Lenovo ThinkAgile HX with Nutanix: Flexible and Simplified IT

Unlock the Power of Hyper-Convergence with Lenovo ThinkAgile HX

Hyper-converged Infrastructure Solution

Nutanix’s Acropolis software delivers a comprehensive hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) solution, converging compute, storage, virtualisation, networking, and security into a single platform. Nutanix provides an enterprise-wide solution that integrates these services seamlessly, now enhanced with Lenovo ThinkAgile HX. By leveraging x86 servers, Nutanix can power any application at any scale.

The platform includes its own hypervisor, AHV (Acropolis Hypervisor), which offers an alternative to VMware or Hyper-V. For organisations already using these hypervisors, Nutanix integrates seamlessly, enabling complete management of the HCI stack through a single GUI.

Key Use Cases for Nutanix

Nutanix is versatile and supports a variety of applications and environments, including:

1. Data Centres
   Nutanix is ideal for running business-critical infrastructure with high performance and scalability.
2. Remote and Branch Offices
   Its compact footprint and ease of management make it perfect for remote or branch office setups.
3. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
   Nutanix simplifies the deployment and management of VDI, reducing complexity and improving user experience.
4. Cost-Effective Storage
   With its efficient design, Nutanix provides lower-cost storage solutions without compromising on performance.
5. High Availability and Disaster Recovery
   Nutanix ensures data protection and fast recovery through cloud-based or on-premises configurations.
6. Private and Hybrid Cloud
   Nutanix supports private and hybrid cloud deployments, offering flexibility and seamless integration with existing infrastructure.

IT Challenges

Managing today’s IT infrastructure is no small feat. Most data centres house a mix of server generations, operating systems, hypervisors, and storage devices from various vendors. This creates a complex environment that IT managers must navigate while also maintaining older, legacy systems.

Virtualising servers and storage offers a way to simplify this complexity. However, implementing virtualisation across an entire data centre often requires multiple user interfaces and demands significant IT expertise and experience.

Nutanix Acropolis

Acropolis software unifies private, public, or distributed clouds, and empowers IT to deliver applications and data that power businesses.

Public cloud companies such as Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services (AWS) provide enterprise IT teams with speed and operational efficiencies, but with varying costs. Alternatively, IT is looking to provide ways to deliver cloud elasticity on-premise, enabling businesses to easily migrate workloads at peak demand times. Acropolis can also control cloud costs migrating workloads to either Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud or Amazon Web Services (AWS) to maximise budgetary spend with a simple click.

Unlimited Scalability

Acropolis software delivers highly available and instantly scalable storage, supporting object, block, and file formats. It allows businesses to scale seamlessly from terabytes to petabytes as needed. Whether using HDDs, SSDs, or NVMe storage, you can optimise capacity, IOPS, tiering, and data resiliency to meet your requirements.

With Acropolis, there’s no need to rip and replace your IT infrastructure when upgrading. As newer processors, faster memory, or larger storage devices become available, you can simply add a new node. The software automatically moves data across the cluster, ensuring seamless integration.

Nutanix Acropolis also monitors and manages all available resources in real time. It provides advanced analytics and can predict when additional resources might be required, helping you stay ahead of your infrastructure needs.

Advanced Networking and Security with Nutanix Flow

Nutanix Flow provides advanced networking and security services, offering enhanced visibility into virtual networks. It delivers application-centric protection against network threats, malware, and ransomware while automating common networking tasks.

Fully integrated with the Nutanix private cloud and AHV virtualisation, Flow enables organisations to deploy software-defined virtual networking and security effortlessly. Unlike traditional solutions, Flow eliminates the complexity of managing separate products with independent management interfaces and software maintenance requirements.

Nutanix Security

Nutanix integrates robust security features, including two-factor authentication and data-at-rest encryption, within its development lifecycle to meet stringent security standards. The platform has earned certifications across various evaluation programs, ensuring compliance with rigorous industry standards.

Key Certifications:

• Trade Agreements Act (TAA) Compliance: Ensures adherence to U.S. government procurement requirements.
• Suite B Algorithms: Implements cryptographic algorithms endorsed by the National Security Agency (NSA) for securing classified information.
• Section 508 Compliance: Guarantees accessibility for individuals with disabilities, aligning with federal regulations.
• Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 Level 2: Validates the effectiveness of cryptographic modules used within the system.
• Common Criteria Certification: Recognized internationally, this certification confirms that Nutanix products meet specific security standards. Nutanix

For data-at-rest encryption, Nutanix employs self-encrypting drives (SEDs) that are factory-installed in its hardware. This approach provides robust data protection by encrypting user and application data, ensuring compliance with FIPS 140-2 Level 2 standards. The Acropolis Operating System (AOS) interfaces seamlessly with third-party key management servers, facilitating secure key management and enhancing overall data security.

