FlashStack for the Next Era of Enterprise Compute

FlashStack for the next era of enterprise compute

Organizations are under pressure to operationalize data at scale and move faster than ever before. Budgets are tightening, yet demands for performance, AI enablement, resiliency, and simplified operations continue to rise. Leaders are looking for platforms that offer choice and flexibility without sacrificing control and reliability. At the same time, recent market shifts, including changes in licensing models and the uncertainty created by the Broadcom acquisition of VMware, have forced many IT leaders to reevaluate long-standing infrastructure assumptions. This combination has created a real opportunity for designs that eliminate friction and make innovation practical rather than aspirational.

The latest FlashStack architecture built through Cisco, Pure Storage and Nutanix is an example of this shift. It gives enterprises a path to combine cloud operating models, on-premises data control, and a predictable platform for high-performance applications, including those that will underpin tomorrow's AI pipelines. Organizations that once viewed infrastructure decisions as incremental purchases are now assessing platforms based on long-term strategic control, cost predictability, and the ability to support new data services without locking themselves into licensing traps.

This is not a return to the converged infrastructure of the past. It is a modern architecture that decouples compute and storage. It provides the architectural freedom customers expect today, with the operational simplicity that leaders wish they had years ago. It also provides a path forward for enterprises that want to avoid escalating license fees, maintain independence in their technology stack, and stay ahead of vendor-driven market disruptions that can impact both cost and agility.

Why FlashStack still matters

For more than a decade, Cisco Validated Designs have served as trusted blueprints for proven architectures and prescriptive deployment guidance. A CVD is not a marketing exercise. It is a rigorously engineered reference design that removes ambiguity from complex solution builds by documenting what has been deployed, tested, and validated under real-world conditions. The result is predictable outcomes and reduced implementation risk.

Earlier generations of CVDs focused on architectures where compute, storage, and networking scaled together. That model worked during the rise of virtualization and converged infrastructure. The newest FlashStack CVD breaks from that pattern. It supports a non-traditional design where Nutanix runs on Cisco compute nodes without local disks and connects to Pure Storage arrays over the network using NVMe over TCP. This aligns with a much larger industry shift toward flexible operating models, disaggregated infrastructure, and architectures that can adapt to the demands of AI, analytics and data-intensive applications.

Many organizations embraced hyperconverged infrastructure because it simplified deployment. However, HCI's tightly coupled scaling model has become a limitation. As workloads diversify, tying compute and storage to the same node forces customers into buying resources they do not need. FlashStack eliminates this constraint without sacrificing operational simplicity.

For many enterprises, this architecture becomes a bridge rather than a reset. Leveraging Nutanix with external Pure Storage preserves existing flash investments while unlocking VM-level and dataset-level control. It strengthens data protection strategies through features such as immutable snapshots and policy-based recovery. External storage is no longer a capital artifact from previous purchases. It transforms into a strategic enabler aligned to application portfolios, business continuity requirements, and emerging AI initiatives.

Equally important, this FlashStack CVD is not an isolated effort. It reflects a broader Nutanix strategy around external storage integration that will continue to expand server options, data services, and deployment patterns. Customers gain confidence that they are investing along an active roadmap rather than into a terminal architecture with no future.

FlashStack operationalizes this design by running Nutanix software on non-HCI Cisco compute nodes and connecting them to Pure Storage arrays using NVMe over TCP. This separation of duties provides tangible benefits:

• Compute can scale independently to match application requirements
• Storage performance remains consistent as capacity grows
• Infrastructure becomes easier to automate and govern with fewer touchpoints
• The organization gains a platform designed for AI, edge deployments, and real-time analytics

The inclusion of this architecture inside an official CVD is significant. It signals market readiness and vendor alignment. It proves that the industry is moving beyond a single scaling model or licensing construct. FlashStack delivers the operational simplicity customers expect while restoring the architectural freedom they have not had in years.

The result is a sustainable platform that enables teams to scale with confidence, rather than complexity—and one that evolves in tandem with the business, rather than holding it back.

NVMe over TCP: The right protocol at the right time

Most storage networks in use today were designed when applications were monolithic, data growth was predictable, and performance boundaries were easy to define. Those assumptions no longer hold. AI models ingest data at exponential rates. Analytics pipelines require immediate access to datasets that were previously stored in isolated silos. Modern applications span clusters, clouds, and edge locations. The storage layer has become the center of a real time data supply chain.

