Horizon 8 on Nutanix AHV: A powerful new frontier in VDI

In episode 4 of the Walk This Way webinar series with WWT, we explored a powerful new frontier in desktop and app virtualization: Omnissa Horizon 8 support for Nutanix AHV. This strategic integration marks a significant step forward in delivering secure, scalable, and flexible digital workspaces for modern enterprises.

Why this matters: The IT landscape today

IT teams are navigating a rapidly evolving digital landscape, and the pressure is mounting. Organizations need to balance agility, security, and cost control while modernizing their environments. Key challenges include:

• Limited choice and vendor lock-In
  Some vendors are moving toward closed ecosystems, reducing flexibility and limiting deployment options. Enterprises need choice to align with their hybrid, multi-cloud strategies.
• 31% of enterprise tech is legacy-based
  Legacy systems still dominate many environments, consuming up to 80% of IT budgets and slowing innovation (Mechanical Orchard, 2023).
• IT skills gap is accelerating
  By 2026, 90% of organizations will feel the impact (IDC, 2024)

These realities demand a modern, efficient, and secure approach to desktop and app delivery.

The power of partnership: Omnissa + Nutanix

Together, Omnissa and Nutanix are redefining what’s possible for end-user computing. This partnership brings together Horizon’s robust virtualization capabilities with Nutanix’s hyperconverged infrastructure to deliver:

• Choice and flexibility: Deploy Horizon on Nutanix AHV across on-prem, hybrid, and public cloud environments.
• Operational simplicity: Leverage Nutanix’s cloud-like management and Omnissa App Volumes for streamlined app delivery.
• Seamless hybrid and multi-cloud support: Run workloads consistently across environments with unified control.

What’s new: Horizon 8 on Nutanix AHV

This integration isn’t just about compatibility—it’s about innovation. Key highlights include:

• Automated provisioning and power management through Prism Central
  Horizon integrates with Nutanix’s strategic management platform, providing full lifecycle management for desktops across on-prem and cloud environments.
• Unified Access Gateway (UAG) support for secure access
  Native AHV-compatible appliances ensure secure, reliable connectivity for remote users and SaaS services.
• Simplified pool model with Redirect-on-Write cloning
  A single automated pool type simplifies administration. Nutanix’s Redirect-on-Write cloning delivers fast, space-efficient provisioning for both persistent and non-persistent desktops.
• Built-in image customization and compute profiles
  Horizon now manages the Sysprep process internally and introduces reusable compute profiles (CPU, GPU, RAM) for consistent deployments.
• Hybrid flexibility across nutanix NC2 on Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud
  Manage and deliver virtual desktops seamlessly across on-premises and public cloud environments using a single Horizon console.

Looking ahead: Roadmap highlights

The rollout is happening in phases (Note that features and timelines for Limited Availability and General Availability are subject to change):

• Beta: Currently in progress, provide Beta provides core capabilities for deploying Horizon on AHV, including automated desktop pools with fast clone-based provisioning, support for both persistent and non-persistent desktops, integrated Sysprep customization, compute profile management, and an AHV-native Unified Access Gateway appliance.
• Limited Availability (LA): Will be available in the Horizon 2506 release, Limited Availability introduces advanced capabilities such as power management policies, vGPU support for high-performance use cases, App Volumes and DEM integration, FIPS-mode for compliance, Cloud Pod Architecture, and hybrid flexibility with Horizon on AHV in Nutanix NC2. Interested customers would need to work with Omnissa to have LA functions turned on. While this is a production ready release supported by Omnissa, it is important to receive guidance from Omnissa to ensure the LA meets customer’s use cases. You can learn more from the following KB article.
• General Availability (GA): Available in late 2025, General Availability will deliver full enterprise readiness with features like true refresh workflows using recovery points, automated RDSH farms with published apps (including Apps on Demand), managed NVIDIA GPU support, multi-network and server OS options for VDI, advanced image customization, Workspace ONE Access integration, Horizon Cloud Services support for monitoring and help desk, and Universal Broker for seamless hybrid deployments.

Why It Matters for You

Whether you're a current Horizon customer or exploring new infrastructure options, this integration offers a compelling path forward. It’s about giving IT teams the tools they need to deliver secure, high-performance digital workspaces—without compromise.