Their main pitch is simplicity, near as I can tell.
Regarding either them, or Vblock systems, the answer as to whether it's worth it or not is "it depends." If either had been just slightly more mature a couple years ago, I would have more seriously considered them for use on a project. We ended up doing the "build it ourselves" route, and have been satisfied enough with the results, though I do wish we had priced out a Nutanix and Vblock system to compare it to at the time.
Having sat (directly) next to Joe Tucci prior to him speaking once, and watching him present on the topic of Vblocks (amongst other topics), they do fascinate me, as does the Nutanix stuff.
The "build it yourself" method is still also a very valid consideration if you want full control over each component. The other factor, aside from some of the abstraction/simplification of managing these things, is the support. They each have their strengths/weaknesses there, like anything else.
Here's one (yes, imperfect) analogy - - -
***Vblock - You're essentially getting an "OEM" machine that you just "plug in" vs. buying/assembling the parts yourself, at a much larger (and obviously more expensive) scale.
***"Build it Yourself" - You're buying each component, putting it together carefully, but there are some parts you might spend more on than others, and each one has its own warranty, etc...
***Nutanix - You get a stack of "black boxes" that practically self-assembles itself into a machine.
An interesting article linked on Nutanix's site:
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www.enterprisetech.com/2 ··· ems-biz/One thing to note:
The Vblocks still use a (Cisco UCS) chassis. Whether or not that's a "good thing" depends on your perspective. The article mentions that such a thing *might* change, but I would doubt it happens anytime soon.
