Traditional type-one hypervisor customers are at a crossroads. According to a 2024 survey by Rimini Street, 98% of organizations that currently use VMware are either actively exploring or have already adopted alternative platforms in response to evolving pricing, support models, and long-term uncertainty.
In a recent article sponsored by Nutanix in The Register, the company introduces two distinct types of customers who are navigating this transition. The first is modernizers, who are eager to embrace cloud-native and AI-ready platforms. The second is gradualists, who opt for a phased migration to preserve operational stability. Both approaches are valid, and both can benefit from a strong foundation of data protection and application mobility.
That’s where Veeam Kasten and Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) software come together. Together, they provide a future-ready stack that supports innovation, operational continuity, and recovery confidence no matter how fast (or carefully) your organization is moving.
From Vendor Uncertainty to Platform Confidence
To be fair, the driving force for organizations to explore alternatives isn’t just about cost; it’s about control. Broadcom’s sweeping changes to licensing, support models, and product direction have caused many IT leaders to hit pause and analyze future-looking plans.
Nutanix is well-positioned to step in not just as a substitute, but as a strategic platform built for resilience, scale, and hybrid cloud flexibility. Nutanix offers an integrated stack for running virtualized and containerized workloads with simplicity and control: Featuring the Nutanix AHV hypervisor for virtualization workloads and NKP for containerized workloads. Plus, when paired with Veeam’s data protection, it unlocks a full-spectrum approach to modernization.
What you get isn’t just operational continuity; you get the freedom to build, scale, and recover on terms you define.
Two Paths, One Platform: Modernizers and Gradualists
Organizations who are looking to move away from VMware tend to fall into two broad categories:
1. The Modernizers
These are teams who are ready to leap into the future and embrace containers, cloud-native development, and AI/ML workloads. They want to capitalize on the opportunity to rethink how apps are built, deployed, and protected. For these innovators, Veeam Kasten’s Kubernetes-native architecture and the full-stack simplicity of NKP make it easier to deploy, manage, and embrace a modern compute infrastructure while minimizing risk and worry.
2. The Gradualists
These teams aren’t trying to disrupt everything overnight; they want to move away from legacy platforms at their own pace to preserve critical apps and infrastructure while transitioning incrementally to modern operations. Nutanix supports virtualized workloads via its AOS (Acropolis Operating System) core software, which includes the AHV hypervisor. Nutanix also provides simplified ways to “lift and shift” from VMware vSphere onto Nutanix AHV. Coupled with Veeam Data Platform, which provides comprehensive protection for Nutanix AHV workloads, organizations have the flexibility and assurance they require for their critical production workloads. As these organizations begin embracing cloud-native architectures, they can also leverage their existing Veeam backup repositories with Veeam Kasten, eliminating the need to purchase new hardware or re-platform their backup infrastructure.
The common denominator? Both ‘The Modernizers’ and ‘The Gradualists’ need a trusted, enterprise-ready data resilience layer that works natively with Kubernetes and meets the governance, compliance, and recovery standards they’ve built their businesses on.
Built for Modern Kubernetes
Modern platforms demand more than a checkbox backup solution. They require resilience that’s woven into the fabric of operations.
Veeam Kasten is purpose-built for Kubernetes. It discovers and protects applications automatically, integrates with Nutanix storage via Nutanix’s CSI driver for Nutanix Volumes Block Storage and Nutanix Files Storage solutions, and applies policy-driven protection to stateful and stateless apps alike. Whether you’re running in a single cluster or across a fleet of distributed environments, Veeam Kasten ensures your application data is resilient, recoverable, and mobile.
And because NKP includes built-in observability, AI-powered insights, and integrated data services (NDK), the operational experience is seamless from install to recovery.
Enterprise-Grade Recovery with GitOps Speed
The Nutanix + Veeam Kasten combination shines not only because it’s validated and supported end-to-end, but because it brings data protection into the same velocity and automation model that modern DevOps teams expect.
Veeam Kasten supports GitOps-driven protection workflows, integrates into CI/CD pipelines, and enables application mobility across hybrid environments. Combined with NKP’s full-stack Kubernetes orchestration, it delivers:
- Immutable backups for ransomware recovery
- Instant restores and granular workload recovery
- Multi-cluster visibility and policy automation
- Role-based access control (RBAC) and audit-ready logging
This is data resilience that doesn’t slow you down; it moves with you.
A Flexible, Familiar Path to Modernization
Every organization has a unique starting point when it comes to Kubernetes adoption. What sets the Nutanix + Veeam Kasten solution apart is its ability to deliver modernization with minimal disruption.
Rather than overhauling your entire operational model, NKP extends the familiar Nutanix infrastructure with a Kubernetes control plane that integrates naturally into your existing workflows. Veeam Kasten complements this with Kubernetes-native data protection that aligns with modern app requirements. Plus, for those workloads that cannot be modernized and need to remain as virtual machines (VMs), Veeam Data Platform has your back.
Together, Nutanix + Veeam Kasten offer a streamlined, adaptable path forward, whether you’re introducing containers for the first time or scaling a cloud-native footprint. The outcome is consistent operations, simplified protection, and the freedom to modernize at your own pace.
Your Next Move Starts with a Solid Foundation
If you’re looking for a future beyond the traditional type-one hypervisor, don’t settle for a lift-and-shift. Make it a step forward.
With Nutanix + Veeam Kasten, you get:
- A modern, integrated environment for running VMs and containers together
- Built-in observability, automation, and lifecycle management
- Cloud-native backup, disaster recovery (DR), and application mobility from day one
Whether you’re re-platforming, modernizing, or just buying time to make the right decision, this solution gives you the operational confidence and flexibility you need without locking you in.
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Read the Nutanix Kasten Solution Brief
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