At .NEXT in Barcelona, Nutanix unveiled the Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP), a comprehensive solution designed to streamline the management of container-based modern applications through Kubernetes. This platform aims to accelerate innovation by providing a complete, Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)-compliant cloud-native stack.
At .NEXT in Barcelona, Nutanix unveiled the Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP), a comprehensive solution designed to streamline the management of container-based modern applications through Kubernetes. This platform aims to accelerate innovation by providing a complete, Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)-compliant cloud-native stack.
NKP offers Platform Engineering teams a consistent operational model for securely managing Kubernetes clusters across on-premises, hybrid, and multicloud environments. This facilitates the deployment of cloud-native and containerized applications that can operate seamlessly in various environments.
Target Audience and Capabilities
NKP is tailored for a new breed of Kubernetes Platform Engineering teams, offering enterprise-grade resilience, day-2 operations, and compliance for modern applications at scale. With NKP, customers can oversee clusters running containers on Nutanix’s on-premises infrastructure and clusters in public clouds via a single management interface. This unified approach reduces complexity and operational expenses. Additionally, NKP supports managing clusters in non-Nutanix environments, including popular public cloud Kubernetes services, as well as connected and air-gapped environments. This flexibility helps eliminate barriers to adopting cloud-native architectures, enabling faster innovation.
Tobi Knaup, General Manager of Cloud Native at Nutanix, explained that one of the biggest challenges organizations face with cloud-native applications is deploying, securing, and managing the rapidly expanding fleets of Kubernetes clusters being deployed on-premises and in public clouds. NKP simplifies this.
Features of NKP
- Kubernetes Platform for Data-Driven Apps: NKP integrates with Nutanix’s portfolio of data services, offering scalable block, file, and object storage, and databases-as-a-service.
- Simplified Kubernetes Management through Automation: NKP simplifies Kubernetes deployment, security, monitoring, and upgrades through advanced automation and AI-driven operational insights, reducing complexity and human error while promoting consistency and standardization.
- Complete Platform without Vendor Lock-In: Built on pure upstream CNCF-conformant Kubernetes, NKP allows customers to leverage open-source community innovations without the drawbacks of forked Kubernetes versions or single-vendor solutions. NKP’s compatibility with CNCF partner solutions helps customers build a tailored Platform Engineering stack.
- Multi-cluster Fleet Management: NKP provides a centralized management plane and a user-friendly dashboard for unified observability and control of clusters across on-premises, public cloud, edge, and air-gapped environments. It enhances public cloud Kubernetes services like EKS and AKS with comprehensive platform services, offering a standardized management approach for the entire Kubernetes fleet.
NKP Tiers
NKP is available in three tiers to cater to varying levels of cloud-native adoption maturity.
The NKP Starter is included in Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure. This tier replaces the Nutanix Kubernetes Engine, delivering turnkey clusters with pure, upstream Kubernetes.
The NKP Pro tier adds a suite of cloud-native projects, providing a complete platform for secure and efficient cluster operations, including Nutanix Data services for Kubernetes when deployed on Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure.
The NKP Ultimate offers fleet management capabilities, enabling the installation, operation, and monitoring of clusters in public clouds.
Future Outlook
NKP builds on Nutanix’s commitment to Project Beacon, which aims to help customers deploy more cloud-native and containerized applications across diverse environments. This solution leverages mature Kubernetes management technologies proven at scale by D2iQ’s Kubernetes Platform, which Nutanix acquired in 2023. NKP is expected to be available in the summer of 2024, further supporting enterprises in managing Kubernetes applications and modern data services across public clouds, on-premises, edge environments, and other hypervisors.
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