Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) Reviews

The price was unmatched for us. We got the pricing down. We had an issue where we already had two copies of the data, but we needed to get the third to be compliant. We were looking at alternatives with a backup vendor, but we couldn't get the pricing to that level. They had an archiving function to S3 or NFS, if you wanted to use it. In this case, we went with S3.

The most valuable feature is the storage density of the nodes. We went with the HP's low-density nodes. 

The installation is set and forget. We didn't really have the personnel staffing to be able to handle more storage systems, we were already running in Nutanix as a primary driver for a virtualization platform. It was just a matter of setting up another cluster.

Nutanix enables us to reduce the amount of nodes. We had the coding and data reduction features. We had the larger, hard-density nodes and we were able to decrease the amount quite a bit. Had we built it another way, we would have ended up with larger traditional storage vendors. Nutanix is really perfect.

We just installed it, set it up, and then we forgot about it. We do quarterly patching. We just set up the alerting and it just works. That's the benefit that we want all IT systems to have.

It could be more user-friendly. You can abstract the technical details. If you look at the IP plans and the services running underneath it, it's quite a simple product. As a customer, you get exposed to a lot of the decisions, which is not always necessary. That should be able to exist for some customers who have special needs but in general, the complexity could be lower. It looks scarier than it is.

At my last place, we used it for two years. It's still running. We used it as a secondary target for data security backups. We were using S3 buckets which were exported to the primary backup cluster.

Support is excellent. It has a fixed delivery value. We know we're going to get good people.

Positive

We also use VMware to protect unstructured data. Unstructured data is a horrible mess. You need to ship it and you need to ship it fast. We're very happy with the tools we have in place to protect it. 

We used to use an old Dell system which was fine in terms of data reduction, but we had issues when we needed to rehydrate the data and get it back into production. The RTOs and RPOs just didn't work for us anymore. Nutanix is so much faster in comparison. 

We switched to Nutanix as part of a lifecycle management. We noticed that even if the data reduction was good with the Dell system, we couldn't get the data out fast enough. That's the primary reason why we ended up going with Nutanix.

The deployment was easy. It took two days for us to be up and running. 

We looked at the Data Lens in our POC but we didn't end up putting it into production.

I would rate Nutanix Unified Storage a seven out of ten. They could simplify the user experience. Technically it's a ten, but there's still some work we have to do for it.  

I am not using it currently. I tested a few things a while ago. This is something that we will probably adopt mid-term.

I am not a storage guy. I am a Nutanix guy. I got a question from my boss about what Nutanix can offer, especially for the Nutanix environment. There is a limitation that Nutanix is not able to use any other storage solution or external storage solution. It is NFS inside the VM. We wanted some block storage, so I started to experiment with the Nutanix solution.

There is ease of use. We use other third-party solutions in our environment for storage. The challenge that we have is that we do not have enough people. If someone is going on a vacation, I have to take care of a few things in this area, such as configuring new NFS storage, and trust me, some of the other vendors are very complicated. It is hard to deal with simple things, whereas the solution from Nutanix is simple and intuitive. If I show it to a colleague just once, he will be able to do things easily. It is very good.

I could not test it much for resilience, but overall, we never had any issues with the Nutanix products that we use. We never had data loss or any data-related issues. The performance is also very good. Even though my testing was not deep enough, I am confident it is a great solution. It is a very easy one.

Nutanix Unified Storage is great for helping manage and run storage from any location.

I like that we can have Nutanix clusters for VMs and files. That means we have data locality when we use the NFS storage somewhere else. When you use an external vendor, you do not have the data locality.

The interface is quite simple. It is very good. It is easy to configure. It also has a powerful CLI. In the few hours that I was playing with it, I did not explore the power of it, but I noticed that CLI has potential. Because of its simplicity, the interface can lack some options, but I am pretty sure that any lack of features in the UI can be compensated by the CLI.

Its interface is very simplistic. It is a good thing for people because of the ease of use, but at times, I find it too simplistic. It is hard to find advanced options. They should eventually expand it and provide additional drop-down lists or menus with advanced feature sets. They should expand it with some additional menus and options so that we can do more. Currently, Nutanix is too simple, whereas, with other vendors, you get lost among all the buttons and menus. Nutanix is doing all that simply, but if you keep it too simple, you miss the options to do things through the UI.

The routing of their support cases could be better.

I had a test cluster for two weeks, and I was logging in from time to time. It was more of experimenting than testing. I had my test cluster, and I played around for a few hours.

It was a great experience to use it for files for two weeks.

I can rate it a ten out of ten for stability, but I need to fully test it to provide real feedback.

I did not test it in a big environment, but looking at how Nutanix works, I would say it is scalable. You just add more nodes and storage to expand, and this is familiar with the concept. I am confident in its scalability.

We are a company with about 700 people. We had two people testing it. It was me and my colleague, but he barely tested it.

