Nutanix Inc. kicked off its .NEXT event today by introducing an array of product updates aimed at helping enterprises operate their multicloud environments more effectively and improve cybersecurity.

Publicly traded Nutanix sells software products that information technology teams rely on to run their companies’ infrastructure. Nutanix’s technology can be used to manage both cloud environments and on-premises data center hardware. The company also provides tools for related tasks such as managing databases.

AI-powered cybersecurity

At .NEXT, Nutanix detailed a new feature that uses artificial intelligence to help companies implement microsegmentation policies. Microsegmentation is a cybersecurity method whereby a company isolates applications from one another to reduce the impact of any data breaches that may occur in the future. If hackers breach one of a company’s applications, they can’t target other workloads in the same network because they’re isolated.

Nutanix’s new AI feature analyzes the data traffic in a company’s network to find the best ways of implementing microsegmentation. The capability promises to save time by reducing the need for IT teams to perform the task manually. It will be available as part of Nutanix’s Flow Security Central tool, which provides a centralized dashboard through which administrators can look for vulnerabilities in their Nutanix deployments.

Nutanix Files, the company’s file storage product, is receiving a cybersecurity-focused update as well. The company says that a new threat detection mechanism can identify and block more than 4,000 types of ransomware to protect an organization’s business information.

Nutanix Data Lens

Nutanix is not only updating existing tools but expanding its solutions portfolio with the introduction of a new data governance service called Nutanix Data Lens. The offering allows IT teams to monitor centrally all the unstructured data that their organizations keep on Nutanix-managed storage infrastructure, both in the cloud and on-premises. Administrators have access details such as what types of files are used throughout the company and how they’re accessed.

The insights that Nutanix Data Lens provides can help inform IT teams’ decisions on how to manage their organizations’ information. According to Nutanix, the service is useful for detecting potential cybersecurity risks as well. Nutanix Data Lens notifies administrations of potentially malicious files and anomalous data usage patterns that suggest there may be ransomware in the corporate network. 

Hybrid cloud support

An extensive set of enhancements is being rolled out for the company’s Nutanix AOS software platform. Nutanix AOS helps organizations manage hyperconverged infrastructure appliances running in their on-premises data centers. Hyperconverged infrastructure refers to a popular type of data center system that combines compute, storage and networking hardware in a single product to spare administrations the hassle of deploying each component separately.

Nutanix AOS is receiving a network virtualization tool called Flow Networking. It allows a company’s administrators to manage the on-premises network from a single pane of glass and connect to public cloud infrastructure. 

If needed, an organization can use Nutanix AOS to divide its network into multiple virtual private clouds or VPCs. A VPC is an isolated segment of a network that functions as its own standalone IT environment in many respects. Large enterprises sometimes assign each business unit a separate VPC to improve cybersecurity, while hosting providers can use the feature to isolate clients’ workloads from each other.

In the data protection department, Nutanix is upgrading Nutanix AOS with a new cloud disaster recovery feature. Companies can now create a standby backup copy of their on-premises environment in the public cloud and bring it online if their data center experiences an outage. The disaster recovery feature sends backup records to the cloud via an encrypted connection to ensure data security.

Nutanix Era

Also getting an update is Nutanix Era, a cloud-based database management service. The company says administrators can now scale the storage infrastructure provisioned for a database in seconds instead of the hours or days the task normally takes. According to Nutanix, there are also new access controls for preventing unauthorized database use that will make enforcing cybersecurity policies easier.  

“Enterprises are looking for ways to more efficiently and securely manage the rapid growth of size, velocity, and variety of data, as well as simplify the operations across on-premises and cloud,” said Eric Burgener, a research vice president at IDC. “Nutanix is taking important steps to deliver comprehensive data services across both structured and unstructured data on a single platform with a common management interface that stretches across on-premises and cloud.”

Photo: Nutanix