns with our management requirements.

Nutanix could improve the ability to track user actions, such as identifying who deleted a folder. Additionally, there is confusion regarding container size management; there should be an easier way to identify container sizes and associated storage usage. Nutanix should also consider archive-like functionalities similar to AWS and Azure for unused data, and allow quota assignment on subfolders.

I have been using Nutanix for around 10 to 15 years.

Performance-wise, Nutanix Unified Storage is good, but there are some issues with the security dashboard. It automatically triggers tasks, causing performance issues.

Nutanix needs to improve storage management similar to public cloud solutions like AWS and Azure for better scalability.

Nutanix technical support is excellent, with swift responses based on priority. I would rate it 10 out of 10.

We also use VMware, but for security and performance, I recommend Nutanix. It offers VM migration, automatic healing, resiliency, and security, making it a preferable option for critical VMs.

Installation of Nutanix Unified Storage was easy. We referred to the Nutanix Bible and utilized KB articles for guidance.

Pricing is good as per the market value.

We have been using VMware in addition to Nutanix.

I rate Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) a seven out of ten. It has good features but needs improvements in storage management and user permissions tracking. Consider consulting me for enhancements as I have experience and analysis reports that could help Nutanix succeed in the market.

On-premises

Some of the features that we use include replication and snapshot capabilities, especially from remote locations to our data centers. The main benefit our company sees from using Nutanix Unified Storage is simplification. In the past, we used three-tier solutions with a lot of complexity and operational overhead. Now, we want to focus on the layers above. I want to have storage available, but I don't want to have to think about it. I want it to work without any issues.

The solution needs to be more open to integration with other vendors. Sometimes, we struggle with the support process. Our skilled engineers must explain our problems to everyone, even though we've already done preliminary investigations. The support team follows standard procedures, which can be painful. We're not a small customer, especially in the life sciences sector, so we'd appreciate more specialized support. I've heard Nutanix Unified Storage has teams dedicated to life sciences and healthcare; we should be part of that.

I have been using the product for five years. 

The solution's stability is good. We haven't heard about any issues with it, which is great. We have had issues related to hardware. 

We have used the tool's technical support and found it good. It's one of the best support services in the market. While some tech support experiences can be painful, Nutanix Unified Storage's support has been solid.

Positive

We see time and money savings from using the product. The simplification means we no longer need to worry about configuring small pieces. It's just a few clicks, and it's done. This saves us a lot of time and helps us avoid human errors. It's hard to put an exact number on the savings, but overall, it's a really simple process.

The solution's pricing is fair. 

The tool has been good so far. Our company has thousands of clusters installed, which we're using for virtualization and VMware. I want to explore whether there's a way to eliminate VMware. We want to try using AHV together with storage as a complete solution. 

Over the last five years, we don't have any other use cases with Nutanix Unified Storage. We're new to NetApp. We use NetApp extensively, and everything is connected to our NetApp ecosystem. We'll try the solution, but there are special use cases where we use some specific NetApp features that aren't available in Nutanix Unified Storage. 

One limitation we faced was the inability to use external storage, but I've heard that it's on the roadmap and should be delivered soon, which is awesome. Another important feature I learned about is the ability to scale up storage and compute independently. This is crucial for us because we've struggled with this in the past. It's good to see that you're listening to your customers.

We haven't been able to reduce the number of storage nodes so far because our systems are distributed worldwide. We need capacity everywhere, so it's hard to consolidate. However, we have been increasing the storage capacity in our storage nodes. I'm happy the tool allows us to think about storage and computing separately. We can grow each independently, which is good for our needs.

We initially used VMware virtualization, but we adopted a dual strategy by introducing Nutanix Unified Storage about five years ago. We saw great potential in it from the start. While there were some aspects we weren't fully satisfied with, we actively engaged with the tool, providing feedback. Our goal was to help make Nutanix our primary infrastructure solution.

The key factors driving us to adopt Nutanix Unified Storage fully are simplification and end-to-end coverage. We don't have to worry about building the solution or dealing with integrations.

I rate the overall product a nine out of ten. 

On-premises

I work with Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for many cases. Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) can meet any storage need that a company has, such as traditional block storage for NFS or virtualization. It can deliver a file solution for different kinds of needs of a company, and even objects for backup, for logs, for data lakes, for image repositories. It's a very popular solution in Brazil for medical companies that need to store diagnostic images for a very long time. It can handle any kind of data usage, even for containers and Kubernetes. It's a very flexible and scalable solution.

