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Nutanix NCI 7.6 Adds Dell PowerStore Support
Nutanix and Dell Technologies announced that Dell PowerStore now supports Nutanix Cloud Platform, with the integration available through Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure 7.6. The configuration uses Dell Private Cloud to deploy and manage Nutanix AHV virtualized environments backed by external PowerStore storage.
The companies said the PowerStore integration is available now and provides a validated deployment path, automated AHV installation, lifecycle management and Dell system-level hardware support. It also extends Nutanix's external-storage architecture by allowing compute and storage resources to be expanded separately rather than as a single hyperconverged unit.
Dell PowerStore provides the external all-flash storage layer for the new configuration. Dell and Nutanix said the integration delivers end-to-end NVMe performance and lets organizations scale compute and storage on separate tracks according to workload requirements. PowerStore's Dynamic Resiliency Engine supports capacity expansion one drive at a time, according to the announcement.
Nutanix Cloud Platform components covered by the announcement include the AHV hypervisor, Flow networking and security, and Prism management and operations. Dell said PowerStore appears within the existing Prism operational experience, allowing administrators to manage the integrated environment without introducing a separate Nutanix-facing management tool.
The companies also described several storage services available in the configuration. Dell and Nutanix said PowerStore provides always-on deduplication and compression with a 6:1 data-reduction guarantee. The announcement did not document the eligibility requirements, exclusions or measurement methodology for that guarantee.
Data-protection capabilities identified in the announcement include asynchronous replication and Metro synchronous replication with zero recovery point objective and zero recovery time objective. Protection policies can be managed through Prism. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager can provide remote backup, long-term retention, cloud archival and retention locks, according to the companies.
The PowerStore configuration uses a disaggregated architecture in which Nutanix compute clusters connect to an external storage system. Nutanix previously described this architecture as a way to scale compute and storage independently while using NVMe over TCP across standard Ethernet networks.
A Nutanix technical overview of external storage said the model connects AHV and Nutanix infrastructure software running on industry-standard compute servers to supported external arrays. The company identified PowerStore and Everpure FlashArray, formerly Pure Storage FlashArray, as external-storage platforms using the NVMe/TCP approach.
Dell Private Cloud serves as the deployment and automation layer for the PowerStore configuration. It uses validated blueprints to automate AHV deployment and Dell Automation Platform to orchestrate lifecycle operations across the stack. Dell characterized the release as supporting operations from Day 0 deployment through Day 1 administration and Day 2 lifecycle management.
The companies said NCI 7.6 support includes non-disruptive upgrades. Dell also provides system-level hardware support for the integrated configuration. The announcement did not provide a detailed allocation of support responsibilities between Dell and Nutanix for software-only incidents, escalation procedures or third-party network components.
According to a matching Dell announcement about the release, the configuration preserves the Prism interface and does not require Nutanix administrators to adopt additional operational tools. Dell said its automation covers the compute, storage and hypervisor layers included in the validated solution.
PowerStore is the second Dell storage platform integrated with Nutanix Cloud Platform. Dell PowerFlex was the first external Dell storage system supported by the platform. Nutanix introduced its external-storage capability with PowerFlex as the initial supported configuration before extending the model to additional storage providers.
Dell had previously said that Dell Private Cloud could deploy Nutanix with PowerFlex, while PowerStore support was scheduled for summer 2026. The NCI 7.6 announcement marks the stated general availability of the PowerStore configuration.
The product work follows an expanded partnership announced by Dell and Nutanix in 2024. At that time, the companies said they would collaborate on engineering, go-to-market activities, support and services for new joint solutions. They also said Dell sales teams and partners would distribute the resulting Nutanix software offerings worldwide.
The 2024 collaboration announcement described two solutions then under development. The companies subsequently introduced Nutanix support on Dell Private Cloud and external Dell storage in stages, beginning with PowerFlex and followed by PowerStore. Dell and Nutanix describe their broader relationship as a 14-year partnership.
Dell positions Private Cloud as an automation and infrastructure platform capable of deploying cloud stacks from several vendors. A May 2026 Dell announcement listed Broadcom, Microsoft, Nutanix and Red Hat among the supported vendors and identified Microsoft Azure Local as a separate Dell Private Cloud option.
For teams managing Microsoft applications on virtual machines, the announcement documents a new infrastructure option based on Nutanix AHV and Dell storage.
Dell Private Cloud with PowerStore for Nutanix Cloud Platform is available with NCI 7.6, according to both companies. Customers seeking implementation details were directed to contact Dell or Nutanix representatives.
About the Author
David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.