I have mixed sentiments. If my case reaches the right person, it goes well. It is not about the people. It is about the way the case is routed. We are based in Europe. Usually during the day, our case lands in Asia or EMEA. The India team works till One o'clock our time. If I raise a case an hour before their shift ends, it still goes to them. That is not okay. They are going home. Why assign the case to them? These kinds of things bother us.

I would rate their support a seven out of ten because I know that the others are very bad. As compared to other companies, Nutanix is still doing better. Otherwise, I would have rated it a five out of ten.

Neutral

Its deployment is simple. It took a few days because I was installing it for the first time, so I had to read more, but the second time, I will be able to deploy it maximum in a day.

Nutanix Unified Storage consolidates block, file, and object storage. It is a great idea. I like it, but I am a bit reluctant to put everything into the same cluster. If you have virtualization and storage with all its features, such as block, file, and object, in one cluster, I am not sure what the impact will be in case of any kind of failure. For me, it would be too much. It is nice to have it all, but I am wary of putting too many things in one box.

I would recommend Nutanix Unified Storage. I am also in discussion with my manager to start using it.

I would rate Nutanix Unified Storage a ten out of ten.

My customers use the solution for storage purposes.

The solution is a repository with redundancy and faster access than the Windows server.

The most valuable feature of Nutanix Unified Storage is redundancy.

The solution should include more protocols to access data.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage since 2020.

Nutanix Unified Storage is a stable solution.

The solution’s technical support is very good. The technical support team is fast, competent, and correctly provides technical details.

Positive

I previously used Windows File Server.

The solution’s initial setup and the transfer of the files are very easy.

We have seen a return on investment with Nutanix Unified Storage.

Before choosing Nutanix Unified Storage, we evaluated SUSE.

We don't face latency issues because the solution provides fast access.

Implementing Nutanix Unified Storage has reduced the number of storage nodes due to increased storage capacity per node. We have a six-node cluster, which was double that size earlier.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We have a local data center here that isn't connected to the Internet because of the nature of our organization. It does not have any external communications. Last year, we had a disaster when we ran out of storage space in the clusters assigned to the storage containers. We had around 10 TB allocated for files across five clusters. One of our clusters was hosting critical files, so we had to rate the machine consumption from that cluster, and it can expire because the application that the customer was working on was transferring pictures with enormous sizes. 

We realized that we also had the file license, so why don't we go ahead and use it? We contacted Nutanix, and the managers and system engineers suggested we have meetings. We discussed it and then started providing these storage services. Soon, we will expand with node storage, and that will be another option. We're currently looking at best practices because I think there is a limit on the file sizes. We cannot go beyond 10 TB.

The Nutanix solution has improved the overall performance of our infrastructure operations. Nutanix unifies our block file and object storage. It's like a separate service we can provide for the critical applications we are running, but I can ensure each application is secure against ransomware or other vulnerabilities. I will recommend my team to go further with the block and object storage.

I like Nutanix Prism Central. The primary benefit is that we can manage everything from the same page. It also gives you the data in graph form on the main page, so you can keep a close eye on what is happening. You can watch for high utilization and see the disks and reports in the central console. It's a resilient and highly stable application 

The modernized infrastructure and data services feature is the most beneficial to me as an administrator. We derive business value in terms of storage because we have the option of using Windows Firewall.

Nutanix Unified Storage allows us to consolidate our data platform within the Nutanix cluster itself without using external storage. You can work with all types of unstructured data seamlessly with Unified Storage. There should be no problem with that. There are no issues with audio, video, uploads, downloads, etc. 

It's a flexible solution. This is what I understood as I was reviewing the documentation today. Nutanix is trying to simplify storage and has many options for scalability. 

The GUI is easy to use, but it's complex to do tasks from the command line. That is one way they could simplify things for the engineers. People tend to use a graphical interface more than the command line interface. If anything goes wrong, we need to do troubleshooting from the CLI. It would be nice if there were more ways to fix issues within the GUI. 

Nutanix is highly stable. 

Scaling can be a challenge. Once you order a block with a specific size, it will need to be changed to a different node to scale up. We have to expand the cluster and have the nodes ready to increase the storage size. We cannot go ahead and add an extra hard disk if the slots are full.

I rate Nutanix support nine out of 10. 

Positive

We previously used VMware. Nutanix is faster, but the two solutions offer the same level of security.

A typical deployment could probably be completed in a day or two, but our data site required a lot of approvals and an on-site review by our engineer, so our deployment time was around a week. One person is enough to deploy the solution. It doesn't require much maintenance if the clusters are upgraded correctly. 

Switching to Nutanix Unified Storage reduced the total cost of ownership by nearly 50 percent. You can go on the Nutanix website and see a cost comparison of how much you can save over three to five years. 

