In this exclusive VMblog interview from KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2025 in London, hosts David Marshall and Brian Ducharme speak with Tobi Knaup, VP and General Manager of Cloud Native at Nutanix.

Tobi provides insights into Nutanix's journey from pioneering hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) to becoming a comprehensive platform for both virtual machines and Kubernetes workloads. He explains how Nutanix's cloud-native capabilities expanded following the acquisition of Mesosphere (later D2IQ), the company Tobi founded.

Interview Highlights:

• The evolution of Nutanix from storage solutions to a unified platform for VMs and containers
• How Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) provides a complete, production-ready Kubernetes solution built on 30+ integrated CNCF projects
• Advanced Kubernetes fleet management capabilities for managing multiple clusters across different environments
• Real-world case study: How Royal Caribbean uses Nutanix to power their shipboard applications with autonomous Kubernetes clusters
• Nutanix's unique approach to enabling both VM and container workloads on a single data substrate
• The introduction of Nutanix Enterprise AI (NAI) for bringing AI compute closer to enterprise data
• Key industry trends for 2025, including the growing importance of platform engineering for centralized Kubernetes management

Customer Success Story:

Discover how Royal Caribbean Cruises deployed Nutanix's platform to power their passenger mobile app backend across their entire fleet. Each ship runs autonomous Kubernetes clusters that can be remotely managed over satellite links, enabling seamless passenger experiences even while at sea.

For more information about Nutanix's Kubernetes solutions or to try a test drive of their products, visit https://www.nutanix.com.

In an exclusive interview with VMblog, Dominic Wilde, Senior VP of Marketing of Mirantis explains how their new k0rdent platform is transforming how enterprises deploy and manage Kubernetes-based AI workloads across cloud, datacenter, and edge environments. As a Gold Sponsor at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2025, Mirantis is showcasing this 100% open-source Distributed Container Management Environment (DCME) that addresses the growing complexity of managing infrastructure for AI/ML applications. The company's expanded presence aligns with their recent upgrade to Gold Membership in the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), demonstrating their deepening commitment to the cloud-native ecosystem. Visitors to booth N331 can experience live demonstrations of k0rdent, explore the new k0rdent Application Catalog with 19+ validated integrations, and get a sneak peek at upcoming KubeVirt capabilities for VM workload management on Kubernetes.

In this exclusive VMblog interview, Bryan Ashley, VP of Product Marketing at Aviatrix, discusses how the company is tackling the complex security challenges facing enterprises deploying Kubernetes at scale. As organizations increasingly adopt AI workloads and distributed applications across multiple clouds, Aviatrix has responded with their recently launched Kubernetes Firewall solution.

Set to showcase at Booth S653 during KubeCon + CloudNativeCon EU 2025, Aviatrix aims to address critical issues including egress security, IP exhaustion, and policy enforcement across hybrid environments. Ashley explains how the Aviatrix Cloud Network Security platform helps unite cloud, networking, and security teams while providing the control and simplicity needed for modern cloud strategies in an increasingly AI-driven landscape.

Ahead of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon EU 2025, VMblog sat down with Emilio Salvador, VP of Strategy and Developer Relations for GitLab, to discuss how the company's comprehensive AI-powered DevSecOps platform is transforming software development.

In this exclusive interview, Salvador shares insights on GitLab's integration with Kubernetes and other CNCF tools, the impact of their GitLab Duo AI capabilities, and his vision for cloud-native technologies in 2025. As organizations continue to struggle with developer productivity—with only 21% of developers' time dedicated to writing new code according to GitLab's 2024 Global DevSecOps Report—Salvador explains how GitLab's single platform approach and AI integration are addressing the complexity challenges of Kubernetes adoption while enhancing security and efficiency across hybrid environments.

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation® (CNCF®), which builds sustainable ecosystems for cloud native software, announced the schedule for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2025, taking place this year in London, England from 1 – 4 April 2025.