Nutanix Inc. has built its business around hyperconverged infrastructure appliances and software-defined storage. Yet the company is increasingly facing pressure to expand its enterprise footprint in competition with major players such as Dell Technologies Inc. and its majority-owned VMware Inc.

Founded in September 2009, Nutanix will celebrate its milestone decade by being as nimble at it possibly can.

“The style is one of a cheetah that’s running fast; that’s Nutanix,” said John Furrier, co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the opening day of the .NEXT conference in Anaheim, California. “Then there’s the big elephant, which is Dell, and they’re just pounding through the territory. Nutanix has to stay fast and nimble and just bob and weave off what Dell’s doing.”

Furrier was joined by Rebecca Knight, co-host of theCUBE, and they discussed Nutanix’s transformation and what it must do to remain competitive (see the full interview with transcript here). (* Disclosure below.)

No longer a one-product business

The “bob and weave” part may be more challenging than it seems. The company’s task is more complicated because, after 10 years, Nutanix has a broader product portfolio.

“This company has really changed so much,” Knight said. “It’s always been about simplifying data management. But it’s no longer a one-product company.”

Nutanix’s product diversification led to some challenges in its sales strategy as it has shifted from selling hardware to a more software-focused approach. Despite major customer wins in healthcare and with the U.S. Department of Defense, there is more work yet to be done.

That’s the task facing Nutanix co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Dheeraj Pandey, according to Furrier.

“He’s got to shore up the sales and marketing,” Furrier said. “They’ve got to take their product leadership and they’ve got to win in the field. Nutanix is positioned to come in and provide an integrated solution, reduce the footprint, and free up the time it takes to manage information technology.”

Here’s the complete video analysis, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of .NEXT 2019. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the .NEXT conference. Neither Nutanix Inc., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: Nutanix