Dell & Nutanix unveil integrated storage for hybrid IT

Dell Technologies and Nutanix have announced that Dell PowerFlex is now fully available as the first external storage solution integrated with the Nutanix Cloud Platform.

This joint solution targets large mission-critical environments that prioritise resiliency, security, scalability, and performance. The collaboration brings the scalability and performance characteristics of Dell PowerFlex together with a hypervisor, integrated disaster recovery, and network security features from Nutanix.

The companies outlined that this integration provides organisations with a single platform to accelerate IT modernisation, enhance operational efficiency, and simplify storage and infrastructure management.

With the general availability of this solution, PowerFlex becomes the first external storage system to support Nutanix Cloud Platform, based on internal analysis from Dell and Nutanix conducted in July 2024.

The combined offering features deep integration with Nutanix Cloud Platform, extending full support to Nutanix AHV. Enterprises can leverage this for greater flexibility in selecting hypervisors to meet varying operational requirements.

One key benefit highlighted is the consolidation and scalability PowerFlex provides. The system is designed to manage both virtualised and bare-metal workloads within a single platform. This approach aims to reduce silos and lower operational costs, while enabling independent scalability of compute and storage resources so that organisations can adapt to changing business demands without disruption.

IT management efficiency is also a focus area, with tools such as PowerFlex Manager and Nutanix Prism Central offered to automate IT processes, including updates, resource allocation, and ongoing management. These automation capabilities are intended to streamline administration, allowing IT departments to devote resources to broader strategic projects.

High performance and enterprise-grade data protection are incorporated through cyber-resilience and built-in disaster recovery. According to Dell and Nutanix, this enables businesses to consolidate workloads, scale operations dynamically, and automate critical processes while ensuring the security and availability of their most critical applications.

The collaboration has been welcomed by partners such as DXC Technology. David Keasey, Global Revenue Lead, DXC Global Infrastructure Services, commented, "DXC helps our customers modernise IT while maintaining control and flexibility. We have already guided many customers through the migration of critical workloads in various virtualisation environments. Our collaboration on Dell PowerFlex with Nutanix Cloud Platform as an early adopter empowers global enterprises to modernise without disruption—reducing risk and creating a hybrid IT environment that supports growth, innovation and security."

Dell and Nutanix have stated that this partnership is aimed at creating unified solutions for managing both traditional and modern workloads.

PowerFlex's software-defined storage and compute architecture is intended to integrate seamlessly with Nutanix Cloud Platform's virtualisation and infrastructure management capabilities, a combination which the companies believe delivers customers greater flexibility, improved performance, and improved operational efficiency.

The collaboration also introduces expanded data services designed to enhance storage optimisation, scalability, and operational resilience across diverse IT environments.

Dell Technologies and Nutanix have expressed their ongoing commitment to delivering solutions and tools required by enterprises to maintain agility and support growth objectives in evolving digital landscapes.