Cisco will support Nutanix’s hypervisor with its Unified Communications Manager, providing customers with an alternative to VMware.
Nutanix gains a new advantage to attract customers away from Broadcom and VMware. Cisco is making its Unified Communications Manager (UCM) compatible with Nutanix’s Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV). Until now, UCM only supported VMware ESXi.
No Longer Trapped
This dependence on Broadcom can cause problems for customers who are disadvantaged by the company’s new licensing policy. Broadcom’s focus on the largest companies and the artificial bundling of products results in significantly increased licensing costs for many businesses. Those who only needed VMware ESXi for UCM were somewhat trapped.
From early 2026, switching to Nutanix will be an option. By then, Cisco UCM on Nutanix AHV should be generally available in principle.
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Goodbye Broadcom (but not just yet): Nutanix entices with a range of options
Growing Ecosystem
For Nutanix, Cisco’s interest is a victory. The company positions itself as the only truly mature alternative to Broadcom and VMware, and is doing everything to make switching attractive for customers. At the same time, the Nutanix ecosystem continues to expand. For instance, Citrix and Nutanix have been collaborating well for some time, and Omnissa also runs excellently on AHV.