The performance of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for high throughput and low latency requirements is the main point. When we work with centralized storage, traditional storage, we have a limit to the throughput that we can achieve with the size of the controllers. With Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS), we can scale this out and have as many controllers as we need and scale this live on production with no need to stop, no need for data migration. With large amounts of files, this is game-changing.

The main feature of the solution is the live migration that we have and the scalability from both a virtual perspective and the hardware perspective. Since last year, we have had a migration tool for migrating files from a traditional file system or an NAS solution. We migrate the file system with all the permissions and the SMB profiles. We migrate the file system as a copy and paste from a Windows or a NAS solution to Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS).

My impression of the cybersecurity features of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for dealing with unstructured data and ransomware threats is that it operates with the same approach as its main storage solution. Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is security-first. It's already built into the system, and new features are developed every month. We can have a solution for micro-segmentation in this solution. We can include our unified storage in a VPC and have isolation or micro-segmentation from those who can access the solution and deliver even more security features to avoid data extrapolation and unauthorized data copying. We have the Data Lens solution, which helps us identify threats such as ransomware and rogue behaviors that users might have. It's a very complete solution.

To improve Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS), cost is always an issue for every company, especially when we talk about large amounts of data. This is more a cultural market issue than the price of the solution. The value that the solution delivers is very high. For companies that use data as an asset, for a data lake, for analytics, the return on the investment is almost instant. This is a mentality question that the market has to learn to use. Data Lens is not for a backup repository. It's for a data lake and production data that will be used as an asset.

I have extensive experience with Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) since its launch. Before, the product had other names. The solution for files was called Nutanix Files, then Nutanix Objects. About three years ago, the product was changed to Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS).

I would rate the support for Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) as very good. I needed it just one time, and the support worked wonders with the case that we had.

Positive

The initial setup of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is very straightforward. It's the delivery of a virtual appliance just as with the Prism Central and anything within the Nutanix portfolio. The setup is very simple.

I am familiar with the Data Lens: High Cost feature of Nutanix Unified Storage. It has a price barrier. It's not for everyone. It's costly, but it's very powerful. This is a step further than the traditional data analytics that is built-in with Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS). Data Lens takes it to the next level. We have deeper insights and deeper management of the profiles of data use. For companies where data is a resource and asset, Data Lens is a must-have product.

I would rate Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) a ten out of ten.

On-premises

The Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is for multiple use cases such as S3 for application use and providing files for users, including file servers; additionally, we are using the NUS for the cluster and other purposes.

For data-intensive workloads such as AI and ML in hybrid cloud environments, we have a different cluster where we are using NVMe and storage nodes that provide storage capacity with high performance; we are using the storage node as capacity from the Nutanix side to support this.

Overall, we see many benefits from using Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for multiple purposes; we use Nutanix for our database automation, where we use the storage to store data, and we also use it for AI/ML workloads.

One of the best features of the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is that I find everything, all the solutions, in one single box; if you look into Nutanix, the HCI plus whatever storage is required as part of the requirements, such as if applications are hosted on Kubernetes or container platforms requiring S3, NFS, or any other protocol, we can access everything from a single system, eliminating the need to manage multiple systems and different storage in the data center, as one system from one OEM provides everything.

I have never seen any performance issues with the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for high-throughput and low-latency requirements in AI and ML workloads because we are using all NVMe as part of the storage.

The Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) has helped us consolidate our systems, thereby reducing our overall TCO significantly; we only deal with one OEM for any issues, allowing us to consolidate our infrastructure and reduce our data center footprint, so the overall TCO is a benefit to us.

While there are good aspects, I would like to see improvements in networking configuration, particularly regarding overlay and underlay, plus enhancements in micro-segmentation, as that would provide added advantages in security and data availability.

I have been working with the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for around six, six-plus years.

I have not had any performance issues with the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS).

The Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is scalable.

My experience with customer service and technical support of Nutanix is positive; the technical support is good and I do not encounter any challenges with it.

Positive

I have not used any different solutions before Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS).

We evaluated other options before choosing Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS); we previously worked with NetApp as our storage solution for a 3-tier architecture but not in the HCI context.

We did not purchase Nutanix through the AWS Marketplace; instead, we directly obtained it from a partner for our on-premise needs.

My experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing of the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is that it is competitive compared to other solutions available.

From a security point of view, my impression of the cybersecurity features in Nutanix when dealing with unstructured data like ransomware threats is positive; we are using the snapshots feature to ensure protection from ransomware and Flow for micro-segmentation as part of data security and segregation.

I have not had any issues with the security aspect or any challenges so far.

