Vates & Nexsan Unity: Open virtualization meets proven enterprise storage

Vates is announcing a new partnership with Nexsan Unity, validating Nexsan’s enterprise storage solutions as fully compatible with the Vates VMS stack. This joint validation gives customers a secure, high-performance, and fully open alternative to proprietary virtualization ecosystems, delivering modern infrastructure freedom without vendor lock-in.

A validated combination

Following joint interoperability testing in August 2025, Vates and Nexsan validated full functional compatibility across iSCSI, NFS, and Fibre Channel configurations. The result: a production-ready solution that merges open virtualization freedom with the trusted resilience of Nexsan Unity storage.

Both platforms share a Linux-friendly, standards-based architecture. XCP-ng integrates seamlessly with Unity’s LUNs or NFS shares using standard storage protocols—no proprietary drivers or middleware required.

Why this partnership matters

In any virtualization project, storage is one of the most critical components. Performance, reliability, and compatibility directly determine the success of the infrastructure.
By validating Nexsan Unity against our stack, Vates extends its technological ecosystem, giving users more choice and stronger guarantees when combining compute and storage layers.

What this partnership brings

• Validated interoperability

Nexsan hardware is now officially tested and supported with Vates VMS, including XCP-ng, Xen Orchestra, and our professional services. Users can confidently deploy Nexsan Unity arrays knowing they operate smoothly with Vates software, covering iSCSI, Fibre Channel (HBA/FC), and NFS.

• Enterprise-class storage versatility

Nexsan Unity combines block (iSCSI/FC), file (NFS/SMB), and object (S3) access in a single unified platform. This versatility supports all virtualization workloads, from VM disks to backups and cloud applications, while reducing management overhead and storage sprawl.

• Performance synergy

Unity’s RAID-protected, high-throughput architecture, with Fast Tier SSD acceleration, large cache memory, and multi-threaded I/O paths, perfectly complements XCP-ng’s efficient Xen-based hypervisor.
The result is low-latency VM performance, consistent throughput, and balanced multipathing for maximum resilience and speed.

• Enhanced protection and data integrity

Unity offers immutable snapshots, replication, and optional encryption at rest, protecting VM data from ransomware or accidental deletion. Combined with XCP-ng’s native snapshot and replication capabilities, users get end-to-end protection and fast recovery across the entire stack.

• Expanded flexibility and scalability

This partnership widens the certified hardware ecosystem available to Vates customers, enabling linear scalability in both compute and storage. Whether deploying in a core data centre, remote site, or edge environment, users can scale capacity and performance predictably with open, validated components.

A stronger choice for customers

For existing Vates VMS users, this validation opens a clear path to integrate Nexsan Unity storage without compromise. For newcomers, it delivers a trusted combination of virtualization and storage, backed by two companies committed to openness, reliability, and long-term value.

Together, Vates and Nexsan Unity provide:

• Freedom from license lock-in and proprietary dependencies
• Predictable, transparent cost models
• Enterprise-class performance and security validated by joint testing
• Future-proof scalability for modern virtualization projects

Looking ahead

In the coming months, Vates and Nexsan will release reference architectures and configuration guidelines to help customers deploy validated solutions with ease.
Both companies also plan to expand interoperability further, allowing XCP-ng to leverage more of the advanced features available in Nexsan Unity arrays, such as snapshot immutability and data tiering.

By joining forces, Vates and Nexsan reaffirm a shared vision: offering organizations a secure, flexible, and sustainable virtualization environment, empowering them with more choice and greater confidence in how they design and scale their infrastructure.