Nutanix links AHV with NetApp storage in new tie-up

Nutanix has announced an integration with NetApp that links its AHV hypervisor with NetApp ONTAP storage, expanding infrastructure options for customers already using NetApp storage.

The arrangement combines Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure compute with NetApp ONTAP through Network File System. It is aimed at organisations reviewing their virtualisation strategy and seeking to change platforms without replacing existing NetApp AFF and FAS storage arrays.

The integration builds on a strategic alliance the two companies announced earlier this year. It creates a clearer split between the virtualisation and storage layers, allowing customers to assess changes to one part of their infrastructure without making the same decision for the other.

That approach reflects a broader market shift as enterprises revisit established virtualisation architectures amid changes in licensing, costs and platform strategy. By supporting external ONTAP storage, Nutanix is seeking to give customers another way to adopt AHV while keeping current storage operations in place.

How it works

The new offering, Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure for External Storage, is designed to connect Nutanix compute running on AHV with NetApp ONTAP storage using NFS. In practice, this means virtualisation teams can run virtual machines and applications through Nutanix Prism while storage teams continue using NetApp ONTAP tools and established workflows.

The model allows compute and storage to scale independently, giving infrastructure teams more flexibility in how they expand systems and plan upgrades.

Nutanix also said the setup is designed to simplify migration work. Its Nutanix Move tool can automate workload migration at scale, including network mapping and validation.

The companies are also working to add support for the NetApp Shift Toolkit. That would allow zero-copy virtual disk conversion without moving the underlying data.

Customer choice

The launch comes as many IT departments reassess long-running virtualisation choices. For some organisations, the key question is whether they can change hypervisors without triggering broader storage replacement projects and operational changes across multiple teams.

The integration is intended to address that concern by allowing supported NetApp infrastructure to remain in place. That could make it easier for companies to test or adopt AHV while preserving existing storage investments and the operating model built around them.

"Organisations shouldn't have to choose between preserving their trusted data infrastructure and reclaiming control of their virtualisation roadmap," said Ketan Shah, Vice President, Product Management, Nutanix.

"By combining Nutanix Cloud Platform and AHV hypervisor with NetApp ONTAP storage, we are empowering IT leaders to modernise on their own terms, with greater choice and control over infrastructure costs," Shah said.

Market context

The integration highlights how suppliers are adjusting to demand for more modular infrastructure decisions. Rather than presenting compute, virtualisation and storage as a tightly bound stack, vendors are increasingly giving customers the option to keep parts of their current environment while changing others.

For Nutanix, support for external storage broadens the range of deployment models available to customers considering AHV. For NetApp, the arrangement gives existing ONTAP users a way to evaluate a different virtualisation layer while continuing to rely on familiar storage systems and processes.

The solution is expected to be available with an upcoming release of Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure in the coming months.