From golf clubs to cars, the world is becoming more hybrid every day. That's especially true with hybrid work. Today, many view work as an always-moving journey instead of a final physical destination.

The same is becoming true for IT infrastructure. More than 80 percent of IT organizations that 451 Research surveyed in its 2022 Global Hybrid Cloud Trends study reported that they were already running workloads both on-premises and in the cloud-and, in most cases, across multiple clouds.

It means we are all operating in a hybrid, multicloud world. Without the right infrastructure and operational strategy and approach, going hybrid-especially in a multicloud environment-can be complex and costly.

Meanwhile, factors such as compute and data-intensive applications, new security and sustainability requirements, and highly distributed IT environments are adding new complexity and costs at an astounding rate. More and more organizations are turning to hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) for simplicity, flexibility, and scale as a result.

Collaborating on hyperconvergence

That's why Cisco and Nutanix have forged a strategic partnership to simplify infrastructure and application delivery anywhere, at scale. I'm excited to share that a new solution, Cisco Compute Hyperconverged with Nutanix, is now generally available.

What's different about this solution is that it combines the strength of Cisco's networking and SaaS-managed compute portfolio with hybrid multicloud software from Nutanix, based on its market-leading HCI foundation. The result is the industry's most complete hyperconverged solution, fully integrated and validated with flexible deployment options and support across Cisco UCS servers.

Industry observers are already lauding this new partnership. Ashish Nadkarni, IDC Group Vice President and General Manager, Infrastructure Systems, said, "This is a fantastic announcement. Huge. It is the start of a great journey for both Cisco and Nutanix and it gives Cisco a newavenue for UCS servers and more customer choice. The strategic importance of this alliance should not be underestimated."

Why it matters

Going back to the hybrid golf clubs I mentioned earlier-who cares about hybrid if it doesn't lead to better performance? The great news is that Cisco Compute Hyperconverged with Nutanix aims to make customers' day-to-day operations simpler and more efficient, while helping them avoid downtime and deliver innovation faster.

By using this solution, customers will gain three core benefits:

• Reduce complexitywith a cloud operating model?that delivers simplicity, visibility, control, and consistency for hyperconverged systems across highly distributed environments.?This includes Day 0 and Day 1 enhancements, including service profiles customized for Nutanix and preinstalled software configured with a choice of hypervisor for an easier start.
• Maximize resilienceby keeping hyperconverged systems running and protected with an augmented joint solution support model combined with proactive, automated resiliency, and security capabilities.
• Accelerate IT transformationby addressing modern apps and use cases with a hyperconverged solution offering flexible deployment options, the latest hardware and software from two industry powerhouses, and multicloud integration. Cisco also delivers best-in-class networking solutions offering breakthrough capacity, speed, and efficiency for the most data-intensive workloads in today's hybrid cloud environments.

"This is a fantastic announcement. Huge. It is the start of a great journey for both Cisco and Nutanix and it gives Cisco a new
avenue for UCS servers and more customer choice. The strategic importance of this alliance should not be underestimated."
- Ashish Nadkarni, IDC Group Vice President and General Manager, Infrastructure Systems

Supporting our Cisco HyperFlex customers

Cisco is always evaluating the best combination of organic innovation and strategic technology partnerships to continue to deliver the best value and experience to customers. We believe the best path forward for HCI solutions built on Cisco UCS is through a partnership approach.

With that in mind, we announced end of life plans for the Cisco HyperFlex product family. As with any portfolio transition, ensuring business continuity for customers is our top priority. This includes customer support for the full product lifecycle over five and a half years and migration support with solution partners in the channel, supporting multiple paths for migration, including our solution with Nutanix, which is orderable today.

Hybrid is the right choice for the future

The appeal of going hybrid and multicloud is self-evident, but so are the potential pitfalls without the right strategies and solutions. Cisco is committed to helping our customers go hybrid and multicloud in a way that is sensible, practical, and does not sacrifice innovation. Our commitment extends to working with the industry's richest partner ecosystem to develop the best solutions possible. The Cisco and Nutanix HCI solution is just the latest example.

What's unique about this partnership is that it extends beyond engineering integration. It also includes a comprehensive joint support model and go-to-market process that provides organizations with a holistic and seamless end-to-end experience. We have invested in a mutually developed roadmap with ongoing collaboration and innovation at every level to protect our customers' confidence. The result delivers a more seamless, differentiated experience-when they buy, deploy, and use the Cisco Compute Hyperconverged solution with Nutanix.

We believe that's a winning combination.

Check out this related blogfrom Nutanix Chief Commercial Officer Tarkan Maner:

Nutanix and Cisco Joint Solution Accelerates Customers' Hybrid Multicloud Journey