Legacy transports such as iSCSI and Fibre Channel served their purpose, but they were engineered for a different era. They rely on proprietary fabrics, specialized adapters, and operational expertise that introduces friction precisely when organizations need agility. In an environment defined by distributed compute and unpredictable data flows, these architectures have shifted from enablers to inhibitors.

NVMe over TCP breaks that model. It brings the low latency and parallelism of NVMe to standard Ethernet networks, eliminating the need for dedicated storage fabrics and specialized skill sets. Storage traffic rides on the same IP infrastructure that already connects applications and workloads. The network becomes a universal data fabric rather than a constrained transport layer that dictates architectural decisions.

FlashStack utilizes NVMe over TCP to present Pure Storage arrays to Nutanix compute nodes, effectively treating them as locally attached devices. This delivers near-direct attached performance without coupling storage to the server. Latency remains predictable, throughput remains consistent, and the architecture scales as the business grows, whether that growth is in a single data center, across regions, or into emerging AI infrastructure footprints.

The impact is not only architectural. NVMe over TCP shifts the economics of infrastructure. It allows organizations to:

• Extend existing IP networks instead of deploying proprietary fabrics
• Scale storage independently of compute without retraining operations teams
• Reduce licensing and hardware dependencies tied to legacy Fibre Channel environments
• Support AI and data-intensive workloads that require rapid access to structured and unstructured datasets

For leaders responsible for long-term platform decisions, NVMe over TCP is not a mere protocol enhancement. It is a strategic pivot point. It aligns with the industry's shift toward software-defined data paths, open network fabrics, and systems that adapt to workloads rather than forcing workloads to conform to infrastructure limitations.

NVMe over TCP is also a pragmatic exit ramp from Fibre Channel. Many organizations can reuse existing Ethernet switches where bandwidth permits or deploy a dedicated storage network as requirements increase. They can migrate array front-end connectivity from Fibre Channel to Ethernet without disrupting applications. This reduces fabric-specific skill requirements, unifies operations, and aligns storage with the same IP stack that supports applications, AI pipelines, and edge deployments.

As AI and modern applications become central to business strategy, the organizations that adopt NVMe over TCP will be those able to execute faster, scale without friction, and unlock value sooner. FlashStack's embrace of this protocol is not an incremental update. It is a signal that the platform is engineered for what comes next, not optimized for what came before.

Cisco Intersight: The operational control plane

Modern infrastructure is no longer judged by how easily hardware can be installed. The true measure is how efficiently it can be governed, automated, and evolved without introducing risk. Teams are expected to deliver platforms that support virtualization today, containers tomorrow, and AI pipelines in the future. Traditional management models were never designed to operate at that velocity. They were built for static environments, predictable change cycles, and specialized administrators.

Cisco Intersight fills that gap. It acts as a unified operations and automation platform that sits above the hardware estate and turns infrastructure into a policy-driven service. Instead of managing servers, storage, and clusters independently, Intersight enables organizations to treat their infrastructure as a single, coherent system that can be configured, updated, and monitored from a single location.

Why Intersight matters inside FlashStack

In this FlashStack design, Intersight does more than manage devices. It becomes the orchestration engine that enables a disaggregated architecture to behave like a unified platform:

• Orchestrates Nutanix deployments across Cisco compute platforms with guided workflows that reduce human error and eliminate repetitive configuration tasks
• Automates firmware, configuration, and policy enforcement so standards are applied once and executed everywhere, with no manual drift or guesswork
• Delivers a single operational experience across virtualization platforms, container stacks, and AI infrastructure, allowing teams to manage diverse workloads without adding new tools or administrators
• Provides integrated observability for compute, network, and storage interactions, giving operators visibility into the entire data path instead of isolated metrics that are difficult to correlate

This changes the day to day experience of operating infrastructure. Actions that once required specialized teams and niche expertise become simple workflows. Lifecycles that used to take days or weeks compress into hours. Risk is reduced because every deployment looks the same and follows the same policy-driven governance model.

Day-to-day operations stay familiar. Nutanix Prism continues to be the primary interface for VM centric management, while Pure1 and the FlashArray console provide deep storage analytics and Cisco Intersight delivers server and fabric lifecycle automation. Together, they create a single operational story rather than three disconnected tools.

