Data storage company Nutanix Inc. is teaming up with Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Co. to provide an alternative to Dell EMC and VMware Inc. when it comes to hybrid cloud management.

The companies announced today at the Nutanix .NEXT conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, the general availability of a new hyperconverged infrastructure system that integrates HPE’s GreenLake hybrid cloud management service with Nutanix’s Enterprise Cloud OS.

The system is packaged with HPE’s ProLiant or Apollo servers and can be installed in customer’s data centers or at a co-location facility. The announcement is part of a deal between HPE and Nutanix made public in May. The system is designed for “mission critical” workloads such as SAP, Oracle and Microsoft tier-1 virtualized apps.

The deal was a big surprise when it was announced, because HPE had previously insisted it wouldn’t team up with Nutanix on any sales deals. HPE, after all, has its own SimpliVity HCI system that rivals Nutanix. But HPE said at the time that the tie-up is all about giving GreenLake customers a hypervisor choice, with those who want vSphere or Hyper-V sold SimpliVity and those who want a no-cost hypervisor such as AHV offered Nutanix.

“HPE deliberately and publicly kept Nutanix out of its portfolio,” said Moor Insights & Strategy analyst Steve McDowell. “This says to me that a nontrivial segment of HPE’s enterprise and government customer base is asking for Nutanix-based solutions. HPE GreenLake is a compelling offering with solid adoption that has HPE poised to be a leader in on-demand IT services.”

“Including Nutanix in that offering, he added, is a strong statement from HPE. “This is a win for Nutanix, but an equally strong one for IT buyers,” he said.

Nutanix separately announced today that it’s integrating its HCI platform with ServiceNow Inc.’s IT Operations Management service. The integration gives ServiceNow customers the ability to automate critical private cloud workflows, discover Nutanix HCI environments automatically and get direct notifications of any critical incidents related to Nutanix HCI in their private clouds.

“This makes sense for both companies, with ServiceNow broadening its portfolio while opening the door for Nutanix to penetrate markets where ServiceNow’s solutions provide the management framework,” McDowell said. “It’s a solid market expansion play for each of these guys.”

Dheeraj Pandey (pictured), co-founder and chief executive officer of Nutanix, provided more details in an appearance early today on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, at the .NEXT conference:

Photo: SiliconANGLE