My advice to other organizations considering Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is that if they are looking for consolidation and better TCO, or they want to run applications in their systems, Nutanix will be the right choice for them.

On a scale of one to ten, I rate this solution an eight.

On-premises

Other

Our primary use cases include using the immutable defined storage as a solution for backup, where we have warm backup as the immutable data that we can store there, ensuring that the security of that data will not be changed, which is our last part of security in the data lake.

The immutable data and the object storage are important to us as they provide the same solution as the public clouds with buckets of data that we can store inside. We have always had it, and it's important to integrate our backup solution using this with data course.

The immutable data and object storage are important to us, providing the same solution as the public clouds with buckets of data. In our current situation, we have benefits with NUS that our infrastructure depends on, and we have more benefits by implementing NUS integrated with our infrastructure. This part of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is particularly valuable.

We have been using NUS for about four years.

Regarding downtime issues, we haven't had downtime in generations, and everything is going very well. I wouldn't be able to provide negative feedback on that aspect considering the cost benefits.

We plan to assess our storage needs by increasing with ten more nodes, which add up to our storage, and we plan to expand further in the future. Currently, we have purchased ten nodes with approximately six hundred terabytes for our workload.

When considering the difference in cost benefits, if you consider it only as a storage solution, you may find it expensive. However, if you see NUS as a solution with additional features, in my opinion, it's cheaper than others, providing middle-term cost benefits.

When it comes to the vendor or partner, Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is the best partner we have, so you need a partnership with them.

Private Cloud

Other

The use case for Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) includes using Nutanix Files for storage. We migrated from a legacy NFS system to Nutanix NFS, which we use to store business-critical files. Additionally, we perform backups with snapshot storage at remote sites. We also use Nutanix Volumes for scaled-out volumes and backups. We plan to integrate Nutanix Object Storage for internal backups and storage solutions. I have recommended using Nutanix Lens for data growth pattern analysis and data visibility.

The features I like the most about Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) include the direct availability of NFS and iSCSI storage protocols. This setup removes dependability on a server running on virtualization, offering us direct access to these protocols. This feature enhances monitoring, growth pattern analysis, and manageability, all from a single console. Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) provides stability and self-healing with no problems to report, establishing a reliable storage solution.

I suggest more flexibility and resiliency for object storage, supporting more protocols. The licensing terms are restrictive, as they go by terabyte cost. It would be beneficial to reduce costs and offer flexibility to encourage more usage of raw storage. Including a more granular snapshot restoration process would greatly improve usability, allowing us to restore deleted files rather than the entire share.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) since 2019, which amounts to about four or five years now.

The stability of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is commendable. The solution offers self-healing, and I have not encountered any problems with stability so far.

Scalability is fine with Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS); it allows compatibility and building on top of existing infrastructure. The scale-out capability works well, enabling us to run both legacy and advanced hardware seamlessly.

Technical support is adequate, but it is challenging to reach a subject matter expert quickly. As a technical person, I find it difficult to get direct answers from SMEs instead of going through initial support levels. This process can delay resolution.

Neutral

Previously, I used solutions such as Citrix, VMware, and Hyper-V. I chose Nutanix for its flexibility, intelligence, and straightforward management, which suits my day-to-day work much better.

The initial setup was not difficult, but having some prior reading makes understanding easier. Nutanix provides good knowledge resources, making it tech-user-friendly, although not necessarily easy.

I recommend that Nutanix include file storage features in the pro license or Prism Pro, reducing the cost per terabyte. This would encourage more usage, make the product more accessible, and optimize the idle storage present in clusters.

In my previous experience, I evaluated solutions from Citrix, VMware, and Hyper-V.

I rate Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) a ten out of ten. The solution is excellent for stability, scalability, and valuable features, although improvements in licensing flexibility and more granular snapshot restoration would enhance it further.

Other

We use it for the application virtual machines and the database virtual machines.

Performance-wise, it is very impressive. We get local storage, which creates copies of data objects on each host. Therefore, even if there is a host failure, we can rebuild the virtual machine (VM) using the copies from other hosts. This setup enhances performance, especially since the storage access is local.

When it comes to licensing, we get favorable terms compared to other technologies on the market. For instance, we receive the ready boxes at a lower licensing price than competitors. The applications run smoothly on these boxes, adding to their reliability.

Cost efficiency is another significant advantage of our setup. Our private environment provides considerable savings compared to public offerings like AWS.

