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Why You Need Azure Hybrid Cloud Solutions by Nutanix and Microsoft

A Strategic Partnership to Develop Hybrid and Multicloud Solutions with Seamless App Mobility and Unified Management Across Private Cloud and Azure

By Vidhi Taneja and Sahil Bansal

September 8, 2020 | min

In recent years, and the last 6 months in particular, macroeconomic trends and events have put pressure on IT teams to become much more agile--many have packaged years worth of digital transformation efforts into a few months while doing so with reduced budgets. Both private and public cloud vendors are striving to meet their customers “where they are” in their cloud journey, which frequently includes a mix of on-premises datacenters and multiple public clouds. As such, hybrid and multicloud architectures that maximize the benefits of both private and public clouds have emerged as the preferred IT operating model. 

There are key challenges that need to be addressed to help IT teams truly benefit from the agility and ease of use of public clouds, while still leveraging their existing private cloud investments. Managing complex networking between on-premises datacenters and public clouds has been a long-standing obstacle, and re-architecting legacy applications for the cloud is time-consuming and expensive. Another issue has been the silos and inefficiency created by navigating multiple management tools for various clouds.

To address these challenges and help businesses transition more quickly to a hybrid and multicloud model, Nutanix and Microsoft have announced a strategic partnership to jointly engineer and deliver hybrid cloud solutions that will provide seamless application mobility and unified management across private clouds and Azure - all while helping customers maximize their existing investments.

Join us at Microsoft Ignite

Learn more about the Nutanix and Microsoft Azure partnership to deliver hybrid cloud solutions. Join us live in conversation with experts from Nutanix and Azure teams at Microsoft Ignite 2020.

  • Ask the Experts Roundtable - Cloud in 2020: Predictions vs Reality
    Live on Sep 22, 3:15-3:45pm PDT
    Join the technical experts from Nutanix and Microsoft Azure for a live discussion on the state of hybrid cloud adoption and how Nutanix can help you build a seamless hybrid and multicloud.

  • Nutanix and Microsoft Azure - joint digital breakout session
    Tuesday, Sep 22, 8:15pm-8:45pm PDT
    Get the details of the Nutanix and Azure partnership that will deliver hybrid cloud infrastructure with Nutanix Clusters on Azure and a unified management plane for servers, containers and data services with Azure Arc on Nutanix.

With the partnership, Nutanix and Microsoft will focus on delivering:

Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure with
Nutanix Clusters on Azure

As part of this collaboration, both companies will focus on a joint engineering strategy aimed at extending Nutanix hybrid cloud infrastructure to Azure. Powered by Nutanix Clusters, the Nutanix hybrid and multicloud infrastructure provides a unified cloud platform that will seamlessly integrate your private, hybrid, and multicloud strategy. Nutanix Clusters on Azure will provide hybrid cloud infrastructure with the flexibility, simplicity, and cost efficiency needed to run applications easily across private clouds and Azure.

Nutanix Clusters will extend the consumer grade design of Nutanix HCI software - as well as the full Nutanix stack - to Azure. You will be able to run the Nutanix software on Azure Nutanix-Ready nodes and integrate with Nutanix software running in private clouds, delivering a true hybrid experience. With Nutanix Clusters on Azure you will be able to use your existing Azure accounts and networking setup (VPN, VNETs, and Subnets), which will eliminate the need to manage any complex network overlays.

The Nutanix Cloud Platform for the Hybrid and Multicloud Era Explained

Using the same platform across private and public clouds with native networking integration between Nutanix and public clouds will dramatically reduce the operational complexity of migrating, extending, or bursting your applications and data across clouds. You will get direct, low latency access to Azure services with predictable Nutanix resilience, efficiency, and performance.