The strategic implications for leaders

For executives, Intersight represents more than operational efficiency. It protects the business from the compounding cost of fragmented infrastructure. Organizations often accumulate separate management domains that grow over time, creating unnecessary headcount, training requirements, and licensing overhead. Intersight reverses that trend. It removes the hidden tax of complexity and replaces it with a platform that:

• Reduces lifecycle operating costs by eliminating redundant tools and manual processes
• Accelerates onboarding of new services because infrastructure is deployed as a repeatable pattern, not a one-off project
• Adapts to evolving strategies, whether the business invests in AI, edge services, hybrid cloud, or new application architectures

This is why Intersight matters in the context of FlashStack. It is the connective tissue that turns a collection of best-of-breed technologies into a platform that behaves as one system. Without it, modernization becomes a series of isolated projects. With it, the organization gains a foundation capable of supporting innovation at the pace the business demands.

Intersight helps FlashStack become not just a well-engineered architecture, but an operational advantage.

Pure Storage: The data fabric

In a world where data defines competitive advantage, the storage layer can no longer function as a passive component. It has become the center of gravity for digital initiatives, AI pipelines, and application modernization efforts. When storage is rigid, complex, or unpredictable, those limitations ripple upward into every application that depends on it. Pure Storage reverses this pattern by positioning the storage tier as an active part of the architecture rather than a constraint that must be worked around.

Pure Storage arrays deliver consistent low latency, predictable throughput, and a non-disruptive scalability model that eliminates the traditional tradeoffs between performance and operational effort. Storage can be expanded without forklift upgrades, risky migrations, or downtime. Workloads remain online as capacity grows. This is not an incremental convenience feature. It is a structural change that removes fear from growth and experimentation.

That operational simplicity extends into the Pure Storage management console. Administrators do not require deep storage expertise to manage the environment. Capacity increases, volume provisioning, replication, and data protection tasks are intuitive and policy-driven. Instead of bolting lifecycle controls onto the platform after deployment, Pure integrates them into the interface from the start. Infrastructure teams can support new workloads without adding specialized headcount, skill sets, or management silos.

The integration between Nutanix and Pure Storage reinforces this value with precision. Rather than managing large shared datastores, each Nutanix virtual machine can map its individual virtual disks to dedicated FlashArray volumes. This preserves the Nutanix VM-centric operations model while giving storage teams granular control over performance policies, replication targets, snapshots, and recovery at the level where applications actually live. It eliminates the historical compromise between infrastructure scale and dataset control. Storage is right-sized for each workload instead of forcing workloads into a shared construct that hides performance behavior and complicates protection strategies.

This is where Pure Storage becomes more than a storage platform. It acts as a data fabric that adapts to changing business requirements and supports the unpredictable I/O patterns of AI systems, analytics engines, and hybrid applications. FlashStack with Pure Storage enables organizations to introduce new compute platforms, adopt Nutanix, integrate with cloud services, or deploy GPU-accelerated AI clusters without rearchitecting the underlying data layer. Storage becomes an enabler of innovation, not a barrier to it.

A foundation for data-driven business models

This simplicity becomes strategically important as organizations move beyond virtualization and into AI, high velocity analytics, and hybrid cloud data services. These workloads have unpredictable I/O patterns. They require fast access to datasets that shift locations based on cost, compliance, and performance requirements. Pure Storage handles these use cases without forcing architects to compromise. Performance remains consistent as data increases, and latency profiles remain stable regardless of the deployment scale.

By acting as a data fabric, Pure Storage enables FlashStack to support:

• AI model training and inference workloads that demand rapid access to both structured and unstructured datasets
• Transactional analytics platforms that depend on microsecond responsiveness to drive real-time decision making
• Hybrid cloud patterns where data must move between locations without performance penalties or operational overhead
• Disaggregated architectures, including NVMe over TCP, that separate compute and storage to gain flexibility and cost control

The platform's emphasis on non-disruptive scaling and evergreen upgrades ensures that the storage layer evolves with the business rather than forcing expensive redesigns when workloads change. This is the opposite of legacy storage patterns, where growth equals pain. With Pure Storage, growth equals capability.

Why this matters for FlashStack

FlashStack is designed to remove friction from modernization. Pure Storage provides the stability and predictability needed for that mission. When storage behaves as a reliable data fabric, architects can introduce new compute platforms, adopt Nutanix, integrate with cloud services, or deploy GPU accelerated AI clusters without rebuilding the foundation.