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) provides an integrated environment that combines storage, computing, and networking resources into one cohesive system. This is a significant advantage. Additionally, we can easily migrate machines from any environment to Nutanix with the Move tool without the need for a license. Upgrading hosts, BIOS, or firmware for the physical hardware is also straightforward through Nutanix Prism. This ease of management makes Nutanix a convenient solution for our operations.

More training sessions should be organized by Nutanix, or they could consider creating training videos to help users learn about new features or tools that we introduce. This would provide a better way to gain knowledge in these areas.
The training programs could be improved. It's quite challenging to find adequate learning resources online, as there isn’t much available on the internet or YouTube. Users often have to rely on Nutanix documentation to learn how to use the platform. Therefore, it would be beneficial to offer knowledge transfer sessions that focus on installation steps and new tools.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for three years and six months.

Regarding scalability, I would rate it an eight out of ten. Adding another node to scale the environment is straightforward and effective. Overall, I would also rate the scaling process as easy. By simply adding a node, we can increase the cluster's capacity.

I would rate the technical support for Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) as a solid eight out of ten. They respond very quickly.

Positive

Installation is straightforward. We simply need to install the foundation tool on a laptop, then provide the IP address, host name, and other details. The tool automatically creates the cluster and sets up the storage without any manual intervention needed during deployment.

It typically takes about four to five hours to set up a single cluster.

Five people manage the solution. 

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) requires maintenance. Regarding maintenance, the solution requires occasional maintenance, particularly to upgrade to the latest versions or to ensure compatibility with any tools or hardware. This maintenance primarily involves node maintenance, not application maintenance. As for the time required for maintenance, it varies depending on the features being addressed, such as FTS (Full Text Search) or LTS (Long-Term Support). Typically, it takes around two to three hours to upgrade at least five hosts.

It is cheaper than the market. 

When comparing features, one of the major advantages is that migration is very fast. It allows for easy movement from one environment to another without the need to purchase any special licenses. In contrast, many other solutions on the market require specific licenses for various activities, such as migration or upgrades. This flexibility makes this solution more accessible and cost-effective.

In terms of security, we primarily depend on the network side. The networking team manages all aspects of network security. As most of our hosts are connected to the network, the primary threats generally originate from this area. We regularly conduct upgrades and apply patches based on our assessment of potential vulnerabilities, which helps minimize risks.

I would definitely recommend this product to others; it is very resilient.

My overall rating for Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is eight out of ten.

On-premises

My use cases include storage, system storage, and distributed storage for virtual machines.

What I appreciate most about Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is the efficiency in terms of storage capacity and reuse.

This efficiency improves my company by offering greater logical capacity per physical tera.

In day-to-day operations, this translates to a lower cost of ownership per tera.

The improvement in response times to business applications by Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is notable, as it enhances response times.

At this moment, I cannot think of any improvements at the product level, everything is working extremely well.

I would like to see more components, although the analytical component is already included with Lens.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for eight months.

The stability of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) seems good so far, as the platform's availability is designed for that purpose.

The platform's scalability has not caused any problems; scaling hasn't been required yet, but the scaling functionality is available.

I have not needed to request technical service or customer service.

Positive

I have seen the return on investment when using Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) in lower ownership costs, as we have a traditional storage system where the value per tera is higher.

The experience with Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) prices and licenses is good, there is a good relationship.

I have considered options such as Unity or PowerStore from Dell.

I believe the cybersecurity qualities of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) are an essential component in an organization's cyber resilience strategy to protect data from being compromised, accessed, or deleted due to cyber issues.

Cloud integration is important, not only with other platforms but also with Dell and storage systems that are not Pure Storage.

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) excels in cost efficiency and value per tera, and it is software-defined storage that can be scaled flexibly.

I rate Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) nine out of ten.

On-premises

Other

We use Unified Storage for file sharing, application access, and backups.

The model at Dicegsa involves many sellers storing their information on Nutanix Unified Storage from different places in various ways. Nutanix allows us to avoid silos of information by consolidating everything into Unified Storage, so no data is lost and users have high trust in it. Phones, laptops, etc. get lost, but the data remains protected. 

Nutanix Unified Storage has enabled us to reduce the number of storage nodes. When it comes to renewing the technology, I prefer to buy NUS because it works better than traditional storage. In terabytes, we have reduced about 80 terabytes into two little boxes. It has affected us positively in that we do not have any outages. We have lost devices but the information is still available. 

The best Nutanix Unified Storage features are its recovery and data speeds. It has resolved the issue of accessing information quickly. NUS's throughput is quite good. However, our model still requires optimization for better results. It isn't the solution's fault but rather how our data is organized. The throughput is excellent, especially the data analytics, it has many conversions. A lot of information comes and goes, which is analyzed differently. The result is perfect.