Nutanix is priced a bit higher than some of its competitors. A lot of Chinese companies like Huawei are entering the Saudi Arabian market trying to provide similar solutions for a lower price. It offers good value, especially the support. Nutanix has a highly competent team. The after-sales support is excellent. 

I rate Nutanix Unified Storage nine out of 10. 

Nutanix Unified Storage is our primary storage solution, and I primarily use its volumes to provide additional disk space for machines. These volumes are shared between vision machines and technical servers. However, for some projects, this solution was discontinued. I currently have all of my additional systems running on bare-metal machines, which fully utilize the available hardware and provide ample storage capacity. To accommodate this, I've repurposed the volumes to share them over the network and connect them to the bare-metal hosts and storage systems. This approach has proven to be highly effective for multiple companies I've worked with.

Another use case for Nutanix Unified Storage is sharing storage through the SMB and NFS protocols. This has been particularly beneficial in my work, as it allows both Windows and Linux machines to access shared files seamlessly. This is a valuable feature for large-scale projects.

Nutanix Unified Storage also offers object storage, which I have used in large-scale environments. However, I have not been entirely satisfied with the available options. Therefore, I have opted to use AWS object storage instead. Currently, I do not utilize Nutanix object storage internally due to ongoing limitations. A year ago, I attempted to integrate object storage into my workflows, but it fell short of my requirements. Consequently, I reverted to the AWS system. Overall, I am pleased with the file storage and volume options provided by Nutanix Unified Storage, as they have significantly enhanced my productivity in various tasks and projects.

I previously worked at a hospital where I utilized Nutanix Unified Storage to facilitate data sharing and capture from the laboratory. I developed a shared design using Nutanix Unified Storage over the network infrastructure. This design enabled seamless data transfer whenever a machine-generated a test result. Upon receiving a blood sample, the machine, connected to a printer, would automatically print the blood test results and the blood type. Additionally, a copy of these results was generated and shared via the Nutanix Unified Storage platform. Using the 'fixable to call' function, I mounted the shared file to the machine, enabling the automatic printing of one hard copy and the simultaneous sharing of a soft copy. This allowed lab technicians or lab doctors to conveniently send the test results to the attending physician at the clinic or directly to the patient.

Nutanix Unified Storage has proven to be flexible to meet our needs.

Unified Storage is good at unifying our organization's block files.

Implementing Unified Storage has streamlined the way I manage and execute tasks across our multiple branches. Unified Storage has enabled me to consolidate data, effortlessly mount it to machines, and share files and folders with colleagues in different locations.

Unified Storage's ability to remove silos is good.

The integrations between Unified Storage, Kubernetes Engine, and the database service are complete. We have not encountered any incompatibility issues.

The Nutanix block files are the most valuable feature.

Unified Storage failed to fulfill our object storage requirements.

The virtual volume has limitations. If I create more than one disk, it encounters limitations. When I mount the volume group to the physical machine, it updates the same disk or partition on the machine, which is not desirable. I was working on a media project that required ten gigabytes of data. I created a volume group of that size, but due to the limitations of the virtual disk, which can be up to 64 terabytes, I had to create a mini disk. Once I mount the disk to the physical machine, it creates a mini virtual disk or mini partition, not just a single partition.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage for five years.

Nutanix Unified Storage is stable.

The technical support is one of the best support services we have used.

Positive

I previously used VMware in another organization.

The initial deployment is straightforward and I can do it myself.

I would rate Nutanix Unified Storage ten out of ten.

The security of Unified Storage is comparable to that of other SDS solutions, and we have not encountered any security concerns.

Our positive experience with Unified Storage has prompted us to further invest in Nutanix products to establish our private cloud with on-premises data centers.

I would recommend Nutanix Unified Storage for anyone researching enterprise data storage solutions.

We normally use it to create servers and manage them. We use four nodes. We have one cluster with four nodes for our production servers, Active Directory, etc.

Nutanix Unified Storage has helped us digitalize. Our mission is to digitalize the administration in Morocco. It has helped us to apply our strategy very fast, and it has been very helpful.

We have not had any issues with the throughput or latency of Nutanix Unified Storage. I am satisfied with its throughput and latency.

We have not had any ransomware attacks. It seems to be doing great at detecting and blocking ransomware threats.

Implementing Nutanix Unified Storage has not resulted in a reduction in the number of storage nodes. It is the same.

I like its interface. It is very interactive and simple to use.

Its licensing can be better. They can make it easier for us to scale our infrastructure.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage since 2021.

It is very stable. We rarely faced any bugs or errors. It happened only a couple of times in three years, so it is good.

We are trying to do that. We have not done it before. We want to add two or three nodes. We will see.

I used their support twice. It was very fast. I am satisfied with the troubleshooting method that they use. I would rate them a solid nine out of ten.

Positive

We did not use any other solution previously. This is the first one.