This creates a strategic runway for innovation. Decisions about new services, new workloads, or new architectures no longer hinge on whether the storage tier can keep up. It already can. Storage becomes an enabler, not a constraint.

FlashStack with Pure Storage exceeds storage requirements. It prepares the organization for the next decade of data growth, AI adoption, and the evolution of hybrid infrastructure. It places data at the center of the architecture, giving the business the freedom to move at the pace of opportunity.

Nutanix without HCI constraints

Nutanix became a market leader by simplifying virtualization and infrastructure operations. The original value proposition of hyperconverged infrastructure was clear. Put compute and storage in the same chassis, manage it as one unit, and give customers a clean, cloud-like experience inside their own data centers. For many years, it served the market well.

The problem is that the world has moved on. Data growth, AI workloads, and changing license models have exposed a structural limitation in traditional HCI designs. When compute and storage scale together inside the same node, customers lose the freedom to grow their environment in the way the business actually consumes resources. They end up buying storage when they really need cores, or buying cores when they really need storage. Over time, that mismatch becomes expensive and difficult to manage.

Running Nutanix software on Cisco compute without local storage resets the equation. It treats Nutanix as a powerful cloud operating system rather than locking it into a specific hardware pattern. The result is a non HCI Nutanix model, where compute and storage are deliberately decoupled and connected over the network to Pure Storage arrays using NVMe over TCP.

At the same time, customers still get the full Nutanix Cloud Platform experience, including AHV enterprise features, integrated disaster recovery, flow-based virtual networking and security, and Prism Central for VM-centric operations and lifecycle management. The result is a cloud platform that can run traditional virtualized workloads, databases, desktops, and new AI services across data centers, clouds, and edge locations while treating external storage as a first-class citizen.

From HCI appliance to cloud platform

In this design, Nutanix is no longer confined to an appliance mindset. It becomes the control plane for virtual machines, containers, and application services running on Cisco compute. Storage is provided by Pure Storage arrays that sit on the network and serve data at NVMe speeds.

This matters for several reasons:

• Workloads can move freely because they are not tied to the storage that sits inside the chassis
• Compute can scale independently, so customers can add CPU and memory for new applications without touching storage
• Storage can grow based on data requirements rather than license or node count considerations
• Upgrades and refreshes can be staged, since compute and storage lifecycles do not need to be tied together

It is a return to architectural principles that experienced architects value, combined with the operational simplicity that Nutanix is known for.

Freedom to design for workloads, not hardware

The practical impact inside a FlashStack environment is significant. Architects can place workloads based on latency, performance, and business priority rather than on which HCI node has available capacity. They can design clusters that are optimized for:

• General-purpose virtualized workloads
• High memory analytics and in-memory databases
• GPU-enabled AI training and inference nodes
• Edge or remote environments that still rely on the same Nutanix and Pure operational patterns

This flexibility is not an abstract benefit. It shows up in the way projects are funded and delivered. Instead of requesting large HCI blocks that mix storage, compute, and licensing, teams can scope investments around the specific constraint they need to relieve. Sometimes that is more compute. Sometimes, that is more performance or capacity in the storage layer. Sometimes that is simply the desire to onboard a new application without disturbing what is already working.

A Nutanix model built for AI and data services

The shift to non-HCI Nutanix becomes especially important as organizations operationalize AI and advanced data services. These workloads do not follow neat patterns. A single GPU cluster may require more bandwidth and IOPS than several racks of traditional application servers. Training jobs may run in bursts, while inference services may require consistent, low-latency access to a curated subset of data. Data pipelines may span on-premises environments, cloud regions, and edge locations.

In that world, a rigid HCI scaling model limits what is possible. AI and modern data platforms expect an infrastructure that can flex. They require:

• Independent tuning of compute and storage performance
• The ability to add GPU-rich nodes without overprovisioning local storage
• Storage platforms that present data consistently, regardless of where the compute sits
• A control plane that makes these resources feel unified and easy to consume

Non-HCI Nutanix on Cisco compute with Pure Storage in FlashStack delivers that combination. It provides the simplicity of Nutanix, the performance and resiliency of Pure, and the operational control of Cisco Intersight, all within a design that respects the reality of modern workloads.