Not only will Nutanix Clusters help you decouple applications from the underlying platform, it will also help you decouple your business investments from the underlying platform. You will have the freedom to use your portable Nutanix software licenses on any supported cloud, including Azure, as well as flexible consumption-based plans for utilizing Nutanix software on Azure. Because you will be using your existing Azure accounts, you can keep your existing Azure credits, discounts, and the choice of payment models for the Azure Nutanix-Ready nodes and cloud resources consumed. 

Nutanix Clusters on Azure: Public and Private Clouds on Your Terms 

Expected Use Cases

  • On-demand bursting: Burst resource capacity on-demand from on-premises workloads to Azure to address seasonal increase in demands

  • Lift and shift: Move applications from on-premises environments to Azure with no re-tooling, no code change

  • Business continuity: Use Azure as a secondary site, along with the primary datacenter, to recover applications quickly in the case of a disaster event

  • Cloud-native integration: Modernize legacy on-premises applications by integrating them to Azure services such as AI/ML services, etc.

Seamless Procurement and Support

Microsoft Azure customers will be able to subscribe to Nutanix Clusters from the Azure marketplace, allowing them to utilize their existing Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) to purchase both Nutanix software and Azure Nutanix-Ready nodes. Nutanix customers will also be able to port their existing licenses to Nutanix Clusters on Azure, enabling frictionless movement between private and public clouds. In addition to portable licenses, Nutanix customers will have the option to choose from pay-as-you-go or consumption based annual subscription models. Additionally, as part of the joint commitment to deliver a truly end-to-end hybrid experience, Microsoft and Nutanix will also partner to offer customers seamless support experience.

Customers running workloads on Nutanix Clusters on Azure will be able to apply Azure Hybrid Benefits​ as well as Extended Security Updates​ to improve the cost, security, and efficiency of their Nutanix Clusters. They will also be able to deploy and manage Azure Nutanix-Ready nodes (along with other supported clouds like AWS) from the Nutanix management interface - Prism. This will deliver a unified solution, providing consistent tooling and operational practices across private and multiple public clouds, allowing customers to choose the right cloud for the right workload without lock-in.

Bringing Cloud Practices On-Premises With Azure Arc

The Nutanix and Microsoft partnership also includes development of the Arc management plane, which will enable powerful container and data services management on Nutanix HCI, on-premises or in Azure. This integration will allow customers to extend key Azure services to their Nutanix environment, including running Azure Arc enabled servers, Arc enabled Kubernetes, and Arc enabled data services. This will help Nutanix customers with adopting Azure cloud practices on-premises, and it will help Azure customers with centralizing management of their key infrastructure and data across Azure and Nutanix HCI. Customers will be able to extend key Arc control plane functionality, like resource groups, RBAC, audit, and more to their Nutanix environment and modernize their legacy applications over time.

Key Benefits of the Hybrid and Multicloud Solutions

  • Unified hybrid and multicloud infrastructure platform across Nutanix, Azure, and other supported public clouds
  • Native integration between Nutanix and Azure, eliminating networking complexity and overlays
  • Seamless application and workload migration across clouds without re-tooling or code changes
  • Single management plane for servers, containers, and data services across Nutanix and Azure

Hybrid and Multicloud Freedom

Nutanix private, hybrid, and multicloud solutions will deliver on-premises and Azure environments operated as a single cloud. Start your datacenter transformation today with HCI as your private cloud foundation, and then move to a hybrid and multicloud environment. The result? Migrating applications and data across on-premises private clouds and Azure without operational friction or vendor lock-in to the underlying cloud platform. With a consistent consumption model that spans private and public clouds, you can confidently plan your long-term hybrid and multicloud strategy and greatly accelerate your cloud journey with Nutanix and Microsoft Azure.

Visit nutanix.com/microsoft to learn more about the Nutanix and Azure hybrid cloud solution. The solutions are currently under development and are expected to be publicly available in the near future. Be sure to sign up to be notified when Nutanix Clusters on Azure is in public preview and extend your on-premises environment seamlessly to Microsoft Azure. 

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