UPDATED 12:00 EDT / SEPTEMBER 10 2019

CLOUD

Nutanix envisions a frictionless, software subscription-based model for the hybrid cloud

As enterprises adopt hybrid computing cloud models, which include public and private clouds, flexible software licensing becomes even more important. This means some companies that were previously solely in the hardware space must either pivot quickly or miss out on a major market opportunity.

This was the challenge that confronted Nutanix Inc. as it has transitioned from hardware to a software-based subscription model, and formed the company’s vision as it moved into its second decade.

“I can’t think of a company that’s gone from hardware to software and software to subscription in such a short span,” said Dheeraj Pandey (pictured), founder and chief executive officer of Nutanix. “The ‘why’ of subscription is to be frictionless. We make computing invisible anywhere.”

Pandey spoke with John Furrier (@furrier), host of theCUBE, at SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio in Palo Alto, California. They discussed the key elements behind Nutanix’s vision, the importance of providing useful tools for the developer community, and recent positive earnings results reported by the company (see the full interview with transcript here). (* Disclosure below.)

Data at the core

It’s three fairly simple words — computing, invisible, anywhere — that captures Nutanix’s path to future success. Yet, there are a lot of critical moving parts behind all three.

With computing, it all starts with data. In Nutanix’s case, that means data for applications with Nutanix Files, its software-defined, file storage solution, Objects for one-click object storage, or Era, the firm’s database automation tool.

“Data is the core of the company,” Pandey said. “Without data, we’d be dead.”

Invisibility is a trickier proposition. Customers want reassurance that technology for the hybrid cloud will work as intended and remain reliable to handle a wide range of mission-critical applications.

“For us, it’s always been a special word; it’s a very profound word,” Pandey said. “It’s about autonomous software; it’s about continuous delivery, continuous consumption, continuous mobility. That’s how you make things invisible.”

Multiple cloud and developer solutions

Being able to operate anywhere might sound fairly straightforward, but in the complex infrastructure that runs many enterprise information-technology organizations today, it means being able to function effectively across a multitude of platforms.

“We can work on multiple servers, multiple hypervisors, and multiple clouds,” Pandey explained. “The next 10 years for this company are about hybrid and doing it as if private and public are one and the same. It is basically the essence of Nutanix architecture.”

The Nutanix pivot must also take into account the growing influence of developers in shaping the IT infrastructure. Application programming interfaces are increasingly playing a more significant role in Nutanix’s portfolio, as evidenced by a partnership last year with Juniper Networks Inc.

The deal included an integration of Juniper’s Contrail Enterprise Multicloud with Nutanix APIs to provide network visibility for virtualized workloads.

“API is the new graphical user interface because the developer is the builder,” Pandey said. “It’s not just about delivering raw APIs, because they’re not as consumable, but it’s delivering software development kits and graphical starter kits so they can be up and running building applications in two months rather than two years.”

Following missed estimates for its Q3 earnings, Nutanix’s most recent guidance to analysts reported revenue ahead of consensus expectations. For his part, Pandey is bullish about the company’s current direction as it prepares for its major European conference in October.

“The company is growing again; we beat street estimates on pretty much every metric, billings, revenue, gross margin,” Pandey said. “We’re bringing clouds, apps, infrastructures and data together. For us to have done this right, to say, ‘Look, we are set for the next 10 years,’ was very important.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s CUBE Conversations. (* Disclosure: Nutanix Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither Nutanix nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE

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