Flexibility Is no longer optional

For companies preparing to scale AI and data services, this degree of flexibility is no longer a feature. It is a requirement for survival. Markets are shifting quickly. License models are changing. Mergers and acquisitions in the technology ecosystem are altering the economics of traditional platforms. Organizations that remain locked into a single scaling pattern will find themselves boxed in at the very moment they need to pivot.

Nutanix, without HCI constraints inside FlashStack, provides a strategic alternative. It offers a way to keep the familiar Nutanix experience, leverage Cisco and Pure as trusted platforms, and regain architectural freedom. It lets workloads move. It lets compute scale. It lets storage grow at the pace of the business.

Most importantly, it gives IT leaders room to maneuver in an environment where the only constant is change.

Where WWT changes the outcome

Technology alone does not solve enterprise problems. Architecture is strategy, but execution is reality. The organizations gaining advantage today are not just selecting platforms. They are validating, integrating, and operationalizing them faster and with greater confidence than their competitors. This is where World Wide Technology transforms FlashStack from a promising architecture into a true business accelerator.

WWT has invested in environments that remove uncertainty from modernization decisions. These facilities allow customers to evaluate FlashStack in the context of their own priorities, workloads, and future state plans rather than relying on slides or assumptions.

The WWT Advanced Technology Center (ATC)

The ATC hosts the complete next-generation FlashStack architecture, including:

• Cisco compute running Nutanix without HCI constraints
• Pure Storage arrays connected over NVMe over TCP
• Cisco Intersight operates as the unified control plane
• Inside the ATC, customers can:
• Benchmark FlashStack performance against their current infrastructure
• Validate NVMe over TCP behavior and latency characteristics at scale
• Test Intersight orchestration, policy enforcement, upgrades, and lifecycle operations
• Run real application scenarios that stress compute, storage, and data movement patterns

The ATC gives leaders empirical answers rather than conceptual promises. It turns modernization conversations into evidence-based decisions. Executives gain the confidence to invest. Architects gain the data to design correctly. Operators gain the experience to deploy without fear.

The WWT AI Proving Ground (AIPG)

As AI shifts from an innovation experiment to a revenue engine, infrastructure moves from a supporting role to a competitive differentiator. The AI Proving Ground extends FlashStack beyond traditional workloads and validates its role as a foundation for AI and advanced data services.

Inside the AIPG, customers can:

• Test AI pipelines on FlashStack to evaluate how data locality impacts training performance
• Measure inference latency and throughput across different compute placements
• Observe how NVMe over TCP affects data access patterns during model iteration
• Validate that Nutanix without HCI constraints allows GPU rich nodes to scale independently of storage
• Prove that Pure Storage provides the consistency required to support AI data flows without rearchitecting the environment

This capability is unique. It connects architecture to the business outcomes that AI demands. Organizations no longer need to guess whether FlashStack can support their future. They can test it, measure it, and optimize it before a single dollar of production spend.

A platform for the decade ahead

FlashStack built on Cisco, Pure Storage, and Nutanix is not an infrastructure refresh. It is a strategic posture for the next era of digital business. It enables organizations to:

• Own and control their data
• Scale compute and storage independently
• Reduce operational drag through Cisco Intersight automation
• Support AI and analytics without ripping out the data center
• Protect investments through open protocols like NVMe over TCP
• Operate a platform that adapts to change rather than resists it

The companies that will lead the next decade are not the ones with the most tools. They are the ones with the most leverage. FlashStack delivers that leverage when paired with the validation capabilities of the ATC and the AI Proving Ground.

Architecture stops being a constraint and becomes a force multiplier.

From concept to competitive advantage

The infrastructure decisions organizations make now will determine whether they lead or lag in the era of data-intensive, AI-powered business models. Continuing to pile new initiatives onto legacy constraints only adds drag to innovation. FlashStack provides a platform engineered for hybrid operations, independent scaling, and the performance required for modern AI workloads, but its true value is realized when it is proven against the realities of your environment.

WWT has already created the places where that proof happens. The Advanced Technology Center enables organizations to benchmark their performance, validate operational workflows, and mitigate deployment risks before committing resources. The AI Proving Ground extends that validation into real data and model execution scenarios, demonstrating how FlashStack behaves under authentic AI demands rather than controlled demonstrations.

Your next-generation architecture does not need another whiteboard session. It needs a proving ground. Let WWT transform FlashStack from a promising architecture into a measurable advantage, ensuring your infrastructure strategy becomes a catalyst for growth rather than a constraint.