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Dell Technologies and Nutanix are finding each other again and want to benefit together from the changes on the Belgian market. An understanding based on internal collaboration and
Dell Technologies and Nutanix are finding each other again and want to benefit together from the changes on the Belgian market. An understanding based on internal collaboration and an external story of choice and flexibility should catapult both parties and customers into the future.
Dell Technologies and Nutanix are old lovers. They visited the customer together more than a decade ago. “HCI was very innovative during this time,” remembers Luc Costers. He is Regional Manager Nutanix Belux, CIS and Eastern Europe at Nutanix and sits at the table together with Koen Segers, Managing Director Belgium and Luxembourg at Dell Technologies.
The two old acquaintances are satisfied: Although there has never been any dissatisfaction between the companies they represent, the organizations are now joining forces with each other for the first time in years.
The romance began with the advent of hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). “Dell Technologies may have contributed to Nutanix’s great success,” says Costers. Then suddenly infidelity beckoned: Dell Technologies took over VMware eight years ago after taking over EMC and, together with the virtualization specialist, built solutions that competed with Nutanix.
Dell Technologies may have helped make Nutanix big
Luc Costers, Regional Manager Nutanix Belux
That wasn’t a problem in itself: “We always stayed open,” Segers notes and Costers confirms. “During the VMware escapade, Dell Technologies also partnered with Nutanix to provide solutions.”
After Broadcom acquired VMware, the market suddenly changed. Broadcom’s VMware has little interest in smaller customers and primarily wants to maximize sales and margins. This is great for shareholders, but less so for many customers. Segers: “We see that there is a demand in the market for alternatives to VMware. Nutanix comes up a lot.”
Dell Technologies ended its preferential relationship with Vmware earlier this year and soon found its old, beloved Nutanix fully back. Initially, both will jointly offer the Dell XC solution. It combines Nutanix’s software platform, including the AHV hypervisor and Prism management console, with PowerEdge servers from Dell Technologies.
“In the next phase, we will deliver a fully integrated device, Dell XC Plus, to these XC nodes,” reveals Segers. “We will then integrate the Nutanix cloud platform with Powerflex to offer more storage options.”
The shared solutions are only part of the puzzle. The crux of the matter is how both Nutanix and Dell Technologies are entering the market and actively seeking synergies again.
“We want to be, first and foremost, an essential infrastructure company,” says Segers. “This means that we want to place our hardware with the customer. We also want to be open and flexible towards customers. We may do business with Nutanix or another party in this regard.”
The same ambition prevails on the Nutanix side. The priority is to commercialize the platform, which requires a good hardware partner like Dell Technologies, but other parties remain important too. The renewed relationship is open. Nevertheless, Segers and Costers seem to be in extraordinary agreement.
Costers: “We bring our sales teams together and ask them to exchange phone numbers rather than their email addresses. We are working very hard on personal contact between both teams.”
“We also bring partners together and train them,” he continues. “A Dell Technologies partner who has had more experience with other solutions in the past should explore Nutanix. And conversely, a Nutanix partner who has more experience with other hardware specialists should become more familiar with Dell Technologies solutions.”
Costers and Segers agree that the dynamic is good. “Migrating from 3-tier environments to HCI remains the most traditional driver,” says Segers. “And we notice that customers are looking for alternatives. “When it comes to Broadcom and VMware, there simply aren’t many viable alternatives at the enterprise level”; Costers adds.
There is a trend towards migrating from the cloud.
Koen Segers, Managing Director Belgium and Luxembourg, Dell Technologies
“Finally, there is a trend towards migration from the cloud,” notes Segers. “Customers in the cloud with stable workloads are seeing costs go up. On-premises solutions are also sometimes more interesting in terms of compliance.” In other words: Dell Technologies and Nutanix currently have to decide which wave they want to ride.
“The story of openness is very relevant to the customer at the moment,” recognizes Costers. “Both open hardware and an open hypervisor are important.” Segers agrees: “The speed of change and innovation is currently so great that you simply have to be open.”
The two men share a palpable enthusiasm. Segers is pleased that Dell Technologies, as a hardware seller, can offer its customers a choice of software. Dell Technologies’ story as an open hardware supplier has become easier to tell this year.
For his part, Costers also understands that the Nutanix software platform is part of an overall hardware solution. When a partner like Dell Technologies wants to support this story, new doors open.
“Our platform has always been good,” says Costers, “but a few years ago IT decision-makers at large companies were even more cautious.” The solution seemed fairly new and therefore a risk. Today, if they get four bids for a solution and three of them come from Nutanix, that perception of risk goes away. Finally we have enough references.”
When the Nutanix story is being proactively told by a trusted and well-known player like Dell Technologies along with its partners, it seems as if the HCI software specialist has completely shed the perception of being an outsider. Segers and Dell Technologies have new ways to give customers what they want, without commitments, agreements or new ideas.
“Openness is really key,” Segers concludes. Costers adds: “We both tell a story of openness, with open hardware and an open hypervisor.” Hopefully this close collaboration will serve as an example for others.”
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