We are using it on-premises. We are a governmental organization, so we want our data to be very safe.

Its initial setup was a little bit complex, but with the help of our partner, it went smoothly.

We did not have any implementation strategy as such.

We used a partner. They are a reseller and integrator. Their company is called MTS. Our experience with them was very good.

We have not yet seen an ROI.

The licensing should be more flexible.

Its cost is a little bit more than what we want, but if we consider the quality and the price, it is okay. It is fair.

We evaluated other solutions. While deciding, we first considered the cost and whether it could meet our needs. We then tried to choose the best one for us. 

To protect unstructured data, we are using a backup solution. We try to make redundancy for every server. We also take snapshots regularly to make our data safe in any disaster.

I would rate Nutanix Unified Storage a nine out of ten because I feel comfortable using it. I feel comfortable with the support and scalability, but its price stops it from making it a ten. If they decrease the price, it would be a ten.

We use the solution to replace the Microsoft file server. The solution ensures that the Microsoft file server is reachable and you always have your infrastructure in place. With Nutanix Unified Storage, you can synchronize the other locations.

Nutanix Unified Storage is quite easy to manage and back up everything.

The most valuable features of the solution are high availability and synchronization to another location. Just in case it goes down, then you always have your data. Nutanix Unified Storage is easy to implement, and the way the architecture is built is very good.

The solution has already improved a lot. The first time we used it, we ran into boundaries. Since then, the solution has become more mature.

The throughput or latency of Nutanix Unified Storage for data-intensive workloads is one of the better things we see. It's like expanding storage and two times doing nothing. If you have to do that in other systems, it takes more work and care. The storage in Nutanix is better organized and more flexible.

We have used the demo version of Nutanix Data Lens, which is okay from what we saw. Our organization is considering using Data Lens because it gives insights into what's happening with our data, which is interesting.

We have several security measures in place that are very important for our organization.

There are still some gaps in the solution's synchronization that could be improved.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage for two years and three months.

Nutanix Unified Storage has been a stable solution in the past.

Nutanix Unified Storage is a scalable solution.

The solution's technical support was horrible in the past. We addressed it to Nutanix, and they took it seriously, created an action plan, and adapted it. Afterward, the support improved, and now we have a direct channel to them. The engineers are also good.

Positive

We previously used the Microsoft file server. We switched to Nutanix Unified Storage because the business had a requirement for heavy availability. That was one of the biggest reasons we wanted a different solution, as it was not easy with Microsoft.

The solution’s initial setup was not easy.

We implemented the solution through an in-house team. We found errors in the guide provided by Nutanix, so the information that went out to us was wrong. We found the issue, experimented, and found a solution. Nutanix wasn't aware of the issue and rewrote its manual. Each time we went back to Nutanix, we found out what was wrong and correctly deployed the solution the second time.

The biggest return on investment with the solution is high availability because it costs a lot of money if the tool goes down.

The solution’s pricing could be cheaper.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

I'm using the solution for profile storage, home drive, Citrix VDI implementations, and containerization.

Nutanix Unified Storage is adding features for easy migration of files to Microsoft Azure. That's helping us to get old data out of the data center somewhere in cheap storage. That's helping us quite a lot. The solution provides highly available file servers.

The most valuable feature of Nutanix Unified Storage is SMB file sharing. We use that feature for our use cases, including the home drive.

The analytics part of Nutanix Unified Storage is too big and should be made smaller and less resource-hungry. I don't use the solution's object storage because I find that part too complex.

I have been using Nutanix Unified Storage for four years.

The solution provides good stability.

Nutanix Unified Storage's scalability is similar to other products. If we need more resources or capacity, you can easily scale out to have more performance.

There's no better support than the one provided by Nutanix. I had one issue. The customer wanted to switch their data centers. We moved the old cluster to the new data center, which worked fine. However, switching back to the original one didn't work. We contacted the support team, but they couldn't help us.

One of the engineers of the NUS team came remotely into the cluster and fixed the issue after spending 13 to 14 hours straight on it. If the support team cannot help us, they will ensure that someone from their company will assist us.

Positive

We previously used Windows file servers or NFS file storage. We switched to Nutanix Unified Storage because it gives us better performance and requires less maintenance work. Implementation is easy, and it comes with Nutanix's lifecycle management. To upgrade the tool, we do our life cycle management in a couple of clicks.

The solution’s initial setup is easy.

We implemented the solution through a consultant.

If a company has five system administrators, the solution can reduce the number of system administrators because the product is very easy. The solution provides a return on investment by lowering costs on the company's system administrators.

I don't see any issues with the solution's latency for data analytics.

Implementing Nutanix Unified Storage has not reduced the number of storage nodes. The solution's implementation removes the legacy file servers we're using. It doesn't matter if we have Nutanix Unified Storage or traditional file servers.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.