Nutanix

By integrating these security measures and maintaining compliance with industry standards, Nutanix delivers a secure and reliable infrastructure solution for organizations across various sectors.

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX – Nutanix vSAN HCI Solution

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX runs Nutanix Acropolis hyperconverged infrastructure software to build and simply manage scale-out clusters through a single interface. Achieve even simpler IT operations by using Nutanix Prism for one-click provisioning, insights, and firmware updates. Lenovo XClarity, a fast and intuitive resource management tool, can be used in concert with Prism.

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series are fully validated and certified Nutanix nodes and appliances running the Acropolis software. They are designed for easy deployment and manageability in scale-out clusters with a choice of models and configurations to suit a wide variety of workloads and applications. The components of your hyperconverged solution are certified right down to the firmware on the drives and HBAs, to eliminate worries that firmware upgrades might break compliance.

Nutanix Licensing

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX appliances include a bundled Life of Device license, which remains with the appliance for its lifetime. For customers who prefer to provide their own Nutanix software licenses, Lenovo offers another choice: the Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Certified Node, which includes:

• Fully validated and integrated hardware and firmware, certified with Acropolis software
• Preloaded Nutanix software for ready deployment, Nutanix term license obtained separately
• Flexibility to bring your own Nutanix term-based license, transferable to other HX certified nodes
• Flexibility to provide your own deployment services or optionally use Lenovo Deployment Services

Getting started with Lenovo ThinkAgile HX

Get up and running quickly with Nutanix HX integrated systems from ourselves a fully accredited and certified Lenovo DCG partner. The systems come fully ready to run and offer consistent, end-to-end customer support no matter whom you call.

Pre-validated software updates delivered on a predictable schedule enable you to benefit from continuous innovation available from Nutanix.

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX are built with certified hardware components that allow businesses to deploy solutions quickly and easily. Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Certified Nodes are available in multiple form factors 1U, 2U or 4U, with either 1 or 4 nodes per chassis.

Lenovo and Nutanix have partnered to deliver the Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series Nutanix appliances, a best-in-class hyperconverged infrastructure solution with Nutanix’s industry-leading software preloaded on Lenovo award winning server platforms.

Key Benefits

• Simplicity
• Lenovo XClarity seamlessly integrates with Microsoft’s Windows Admin Center, offering a unified, single-pane-of-glass management experience. This simplifies the management of infrastructure, virtual machines, software, and hardware.
• 2. Flexibility
• Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Nodes provide a wide range of processor, memory, and storage configurations. This flexibility allows organisations to customise their infrastructure to meet unique requirements and workloads.
• 3. Faster Time to Value
• Traditional IT setups require extensive design, testing, implementation, and maintenance—often consuming significant time and resources. Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) shifts this burden to the solution provider. By choosing Lenovo ThinkAgile HX with Nutanix, businesses gain a robust, reliable platform that simplifies deployment and accelerates time to value.

Certified Performance with Nutanix Software

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Certified Nodes are optimised to run industry-leading HCI software from Nutanix on Lenovo enterprise platforms. Featuring the second-generation Intel Xeon Processor Scalable family (Xeon SP Gen 2), Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Certified Nodes deliver fully validated Lenovo hardware and firmware, preloaded with the Nutanix AHV hypervisor.

Nutanix’s software-defined approach to hyperconvergence combines compute, storage, and management into a tightly integrated software stack. When paired with Lenovo ThinkAgile HX solutions, this integration ensures streamlined operations and improved performance across the entire infrastructure.

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Certified Nodes are designed to simplify deployment while offering scalability for organisations of all sizes. With Lenovo ThinkAgile HX, businesses gain the flexibility to customise their HCI solutions while leveraging Nutanix’s cutting-edge technology for unmatched reliability.

One of the key advantages of Lenovo ThinkAgile HX is its seamless integration with Nutanix Acropolis, enabling organisations to manage their IT infrastructure with ease. Lenovo ThinkAgile HX solutions also ensure faster time to value by reducing complexity and accelerating implementation processes.

To explore more about Lenovo ThinkAgile HX solutions running Nutanix Acropolis, click here or contact us using the details below.