At IGEL Now & Next 2026 in Miami, VMblog sat down with Jim Luna, Head of Partner Business Development at Nutanix, to discuss how Nutanix is powering the next generation of end user computing and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) — and what’s new on the horizon.
Nutanix and the Secure Digital Workspace
Jim Luna kicked off the conversation by framing Nutanix’s core value proposition: a software-defined infrastructure platform capable of running virtually any app, any data, anywhere — from on-premises environments to hyperscalers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. But at an end user computing event like IGEL Now & Next, the spotlight naturally falls on VDI and secure digital workspaces.
Luna described how Nutanix brings together the critical building blocks of a secure digital workspace stack — including backup, recovery, shadowing, and risk mitigation — and how that infrastructure layer pairs with VDI brokers and endpoint OS security solutions like IGEL to deliver a complete, enterprise-grade solution to customers.
The Nutanix and IGEL Partnership
As longtime ecosystem partners in the EUC and VDI space, Nutanix and IGEL occupy complementary positions in the stack. Luna explained that IGEL operates at the top of the stack, delivering endpoint OS security at the client level, while Nutanix powers the server-side infrastructure in the data center — delivering and managing the virtual machines that get presented to those endpoint devices.
Luna also hinted at emerging collaboration around insights, telemetry, and richer administrative data — capabilities designed to help IT admins better understand their environments, mitigate risk, and ultimately deliver a better end user experience.
Nutanix Agentic AI (NAI): A Major New Announcement
One of the most noteworthy topics Luna covered was Nutanix’s debut at Nvidia GTC, where the company announced Nutanix Agentic AI — or NAI. As AI models grow increasingly complex and continue to proliferate across the enterprise, Luna argued that orchestration has become a critical need. NAI is Nutanix’s answer — delivering orchestration capability for agentic AI workflows so that organizations can effectively manage the expanding array of models and incoming data.
Key partnerships fueling the AI push include Nvidia — a longstanding Nutanix partner — as well as a newly announced partnership with AMD, which is also investing directly in Nutanix. Within the EUC context specifically, Luna noted that AI efforts are focused on enhancing both the administrator experience and the end user workspace experience.
Who Is the Typical Nutanix Customer?
With 30,000 customers and growing — including roughly 1,000 new customers added in the most recent quarter — Nutanix has built a broad and diverse install base. Luna noted that a substantial portion of those customers are VDI customers, and they span a wide range of industries and use cases:
- Highly regulated verticals: Finance, healthcare, public sector, and education
- Industrial and operational sectors: Manufacturing, retail, oil and gas, and energy
- Service environments: Call centers
- SMB and commercial: Including architectural firms leveraging Nvidia vGPU for enhanced graphics performance
Where to Learn More
To explore Nutanix’s full portfolio — from cloud platform and databases to VDI solutions and AI — visit nutanix.com.
VMblog covered IGEL Now & Next 2026 live from the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, Florida. Watch more interviews and coverage from the show floor.
Company: Nutanix
Back to: IGEL Now & Next 2026