It has immutability functionality within the backups that is out of the box. Nutanix delivers it and offers us an additional layer of security. I did not know the feature existed, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out about it.

Perhaps Unified Storage could be improved by including artificial intelligence to make searches more effective. Also, if someone has access who shouldn't, it could automatically update, so I do not need to physically remove permission. The platform could do it automatically. AI could make it more self-service.

We have used Unified Storage for three years.

In the three years we've used Nutanix Unified Storage, we've never had any issues aside from the ones we've generated. 

We are not yet at our limits, and what we purchased still supports our data, but I believe Nutanix Unified Storage has no problems scaling. It's a highly stable platform.

I rate Nutanix customer service nine out of 10. It's only nine because I do not believe in perfection. This is a critical subject for us. Normally, our suppliers deliver and leave. However, we have maintained a relationship with Nutanix for three years. We started with a single solution and decided we wanted to continue working with them. 

We recently renewed three other servers and will continue to grow with the same provider. We know each other, so it's easier to trust someone you've known for a while. Indeed, a community is growing and more clients join every day.

Positive

We previously had a Dell that was expensive and incomplete. We would have to complete it with something else that made it even more expensive and have the dependency on a resource. This was ultimately reduced thanks to NUS.

Deploying Nutanix Unified Storage was simple for the IT team, and we quickly integrated it in compliance with the minimum security mechanisms. We updated, migrated, and implemented it, so it wasn't too chaotic. There was a learning curve, but it wasn't so bad because our IT staff members aren't rookies. They already understand the concepts and how things are implemented, so it was fast.

We started with certain important people, focusing on the business aspects, not technology. We took advantage of technological renewal, the fact that it was time to renew and change components. In every deployment, people always react differently to change. At first, you don't trust the technology, but once you start realizing its potential, things become much more fluid. 

A consulting integrator called Mtsolutions, which is in Latin America. The name of the integrator was Ronald Paniahui, the experience was very positive.

It is difficult to say because we have never measured the ROI of Nutanix Unified Storage, but I can provide a concrete example. For example, a salesperson had a problem in January when her laptop stopped working. That loss of information costs a lot of money. We implemented Unified Storage in March, and something similar happened to another person in May, but they didn't lose their information. There was only minimal physical damage to the device.

We know there is operational efficiency and the information is easier to recover. If we were working the same old way, we would have needed people dedicated to many issues. Maybe this measurement has not been from a human resources perspective of how long it takes for a person to recover their information, where they do it, what they recover, etc. The business flow would not be the same if we still used another solution.

The price can always be improved. As a customer, you always seek reasonable solutions within your budget, and they give us little to do a lot. My IT team always has to justify that we are choosing an optimal solution, so the price could be a little lower.

I rate Nutanix Unified Storage nine out of 10. The platform sells itself without forcing you to like it.

On-premises

We are currently using Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for Citrix Virtual Desktop. These virtual desktops are used as a jump host.

There are a lot of features in Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS). The file server is very good for the environment because previously we needed to create separate file servers. Now we can make them on Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) only. There are many features like Flow, which is for segmentation. I also have experience in administration.

There are some techniques in Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) that need to be improved. Sometimes, processes get stuck on the console, which requires intervention from the command lines. There are gaps between the GUI and command lines.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for the last ten years.

For the first time, it was difficult because it was our initial deployment. After that, it has been very easy.

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is very stable. During updates or upgrades, it is stable and user-friendly. The upgrade process is simple: just click, click, click, next, next, next, finish.

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is very easy to scale. You can simply rack and mount the server or node you want and add it to the cluster anytime.

The customer service is better than VMware and other solutions. They come on the call and start troubleshooting immediately. The quality of support is good.

Neutral

I previously worked with VMware before moving on to Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS). I also have experience with Citrix and Hyper-V.

The initial setup was difficult the first time, but after that, it became very easy.

Just one person is required for the deployment. However, we need information from the network teams about requirements. During our recent deployment, I was in Mumbai, India, while my hardware was in Denver, US. We didn't use a deployment service. Our data center team connected the cables, and I managed the rest remotely.

I heard that VMware is costlier than Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS). Previously, I worked with a Nutanix partner, so I am aware of the pricing.

I would rate Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) a perfect ten out of ten. You don’t have to do much; you just have to purchase the required hardware, rack it, power it on, connect the network cables, and add it to the cluster. That's it. Nutanix technical support is impressive, as they resolve issues immediately without unnecessary delays. My overall product rating is ten.

On-premises