More companies are looking for alternatives to VMware. Dell and Nutanix are giving them another option by bringing PowerStore to the Nutanix Cloud Platform.
Dell Technologies has added PowerStore support for Nutanix Cloud Platform, giving customers another storage option for Nutanix AHV environments. The integration is available with Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure 7.6 and is deployed and managed through Dell Private Cloud. PowerStore is the second Dell storage platform to integrate with Nutanix Cloud Platform, following PowerFlex. Customers can use Nutanix Prism to manage the environment, while Dell Private Cloud handles AHV deployment, infrastructure automation, and lifecycle management.
Compute and storage scale separately
PowerStore brings NVMe all-flash storage, deduplication, and compression to the Nutanix environment. Dell’s 6:1 data reduction guarantee applies to qualifying workloads and is subject to the company’s program terms. Dell Private Cloud supports the environment from initial deployment through ongoing operations. That includes automated AHV installation, validated configurations, nondisruptive upgrades and storage expansion one drive at a time.
This allows customers to add compute and storage independently, which can help companies avoid buying resources they do not need, particularly when moving from VMware or refreshing older infrastructure.
Brian Henderson, senior director of product marketing at Dell Technologies, told ChannelE2E, “Traditional hyperconverged infrastructure forces compute and storage to scale together, even when only one is constrained. With Dell Private Cloud and PowerStore on Nutanix, each scales independently based on actual workload demand. If you need more capacity, PowerStore scales one drive at a time. If you need more compute, you can add nodes without touching storage. That means no over-purchasing resources you don't need and no refresh cycle that forces a wholesale replacement. The 6:1 data reduction guarantee compounds the savings by consolidating more workloads onto less physical storage."
Customers can manage PowerStore protection policies through Nutanix Prism. The options include asynchronous replication and Metro synchronous replication, which Dell says can provide zero recovery point and recovery time objectives in supported configurations. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager can provide remote backups, cloud archiving, long-term retention, and retention locks. Prism remains the main interface for managing compute, storage, virtualization, and disaster recovery.
Partners can package migration services
Dell and Nutanix partners can sell the platform as part of a broader migration or infrastructure modernization project. The offering gives partners a validated configuration for customers considering a move from VMware to Nutanix AHV.
“Partners can position this as a packaged offering. The validated, automated deployment experience through Dell Private Cloud is designed to be straightforward. Dell system-level hardware support covers the full stack, which simplifies the support conversation for partners and customers. On deal registration and pricing, partners should work directly with their Dell and Nutanix channel teams to structure the engagement, as the specifics will depend on the nature of the deployment. Dell's partner program is built to support collaborative selling. This announcement reflects the strength of the Dell and Nutanix collaboration and extends to how we go to market together through the channel,” Henderson said.
The technical support path is clear, with Dell providing system-level hardware support across the stack. Deal registration and pricing will be handled based on the structure of each deployment and the partners involved.
Managed services after the migration
Partners can also build services around assessment, migration, deployment, upgrades, and capacity planning. The Day 0 through Day 2 support model gives them a way to stay involved after the initial project is complete.
“PowerStore on Nutanix gives partners a validated, enterprise-grade offering. Partners can build practices around assessment and migration services. Beyond migration, the full Day 0 through Day 2 lifecycle support model, including non-disruptive upgrades and single-drive scaling, creates ongoing managed services opportunities. Partners who invest in this practice now are positioning themselves for recurring revenue as customers continue to modernize,” Henderson said.
