The News: At the Nutanix .NEXT world conference in Barcelona, the company announced Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP), unifying storage, file, and object pooling, orchestration, and access via Kubernetes data services. Running on enterprise Nutanix environments as well as in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, and Google Cloud, NKP effectively replaces Nutanix Kubernetes Engine and provides a complete, CNCF-compliant cloud native stack. The fruit of Nutanix’s acquisition of D2iQ, NKP will help enterprises manage application operations, service levels, resilience, and compliance at scale. Read the press release here.
Nutanix Introduces New Kubernetes Platform at Nutanix .NEXT
Analyst Take: NKP completes a three-piece puzzle for Nutanix, codenamed Project Beacon. Putting together NKP, Nutanix’s existing Platform Data Services for databases, and the upcoming Infrastructure Data Services for storage, the company sees Project Beacon as fulfilling its Build Once, Run Anywhere mission. NKP’s contribution is to enable an application-centric approach to the delivery of storage, data, and code to wherever they’re needed—resiliently, with self-service for application developers, and with the governance capabilities IT seeks.
All of the three Project Beacon components are multi-platform and multi-cloud. The two data services unify and manage access to storage and databases wherever they are hosted—on-premises or in the cloud—while NKP works with the Kubernetes manager(s) of the customer’s choice.
We tend to think that application centrism is the most useful product development strategy an infrastructure vendor can take, and very much like the two outcomes of that strategy evident here:
- Further separation of development requirements from runtime requirements. Let the coders code and the platform engineers run the platforms to meet all of their organizations’ myriad, oft-conflicting needs.
- BYO platform capability. Adopt or trial first, migrate later—this is actually a kind of an official Nutanix strategy. Start with whatever cloud (yours or a provider’s) or abstraction model (virtualization, containerization) makes sense to you and eventually you can add, or move to, the others.
NKP features relatively standard monitoring, management, integration, and automation, albeit with superior scalability and resilience capabilities. What sets NKP apart is the value that comes from Nutanix being a standards-embracing, “independent” infrastructure software company. NKS takes this beyond just a wide range of partnerships and enablement of core functionality across clouds and platforms. This is an API-driven, multi- and hybrid-enabling approach to application performance, compliance, and scale.
.NEXT 2024
The evolution of hybrid multi-cloud from a promising, cutting-edge concept to a mature, best-of-breed operating model for modern applications and data is remarkable. At .NEXT 2024, Nutanix is focused on industry leaders, executives, developers, IT experts, and thought leaders to dissect the latest trends in hybrid multi-cloud and provide actionable insights for staying abreast of this dynamic landscape.
Nutanix provides an opportunity to gain deep insights into the strategies and technologies driving hybrid multi-cloud adoption and optimization. Attendees can expect to explore key challenges and best practices for running applications and managing data across diverse environments.
By facilitating discussions and sharing expertise, .NEXT 2024 equips attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the complexities of hybrid multi-cloud effectively. As organizations increasingly embrace hybrid multi-cloud as a cornerstone of their IT strategies, events like .NEXT 2024 play a vital role in fostering collaboration and driving innovation in the industry.
Looking Ahead
NKP marks a significant stride for Nutanix in its mission to empower customers to seamlessly deploy applications across diverse environments. While Nutanix has been historically recognized for its prowess in storage virtualization, NKP represents a strategic shift toward holistic application management. This evolution underscores Nutanix’s commitment to innovation and long-term vision.
Initially renowned for its virtualized storage nodes, Nutanix expanded its offerings to include virtualized endpoints for databases. Now, with NKP, Nutanix has embraced Kubernetes management for orchestrating runtimes, extending its capabilities to encompass runtime service-level management across multiple platforms. This expansion highlights Nutanix’s adaptability and foresight in catering to evolving customer needs.
For platform engineers, tasked with navigating the complexities of diverse technical and corporate requirements, NKP’s flexibility and scalability are a boon. By enabling optimized resource allocation across diverse infrastructures, NKP streamlines operations and enhances reliability.
NKP holds immense promise for application developers seeking to accelerate release cycles and enhance user experience. By driving performance, compliance, and resilience, NKP empowers developers to focus more on coding, thus fostering innovation and agility.
NKP represents Nutanix’s commitment to providing comprehensive solutions that address the needs of both platform engineers and application developers. By bridging the gap between infrastructure management and application deployment, NKP paves the way for a more efficient and collaborative development ecosystem.
Disclosure: The Futurum Group is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of The Futurum Group as a whole.
Other Insights from The Futurum Group:
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Nutanix Expands Cloud-Native Portfolio with D2iQ’s Kubernetes Platform
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Author Information
Guy is the CTO at Visible Impact, responsible for positioning, GTM, and sales guidance across technologies and markets. He has decades of field experience describing technologies, their business and community value, and how they are evaluated and acquired. Guy’s specialty areas include cloud, DevOps/cloud-native/12-factor, enterprise applications, Big Data, governance-risk-compliance, containerization, virtualization, HPC, CPUs-GPUs, and systems lifecycle management.
Guy started his technology career as a research director for technology media company Ziff Davis, with stints at PC Magazine, eWeek, and CIO Insight. Prior to joining Visible Impact, he worked at Dell, including postings in marketing, product, and technical marketing groups for a wide range of products, including engineered systems, cloud infrastructure, enterprise software, and mission-critical cloud services. He lives and works in Austin, TX
With over 25 years of experience, Paul has a proven track record in implementing effective go-to-market strategies, including the identification of new market channels, the growth and cultivation of partner ecosystems, and the successful execution of strategic plans resulting in positive business outcomes for his clients.
